Day 2 at the five Manache Ganapati mandals

September 7, 2016

Guruji Talim Ganapati... Photographs by Sanket Wankhade

Ganeshotsav has reached its third day as the streets of Pune are crowded with devotees lining up outside numerous mandals to get the best view of Bappa in all his glory as well as seek his blessings. In an attempt to bring you a flavour of the festival in all parts of the city, Pune 365 is crisscrossing the twin cities.. like we did on Tuesday evening to find out what the mandals of the five Manache Ganapati are doing post the arrival of Bappa.

Going in an order, Shree Kasba Ganapati Temple’s mandal is filled with the air of excitement as it is expecting Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living Foundation today. “We are expecting him to come at around 12.30 pm,” says Vishal Chaudhari, Working President of the Kasba Ganapati Trust. Aside from this, the mandal is filled with women dressed in colourful sarees singing hymns in praise of Ganapati. Every year, during the festival, Kasba Ganapati gives out awards to five individuals recognising their work in various fields like education, sports and philanthropy. This year, Dr S B Mujumdar, founder and Chancellor of Symbiosis International University, will be chief guest who will felicitate these individuals. The ceremony will be held on Saturday.

Our next stop was the Tambdi Jogeshwari Mandal that is charming many people to it because of the shine of the silver jewellery on the idol and the silver palanquin on which the idol will be taken on the day of the visarjan. “We are going eco-friendly this year too. The idol is made from shadu or white clay and it will be immersed in an artificial tank,” explains Vinayak Samak, a member of the Tambdi Jogeshwari Mandal. On Sunday, September 11, all the activities, including the prayers will be handled by women.

With its simplistic yet attractive decorations, the Guruji Talim Mandal has adorned its idol with jewellery made from gold. The aartiis are held daily at 8 am and 8 pm. This mandal plans to celebrate the festival by being open for the public all through the day.

The bright silver jewellery on the trunk and the crown has many devotees ogling at the Tulshibaug Temple’s idol. Following the demise of the temple’s president and famous sculptor D S Khatavkar, the members of the temple decided to hold an exhibition of the late sculptor’s works. Khatavkar’s works include making elaborate decorations for the mandal since 1952. “We have displayed images of all the decorations since 1952 in his memory. Our mandal has been famous since years for displaying such elaborate decorations,” states Vikas Pawar, Vice President of the Tulshibaug Ganapati Mandal Trust.

Kesari Wada is a place bustling with commotion as several organisers are on the run preparing for the next ten days. After the aarti at 7 pm, several cultural programs and competitions are scheduled. This mandal has a unique distinction since the past 10 years, of not using flowers and gulal or red powder to throw during the celebrations as they wish to have an environmentally-friendly Ganeshotsav.

As the festival continues, it seems that many parts of the city have come alive with an unstoppable energy. At Pune 365, we are doing our best to highlight the celebrations all around Pune and spread the joy of Ganeshotsav.