Now that the Gauri-Ganapati visarjan, the devotion-filled immersion, of the deities at the household level is through, the public festival in Pune would peak. Starting from yesterday till Anant Chaturdashi and the day after, the Pune feel is absolutely that of the famous Ganeshotsav. This year, as it is a long weekend, what with the Id being on Monday, the interior Pune would be choc-a-bloc with devotees-cum-revellers.
All the mandals have simply fabulous decorations in their lovely pandals. Mostly these pandals are in the vicinity of the Shani Par, with roughly two kilometers in each possible direction from this center point. Sure, even beyond this area, there would be pandals in every nook-n-corner in Pune.
The decorations are at times made of dancing lights set to Bollywood tunes. The Natubag Mandal is famous for such a decoration. I remember, our family had all gone to have a look around. Fascinated felt I due to these dancing lights. I remember distinctly that the dancing lights were set to the "honthon pe aisi bat chupa ke" tune. Lovely colour combo's emerged, mixing and re-mixing in to each other, creating newer patterns by the second.
The Heera Baug Mandal mobile depictions of history and/or mythology, the live shows presented by very many mandals, unusual holy sites such as the Vrindawan or the Kedarnath being re-created, Pune has every possible variety.
What to say of the wondrous decorations of the Mandai, Tulshibaug and other "manache Ganapati", not to forget THE Dagadu Sheth pandal? Pune literally makes nights appear like early morning as the festival fever is at its height.
The crowds, consisting mostly of revellers from Pune and places nearby, literally throng the Pune roads, There is intense, high energy, forever flowing level of the individual and public adrenaline. Long live the Pune Ganesh festival.
Pratima@ A parallel street economics is alive as part of the celebrations. I would not know if it is formally studied. It is worth a serious analysis as the cash flow would literally be in crores as the devotees eat street food, drink tea -n- coffee, buy tidbits, enjoy the giant wheels, and so on.
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