City bids joyous adieu to Ganapati

pune: a sea of humanity gathered near the historic mahatma phule market here on saturday to bid goodbye to the city's beloved god, ganapati, amid fluttering saffron flags, the pulsating beat of drums, chimes of cymbals and chants of ganapati bappa morya! the popular festival, that brought the city alive through 10 days and nights, ended in the mammoth procession lasting well over 30 hours.thousands of puneites and people from all over the world, who came to witness the spectacle, joined the procession and swayed to the rhythm of the traditional dholtasha (drums). the gay and festive atmosphere was tinged with sadness as ganapati bappa started his homeward journey, albeit with the promise of an early visit next year. the immersion procession started near tilak statue in mahatma phule market after noon, with mayor datta gaikwad performing pooja of the kasba ganapati, that traditionally leads the immersion procession. though the procession was flagged off at the appointed hour, the five prime ganesh mandal idols took a long time covering the traditional route along laxmi road. the kasba ganapati took almost 45 minutes to reach belbaug chowk, just two squares from the starting point, what with the grand style in which the 'prime five' made their entry into the procession. the tambdi jogeshwari mandal, guruji talim ganapati, tulshibaug and kesari maratha sanstha ganapatis were accom panied by impressive displays of dance and skilled drum play, malkhamb demonstrations, an all girl team clad in traditional nineyard saris atop white horses, and the idols themselves adorned with intricate gold jewellery, including a modak made of 250 gm gold. many devotees waited all night just to get glimpses of majestic decorations offered by two prominent mandals, the akhil mandai mandal and shreemant dagdusheth halwai mandal. the milling crowds were disappointed as these mandals reached the belbaug chowk only in the morning on sunday. what caught the eye of spectators was the big team of senior citizens from various laughter clubs in the city, who lent variety to the procession with their "ho, ho, ho... ha, ha, ha...." the oldest band in the city, prabhat, added patriotic flavour to the procession, playing veer savarkar's sanskrit anthem, 'jayostute...' in a welcome change, all the five mandals refrained from using gulal, in deference to warnings sounded by medical professionals. they also made the most of the opportunity to deliver social messages, urging people to avoid use of plastic bags, consuming gutka and other stimulants. however, the mandals that followed continued with the set pattern of dancing to the tunes of hit bollywood numbers and polluting air with gulal, a sign of even more boisterous things to follow later in the evening.