The Ganesh mandals in the city will do their bit to check the spread of diseases such as swine flu, malaria and dengue

Ganesh mandals get health-conscious

The Ganesh mandals in the city will do their bit to check the spread of diseases such as swine flu, malaria and dengue. Part of its activities will include slides shows, vaccination, pamphlets and discussions on prevention and cleanliness.u00a0

u00a0"We are doing our best to create awareness so as to avoid diseases. We are planning to conduct slide shows on swine flu, malaria and dengue. We will also put up banners that will provide information about them. It's the best that we can do," said Ashok V Kondhare, president of Sharamadhan Maruti Mandal, Kasturi Chowk.

Vasmik Jagtap of Jawahar Mitra Mandal said: "Last year, we had put up banners about swine flu and this year also we will do the same. Devotees can also pick up pamphlets for free."
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However, some members of the Ganesh mandals said creating awareness was not enough.u00a0

Cleanliness needed Vishnu Thakur of Jaideep Mandal said: "It's not only about creating awareness but also about spreading message to keep the locality clean. We have requested corporation and our members to work together to keep the area clean for the 10 days of festival."u00a0

Another mandal like Vir Hanuman in Budhwar Peth will go a step further and arrange H1N1 vaccines for the children of prostitutes in their area. "There is a lot of confusion in the minds of the people regarding swine flu vaccine, so we have arranged the vaccination for the children as they are vulnerable to it," said Pravin Tupe, an organiser. "We will display all kinds of health messages for devotees who visit us including heart issues."u00a0u00a0