MiD DAY takes you on a round of the Ganapatis in the lanes and by-lanes of Pune as it celebrates
MiD DAY takes you on a round of the Ganapatis in the lanes and by-lanes of Pune as it celebrates its favourite festival
The 10-day Ganeshotsav is at the halfway point. Having profiled nine Ganesh mandals so far, we turn our attention to two more today.
We took you to Babu Genu Mandal, Hira Baug Mitra Mandal and Khajina Vihir Mandal yesterday. Today we bring you Guruji Talim Mandal and Jilbya Maruti Mandal.
Guruji Talim mandal trust
Promoting brotherhood: The Guruji Talim Mandal Ganapati.
The Guruji Talim Mandal Trust Ganapati is the third Ganapati of Honour from among the five in the city. The mandal was founded by Nana Saheb Khajgiwale in 1887 with a group of members consisting of Hindus and Muslims to celebrate a common festival and generate a spirit of brotherhood.
The committee celebrates the completion of 124 years this year with Prithviraj Pardeshi as their working president. The mandal has different themes for decorations every year. In 2007 the theme was based on Vishnu avatars; in 2008 the decorations featured the auspicious Tirupati Balaji; in 2009 it was Narsimha. This year, the focus is on the farmer community.
Keeping in mind the interests of the farmers, the trust has kept Vitthal Rukmayi, along with Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Tukaram Maharaj as its theme, highlighting the procession of Vitthal Rukmayi every year from from Alandi to Pandharpur, which attracts thousands.
"It is the ritual, every morning and evening, to have the special Ganpati aarti and mantras are recited," says Prithviraj Pardeshi. "In earlier times they had groups of people singing bhajans, but now this practice is no longer followed."
The mandal today has 350 members, who get together for the preparations of the event four to five months prior to the festival. One of the most surprising facts about the committee is that it accepts no donations.
"It's been 24 years that we stopped taking donations and we members contribute from our own pockets for the sacred event," says Pardeshi.
Members have even contributed jewellery worth Rs 3.5 lakh.
"Our murti wears a gold necklace, has rings on four fingers. Earlier we had silver items but now the gold ornaments have replaced the old ones," says Pardeshi. "The most uniquely unique fact about the idol is that it is the only idol in the whole of Maharashtra which sits on a mouse."
The artisans and the decorators are from the city itself, from Yerwada. Santosh Tak and Avinash Jindal were two of the many decorators this year.
Every year lakhs of people from the state and the country come to the mandal. It's not just the common man, but prominent people also visit their mandal.Politician Ajit Pawar, Marathi filmmaker Gurudutta Sarpodar, Pooja Chopra, Arjun Awadh are some of the celebrities who visit this Ganapati.
The idol here has a very charming and pleasant face. The special thing about it is that Ganesh is sitting on a mouse, which is unique. The idol's trunk reaches the modak, a very unusual sight
-u00a0Kanchan Punjabi, student, Shanivar Peth
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It's the third most important mandal in the city. There is a variation in d ufffdcor every year. The themes selected are also very traditional and very easy to connect with
-u00a0Ashay Dhavale, a devotee, Bibwewadi
JILBYA MARUTI MANDAL
Sweet is thy name: The Jilbya Maruti Ganapati
The Jilbya Maruti Mandal was founded in 1954 by 25-30 members. The mandal has been into social service from the beginning. Mandal president Rajendra Rawade says, "We conduct camps for blood donation, provide books for municipal children, spectacles for cataract patients and do other social work."
Bhushan Pandeya, a trustee-member says, "Apart from charity, we firmly believe the festival gives the entire community a reason to come together and celebrate."
This mandal has also bagged some laurels. It was chosen as the best idol by the Limca Book of Records in 1990.
The members say they start planning the decorations at least three months before the festival. They get artisans from Bengal, a practice they have followed for years. The cloth pandal is inspired by the Durga Puja of Kolkata, with glittering mirror work all over.
The murti here is special. It is famous for its 'Mona Lisa eyes', for it follows you wherever you stand, like the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting. The idol's ears, legs and the mouse take your breath away at night, as they are made of pure silver that glitters in the dark.
People from the city and around come in hordes to see the Ganapati seated here. The pandal sees a crowd of two to three lakh. They also have prominent personalities turning up. They have a celebrity guest list including the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and even stars like Govinda, Hema Malini and Kader Khan. The entire event is sponsored through donations and advertisements.
I come here to look at the d ufffdcor, the idol, and I must admit, the name itself is a reason for me to come and I love to attend the festivities that are organised here
- Neha Marathe, Student, Kothrud
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