Big five mandals keep time, crowd gets its fill of song, dance and dazzling displays

Pune: Thousands congregated on Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, Kelkar Road, Kumthekar Road, and the Peth areas to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha on Saturday. Police stood along the immersion routes, managing the mandals, their displays and the surging crowds while the immersion processions started early with fervour.The aarti of the first manacha Ganapati, Kasba Ganapati, began at 7.30am. Seated in a silver palanquin by 8am, the idol led Pune's procession from Mahatma Phule Mandai to Alka Talkies Chowk. Elaborate rangolis covered the road like carpets while Prabhat Band filled the air with brass and percussion. The idol arrived at Panchaleshwar Ghat by 3pm for immersion. "Ganeshotsav is a community festival. Every Puneite reveres the five manache Ganapati ever since Chhatrapati Shivjai Maharaj's mother Jijabai, established Kasba Ganapati temple in the 1630s. We pray for unity, strength, and continued grace for all residents," Shrikant Shete, president of the mandal, said.Tambdi Jogeshwari Ganapati, the second in stature, started at 9am, arrived at Belbaug Chowk a little later, and concluded its immersion at Nateshwar Ghat before 5pm. Guruji Talim mandal's idol, the third manacha Ganapati, arrived on a flower-decked chariot by noon at the junction from where the procession begins. Tulsibaug Ganpati, the fourth in importance, glittering in 250kg of silver jewellery, arrived in the afternoon.Each mandal drew applause with impressive performances from their dhol-tasha troupes. Members of Swarajya Trust troupe, who dressed up as postal employees and accompanied the fifth manacha Ganapati from Kesariwada, stood out. Performers also staged Shiv Tandav and Mahakali dances along the route, drawing cheers from tightly packed crowd. Almost every mandal's young members performed the aura dance made popular Indonesian Rayyan Dika's moves on the bow of a racing boat. The most-awaited Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati's grand chariot arrived at Belbaug Chowk close to 5pm. Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Public Ganapati Trust themed its Sri Gannayak Rath on the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala, while its Manav Seva Rath carried social messages and live music. Chenda Melam artists from Kerala held onlookers spellbound with their pounding drums and their performance drew one of the thickest gatherings at Kunte Chowk on Laxmi Road.Many got only fleeting glimpses of the idols. Cellphones shot up above folded hands as digital darshan dominated the processions. "Tulsibaug Ganapati glittered, yet at Belbaug Chowk the push and shove made it impossible to see the idol. Childred cried, and every step felt like wading through a river of devotees. People filmed every chariot. We couldn't fold hands to pray properly," Rukmini Thorat, a 62-year-old who came with her family, said.Metro services at Deccan Gymkhana saw a heavy rush. "We reached Deccan Gymkhana hoping to take the Metro, but had to wait to go to the platform. We wove our way through the crowd for nearly 20 minutes," Akash Kulkarni, who came with colleagues, said.Student Richa Agarwal said she had to walk from Alka Talkies Chowk towards Rasta Peth looking for cabs and rickshaws. "A rickshaw driver agreed but demanded Rs 500 extra. We were exhausted and had no choice," she said.Before sundown, performers turned Laxmi Road into a stage. A costumed Varaha avatar zipped along a cable before landing in front of a pounding dhol-taasha troupe to confront demon Hiranyaksha and rescue Earth from the cosmic ocean. The skit ended with cheers, children on shoulders clapping as the deity triumphed. "This year there are many robotic avatars in pandals and in the processions. My son compared them to Transformers," Aundh resident Rohit Jadhav said.Foreign visitors added another layer to the crowd. "I've only ever seen Ganeshotsav on social media reels, but being here on Laxmi Road, surrounded by music, colour, and devotion, is incredible. The energy in the crowd, the pounding dhol, and the immersion spectacle made me feel part of the city's culture. Experiencing it live is unforgettable. Nothing compares to seeing the tradition unfold in real life," Kwame Mensah, a photographer from Ghana. said.Several Marathi film, television, and music personalities joined in, some picking up the dhol alongside troupes, adding to the energy.Away from the main routes, households performed their immersions. In Katraj, families gathered at the lake early in the morning. "We carried our Ganapati in a decorated basket, recited the aarti, and let the idol dissolve in the water. It felt peaceful and close to nature," homemaker Sushma Jadhav said. Residents of a housing society in Wanowrie preferred the portable tank nearby as children beat the dhol and chanted 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudchaya varshi laukar ya'.In Pimpri-Chinchwad, the procession was smooth at 27 designated sites, including the Moshi quarry. Civic officials said they collected 1.11 lakh idols at artificial immersion points, including 20,728 eco-friendly ones, and cleared 215 tonnes of nirmalya over the festival. Some residents in Nigdi, Thergaon, and Chinchwad complained of miscreants demanding money posing as civic staff, prompting the civic body to put up banners warning citizens not to pay. They reported sound systems blaring at high decibels with laser lights in police presence.(Inputs from Alim Shaikh & Gitesh Shelke)