Ganpati Bappa Morya!

Ganesh idols in different hues

Hawa Mahal shaped Pandal

Dagdu Sheth Ganpati inside the Pandal

Old Pune was the place to be in today. Streets decked up, shops decorated, crowds milling, giant pandals and what not. The whole place seemed to be reverberating with some mysterious energy. Everyone knew today was Ganesh Chaturthi, but the pandals were still empty, their emptiness magnified by their immense size. But the crowds, they kept on growing- Ladies in traditional attire, holding plates of offering, Men with their foreheads decked with tilaks and the kids mingling with the crowds, yelling "Ganpati Bappa Morya".

And then suddenly, the crowds went berserk... A huge shout erupted from one end of the street... Before you could even make sense of what was going on, the sound of drums broke through the place. Dholaks and Mridangs and young men representing their Mandal beating their instruments ferociously as Lord Ganesh came into view- aesthetically coloured, decked with ornaments, stationed on a beautifully furnished cart, making its way to its ornately decorated Pandal- as though announcing his presence!

Cries of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' resonated through the air as Ganesh made its way to the pandal. Crowds, spontaneously broke into a dance. There was no caste, no class, no religion- just India- The way it is and the way it should be. The foreigners, bemused looked on, as some of their compatriots joined the dancing crowds.

It reminded me of Durga Puja in Kolkata 3 years ago. There too, I had seen the same level of fervour, excitement and oneness that just grows on you. For a farji Marathi like me, this was my first Ganesh Chaturthi and I loved every moment of it!