Sounds of Ganesha

Today is "Anant Chaturdashi", the last day of the Ganesh festival. If you are a native to Pune and happen to live near Peth areas, then you would probably understand the joys (or pains depending on how close you are to those mountainous Dolby speakers) of this festival. The immersion parade is a culmination of the 10 days of the festival and it seems that the whole of Pune flocks to the roads to see this magnificent procession.

When I was a school going kid(I am talking about really ancient times) we used to celebrate Ganesh festival in the colony that I used to live in. Many a times I also used to participate in the procession and share in the wonderful experiences. But processions rarely bothered with the song and dance routine that is more of a norm these days. Then, almost exclusively it used to be "lezim" and "dhol" for all the Ganesh Mandals. But times have changed and so have the tastes of the people. The "lezims" and "dhol" still feature, but item numbers rule the roost in the processions these days. Not that I am complaining, since I can still see the same fervour in people who take part in these processions today. The only difference is in the sounds that we hear.

Now I enjoy the processions from the comfort of the balcony when they pass by. Sometimes I wonder how will it be when I grow old. But then I guess that it will still be as good as it is now, the same as it was when I was just a school going kid. The only difference would be the sounds of Ganesha...