Key Points

The day began with the Mangala Aarti of Ganesh Chaturthi, followed by a grand procession at 8:30 am featuring Lathi-Kathi displays, the sound of Keshav Shankhnaad and the beats of dhol-tasha. Seven major troupes, including Shreeram Pathak, Kalavant, Vishwagarjana, Gajar and others, saluted Bappa with their thunderous performances.

At 12:15 pm, Jaya Kishori completed the consecration rituals in the presence of a large number of devotees. A series of cultural and religious programmes followed throughout the day.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaya Kishori said, "It is by Bappa's grace that I received the honour of performing the Pranpratishtha here. After learning about the history of this mandal, I felt not only devotion but also patriotism."

On the DJ-free celebrations, she said, "I would say this is a very beautiful change. When you do something in religion and culture and preserve it in its original form, it looks and feels even more beautiful. Everyone should learn from this. I prayed to Bappa that His blessings remain on all."

Festival chief and trustee Punit Balan said the mandal continued its tradition of not using bullocks to pull the chariot, instead having volunteers move it forward themselves. "This has become the identity of our mandal, and our members take pride in it. This year, we also brought a change by going without DJ Sound at the procession. Instead, we opted for the traditional way of celebration. We are happy that we are getting a huge positive response to it," he said.

Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati is regarded as the first Ganpati Mandal of Hindustan (undivided India). It's DJ-free, traditional celebrations remained one of Pune city's main attractions this year.

- ANI