Pune: At daybreak on Friday, old city areas will slip out of their everyday rhythm. Streets that normally carry traffic will swell into currents of devotion as the city’s grand Ganapati visarjan processions set out on their final journey.The main visarjan miravnuk is expected to begin around 9am, led by the five revered Manache Ganapati in their centuries-old ceremonial order — Kasba Ganapati, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulshibaug and Kesariwada. Moving through the heart of the old city, past Laxmi Road, Alka Talkies Chowk and along Tilak Road, the processions will inch toward the immersion ghats in a farewell ritual blending faith with spectacle.At its head will be Kasba Ganapati, Pune’s gramdaivat and Manacha Pahila Ganapati, carried in its traditional silver palanquin. Behind it, hundreds of mandals, performers and devotees will transform the city into one long, moving celebration.Later in the day, around 4pm, Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati will begin its carefully choreographed procession. This year’s centrepiece will be the striking Vakratunda Rath. Treasurer Mahesh Suryawanshi said, “Our artistic Vakratunda Rath will have eight pillars and stand 21-foot high, with idols of Lord Krishna and Kubera. Two vans and a Keralam chenda melam troupe will accompany the rath, along with a dhol-tasha contingent.”But at the front will be a different kind of message. Manav Seva Rath will carry an anti-drug campaign, aimed particularly at young minds. Suryawanshi said the campaign was not confined to conventional substance abuse alone but also addressed excessive screen dependency. “Ganeshotsav gives us a powerful public platform to speak about issues affecting young people. We want to remind them that health comes first, and that citizens also have a responsibility to demand action when something is harming our children. Over 100 mandals this year have taken up this anti-drug awareness initiative which will be seen during the visarjan procession,” he said.Visarjan playlist likely to change tuneIn a significant shift, more than 700 mandals have pledged to avoid high-decibel sound systems and refrain from using plasma and pressure-mid speaker setups. The result has been a resurgence of traditional percussion, with dhol-tasha groups witnessing unprecedented demand.According to Dhol Tasha Mahasangh treasurer Shirish Thete, around 170 troupes are expected to perform across Pune, each averaging nearly 150 members. “There is much more demand this year, and existing pathaks are being stretched to capacity,” he said, adding that performers had been told to keep moving with the procession rather than turning routes into prolonged performance zones.The shift does not mean the drums are exempt from regulation. “Bombay high court has completely banned the use of metal gas cylinders struck with hammers as musical instruments by dhol-tasha troupes during processions. We have been telling pathaks for years not to use them, but with the HC’s ban this year, the restriction will be strictly enforced,” Thete said.Away from the main route, visarjan will be more intimate. In housing societies, apartment complexes and neighbourhoods, families are preparing for intimate farewells. Many are likely to opt for artificial immersion tanks instead of joining the sprawling city procession.In Wanowrie, resident Mahesh Raut’s family plans to take its Ganapati idol around the society premises before heading to an immersion tank in Kedarinagar. “We take the idol around the society campus a couple of times before heading out for immersion. After that, families have their own plans,” he said.For others, the tradition is simply to watch. Rasta Peth resident Parag Gaikwad, who has followed the procession with his family since childhood, said the experience was as much about endurance as devotion. “It has become more crowded over the years. We dress for the occasion but choose comfortable shoes because there is so much walking, and you can easily get stepped on in the crowd. Carrying water is essential too,” he said.And so, for one day, Pune becomes a stage. The drums will echo through old city lanes. Chariots will crawl forward through seas of devotees. Families will gather on pavements and balconies. And as Bappa begins his final journey, the city will once again bid farewell with the same promise it makes every year: “Ganapati Bappa Morya… Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya.”
