India’s first public Ganpati mandal, Pune's Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Trust, will have its Ganesh idol installed by popular singer Kailash Kher at 12.30pm tomorrow. The installation will be preceded by a grand procession, accompanied by the rhythmic beating of dhol-tasha, to welcome the elephant-headed god.
Mandal Celebration Chief and Trustee Punit Balan said, “Bappa’s aarti will be performed at 8.10am, followed by a grand procession. Traditional games such as lathi-kathi will be demonstrated, and conches will be blown. Seven dhol-tasha pathaks will pay tribute in front of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Bhavan. The participating dhol-tasha pathaks include Shivmudra, Vadyavrund, Manvandana, Shree, NuMaVi, Kalawant, and Shriram.
“For the first time in 132 years, the procession chariot will not be pulled by bullocks. Instead, mandal workers will pull it. On this auspicious occasion, popular singer Kailash Kher will install the Ganesh idol at 12.30pm on Saturday. Following the installation, other programmes will continue,” Balan added.
"A grand procession of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati will take place this year as per the annual tradition. Later, Kher will install Bappa’s idol. I request all Ganesh bhakts to participate in the installation ceremony," he added.
