The festival will see many citizens gather and carry out processions on the streets to celebrate the new year with friends and relatives.
The Hindu festival which marks the beginning of the new year will witness citizens on city streets celebrating Gudhi Padwa on March 28, Tuesday. The festival is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month.
The festival will see many citizens gather and carry out processions on the streets to celebrate the new year with friends and relatives. A mandal from Girgaum which has been carrying out the festival procession for the last 15 years, have planned to display a life-size effigy this year as well.
The mandal has decided to showcase a 20-feet effigy of Baji Prabhu Despande to highlight the theme of bravery and courage. Speaking about this year's theme at Girgaumcha Padwa celebration, Shridhar Agarkar, resident of Girgaum and member of the mandal, said, "Over 50,000 people across the city visit the procession. Around 55 floats have been organised related to the theme and six dhol phataks will be participating to perform. An eco-friendly effigy is being made by the members."
Colourful rangolis will also be seen at various junctions in the city. While many women don the traditional navari sarees, they will also walk with the tulsi plant placed on their head.
While another mandal from Dadar has chosen social issues like women empowerment and female foeticide. Abhay Chavan, member of a Naigaon-based mandal, said, "We want to raise a voice regarding various social issues through this platform. This year, we have chosen to highlight issues that women in today's society face. Last year our theme celebrated 50 years of Maharashtra. Traditional and cultural performance will be put up by school students and various mandals. Last year, we had a footfall of over 5,000 residents participating in the procession."
The Gudhi Padwa festival is known by various names in different parts of the country such Ugadi in Telugu and Yugadi in Kannada.
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