Traditional fervour grips Puneites as palkhis enter city

Thousands of Punekars welcomed the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj in the city with traditional fervour and gaiety. The chanting of ‘Dnyanba Tukaram’ along with ‘Mauli Mauli’ and crowdi ng of devotees near the palkhis was the scene on the entire route of palkhis in the city.

Although the mood was electric as the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhis entered the city near Sangamwadi Bridge near Patil Estate, the time gap of almost two hours between the two palkhis dampened the spirit. However, the celebration committee office-bearers saw to it that both the palkhis reached Pasodya Vithoba Temple for common arati and then reached their destinations for halting in the city at Palkhi Vithoba and Nivdungya Vithoba Mandirs.

The palkhis brought with them the rich traditional fervour of hundreds of years. They were also welcomed by rain. The roads wore a festive mood. People of all ages walked with the palkhis and showed their immense trust in God. Many Punekars took pictures of the palkhi celebrations.

Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi was welcomed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) at Sangamwadi bridge at 5 pm. However, Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi, which was supposed to follow, reached the spot after a long wait of two hours and reached there at 7 pm.

The arati of Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi was performed at Tukaram Maharaj Paduka Chowk on Fergusson College Road at 7 pm, while that for Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi at Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk at 8 pm, two hours later than every year.
Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi reached Tilak Chowk at Alaka Theatre at 8 pm and was followed by Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi.

While the routes for both palkhis on their way to Pandharpur are different, they met in Pune and while leaving Pune on Wednesday morning they would follow different routes to Pandharpur. Tuesday would be the resting day for the palkhis at Pune and both palkhis would be resting  to enable devotees in Pune to take darshan.
The palkhis were welcomed by mayor Vaishali Bankar, standing committee chairman Vishal Tambe.

Abhay Deshmukh, who travelled all the way from Parbhani, said, “This is for the first time I have participated in the Wari. All I can see is the devotion and immense faith in God that makes these warkaris walk from Alandi to Pandharpur braving the sun and the rain.” He is with a dindi of 75 people.

Along the route, a number of NGOs and individuals are providing tea, rajgira laddus, bananas, glucose biscuits, bottled water as well as packed glasses of water to the warkaris. People were seen folding their hands before the palkhis and a few touching the feet of warkaris while chanting `Mauli’.

Rajesh Bhosale said, “For over a decade, I have been distributing snacks to the warkaris. Because of my disability I cannot go to Pandharpur so I see my God in them.”
Sahil Sohoni, a businessman said, “Every year for the last many years I have been distributing rajgira sweets to them. Three years ago, I went to Pandharpur. Lack of banners, awareness about social issues marked this year’s palkhi.”

Photos for albums back home in US
A group of 25 students from the US were keenly watching the Wari and palkhis on Fergusson College Road and were busy taking photographs. Most of the American students of this group are studying Marathi, Sanskrit and Prakrut with the American Institute of Indian Studies on the Deccan College campus. Professor Meenal Kulkarni and in-charge Madhura Godbole said the students are not allowed to speak to the media, but all the students  arrived in June and would be pursuing their course of nine weeks and leave in August.

Prayer for no graft,  better crops

Gopikabai Koture, who travels with a dindi all the way from Sudumbre in Pune district to Pandharpur said, “I am going to pray to God that there should be less corruption in this country. Last year we suffered due to less rain. I will also pray that there should not be any year when we will have no crops.”

Panacea for special children

Nearly 30 students of Cochlea Pune school for hearing and speech impaired participated in the palkhi for a distance of 1 km. Anisha Sinha, an audiologist at the institute, said, “Those children who participate in the palkhi from the last two to three years show immense progress. They can explain what they experience and feel to other children and their parents. It improves their bonding with the parents and other children, the spontaneity in speech can be seen in them. The dindi really does wonders to them. From the last five years the children, aged between three and six years, participate in the Wari.”

‘Palkhis slow due to more dindis’

Nalini (61) and Neelkanth Katekar (67), who have been accompanying the Wari from Vishrantwadi to Pune said, “For the first time in the last five years, we noticed that the palkhis reached the city late. We do not know the exact reason, but I think it is because the increasing number of dindis slows them down,” said Neelkanth.

Foreign visitors impressed by Wari

Agathe (26) and Ken (25) are French by birth and were in Pune for the last four-and-half months. Agathe taught French at Alliance Francaise De Poona while Ken underwent training in tabla under the guidance of Sanjay Karandikar. Both were ecstatic while watching the Wari on Fergusson College Road along with Ojas Vaze, Agathe’s student. Agathe and Ken said, “We are enjoying this Wari with a variety of instruments, different rhythms, different kinds of music. We have never seen such a pilgrimage, which involves such a large number of people walking for seeing the deity.” Ken observed that in France, individuals go on pilgrimages to religious places on foot, but not in groups like this. Agathe said, “This is a healthy event with a variety of music and ingredients.”

Shiv Sena insures 4,000 warkaris with Rs1 lakh accident cover

The Shiv Sena has insured 4,000 warkaris from Bhor, Velha and Mulshi talukas with Rs1 lakh accident insurance. The warkaris, most of them farmers, were handed over insurance certificates by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday.

Last year, nine warkaris died in a road accident after the goods carrier they were travelling in turned turtle on the outskirts of Pune in the Dive Ghat. The Shiv Sena has started Shiv Sena Warkari Suraksha Yojana to insure the warkaris and Uddhav Thackeray distributed the certificates under the scheme to the warkaris.
Uddhav and Sena youth leader Aditya Thackeray participated in the Wari and played phugdi as well as taal in the Wari.

Uddhav performed arati at Thoralya Paduka during the departure of the palkhi from Alandi. He took darshan of the ‘Wariche Ashwa’, the horses deployed with the palkhi. Uddhav played phugdi with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Babanrao Pachpute, a regular pilgrim of the Wari, while Aditya with a Shiv Sainik. Warkari Prabodhan Mahasamiti president Rameshwar Maharaj Shastry, Shiv Sena leaders Gajanan Kirtikar, MLAs Vijay Shivtare, Mahadev Babar, Chandrakant Mokate, district unit chief Baba Dhumal and Machhindra Kharade were present.

Thackeray said he had taken pictures of Wari from a helicopter and published a book of these photographs, but walking with the Wari was a unique and memorable experience. He said it was a rare phenomenon where lakhs of pilgrims walk hundreds of km for meeting God.