Immersion procession: Love it or avoid it!

Shivaji Kure (27), a chemist by profession, lives with his family in Narayan Peth. Every year, during the immersion procession, he plans to go on a picnic or visit his relatives. Reason? The noisy dhol tasha and the DJ music.

“I live here with my mother and father. However, during the immersion procession, the noise becomes unbearable for my ageing parents and hence we leave our homes,” he said.
Kure’s plight is shared by several others who live off Laxmi Road, Kumthekar Road and Tilak Road.

A resident of Sadashiv Peth, Brahmanand Lahoti, an artist by profession has a similar story to tell as he along with his wife, two sons and parents plan a picnic to the hill station just to avoid the noisy procession.

“I am not against God or celebration of the festival. However, lately, it has become a fad among the mandals to rope in maximum dhol tasha troupes and DJs for the procession causing noise pollution,” said Lahoti adding that another problem is moving the vehicles during the procession. 

While the people living in the vicinities of Peth areas avoid the procession, there are many who flock the city for the very purpose. They book lodges six months in advance.

Suhas Gonge, manager of Tushar Lodge, said that since several years, there is a set of guests from Nagpur, Akola, Nashik and even from the fringe areas of the city, who book rooms to witness the immersion procession. “We have 19 rooms available at the lodge, of which three are allotted to police personnel,” he said, adding that the rent charges are hiked during this time of the year.