Pune organisation honours farmers for noble gesture

The Shahir Hinge Lokkala Prabodhini has set an example of Pune’s  hospitality by felicitating farmers from outside the city, who add more colour to the 10-day Ganesh festival every year.

The organisation on Thursday morning felicitated 100-odd farmers, mainly women, who come from far off places for 2-3 days to Pune to sell some special vegetables and food grains for fasting women.

On Rishi Panchami, the second day of the 10-day Ganesh festival, women who fast consume vegetables or food grains that are not grown by using bullocks to plough the field.

A group of about 100 vegetable growers from Bhor, Velha, Maval, and Kalyan, behind Sinhgad Fort and adjoining areas, visit Pune two days prior to Rishi Panchami.

Hemant Mavle, the president of Shahir Hinge Lokkala Prabodhini, said, “These farmers come to Pune every year and provide vegetables and food grains grown manually. The fast requires food grains or vegetables that are purely man-made. So, the farmers themselves plough the fields to grow these special vegetables and food grains. Some of the vegetables are Varai, Mohor and Belwangi among others.”

The organisation’s members, Kalyani Saraf, Amita Yelapure, Sangeeta Mavle, Vijaya Pasalkar and Rooplai Mavle, felicitated the farmers.

The organisation has been felicitating the farmers for the last three years and has also been providing them with lunch for their return journey.