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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Beyond Spectacle

Ganeshotsav is at its best when it brings Maharashtra together. For ten days, neighbourhoods become communities and homes become welcoming spaces as devotion spills naturally into the streets. There is music, modaks and the unmistakable sense that the festival belongs to everyone. Few public celebrations have such a powerful capacity to create shared joy. Yet, in recent years, Ganeshotsav festivities have tended towards bombastic spectacle, be it the height of an idol or the decibels...

Beyond Spectacle

Ganeshotsav is at its best when it brings Maharashtra together. For ten days, neighbourhoods become communities and homes become welcoming spaces as devotion spills naturally into the streets. There is music, modaks and the unmistakable sense that the festival belongs to everyone. Few public celebrations have such a powerful capacity to create shared joy. Yet, in recent years, Ganeshotsav festivities have tended towards bombastic spectacle, be it the height of an idol or the decibels generated by a noisy sound system. This year’s controversies on the festivities have acquired a significance beyond their immediate headlines. The collapse of a 22-foot idol during an arrival procession in Bhuleshwar last month that killed two people was a grim reminder that grandeur has consequences. Mumbai has no general government-prescribed ceiling on idol height, and some mandals have dramatically increased their scale in recent years. But when an idol becomes a statement of prestige, the safety of devotees and immersion sites must take precedence. The same principle applies to the increasingly contentious question of noise. The trouble over DJs and high-decibel systems in Pune has exposed the growing tension between the right to celebrate and the right of others to live without suffering excessive noise. The assault on activist Vidyanand Bapat after he campaigned against high-decibel celebrations was particularly disturbing. More than 1,000 citizens subsequently joined a protest seeking action against loud sound systems. Maharashtra has a long and rich tradition of public celebration, and music is inseparable from that tradition. But celebration in a shared public space also carries an obligation to show consideration for senior citizens, patients, children and others particularly vulnerable to noise. A festival can be vibrant without becoming oppressive. The festival’s enormous popularity also carries a great responsibility with it. The larger the Ganeshotsav becomes, the greater its impact on public spaces, the environment and civic infrastructure. This is the larger test facing Maharashtra. A festival that has survived generations does not need to prove its vitality by becoming progressively bigger, louder or more extravagant. Its strength lies in its ability to adapt without losing its soul. The finest Ganeshotsav is not necessarily the one with the tallest idol or the loudest sound system but the one that leaves behind a sense of happiness, togetherness and goodwill. It is one in which faith does not have to compete with civic responsibility, and celebration does not come at the expense of others. As Ganeshotsav begins today, Maharashtra should celebrate its great public festival with all its customary warmth and exuberance but without allowing excess and spectacle to overwhelm its deeper meaning. For Bappa has always stood as the remover of all obstacles and the bringing together of communities with the promise of renewal. Ganpati Bappa Morya.

Navy doc treat injured Pakistani crew

Quaid Najmi
Apr 6, 2025
1 min read

Mumbai: In a humanitarian gesture, the Indian Navy (IN) rendered lifesaving medical assistance to save the life of a Pakistani crewman on an Iranian fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea, officials said.


The operation took place on Friday/Saturday around 350 nautical miles in the high seas off Oman coast, with the help of the stealth frigate INS Trikand.


On April 4, the INS Trikand monitored a distress call from the Omani vessel 'Al Omeedi' seeking help for a crew member, who was seriously injured with multiple fractures and blood loss.


Further enquiry revealed that the distressed crewman was working on the vessel's engine when he sustained the grievous injuries and was transferred to another Iran-bound dhow, 'FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia', in the vicinity.

On getting the SOS, INS Trikand immediately altered her course to rush medical assistance to the injured crew.


The 'FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia' has a contingent of 11 Pakistanis and 5 Iranians manning the vessel.


The Indian warship's medical officer along with a team of Marine Commandos boarded the FV.


Ob board, the MO started the three hour long medical procedures, controlling the blood flow, suturing and splinting of the crew's injured fingers.

It was a timely response which prevented the patient's total loss of the injured fingers due to gangrene.


The IN stealth warship also provided crucial medical supplies, antibiotics to the FV to ensure the injured crew's wellbeing till the dhow reaches Iran.


The entire crew of the dhow expressed their gratitude to the IN for rendering assistance on time that helped saving their injured mate's life, said the IN officials.

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