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By:

Ruddhi Phadke

22 September 2024 at 10:17:54 am

Gudhi Padwa draws world to Girgaum

Mumbai: It was the 24 th  celebration of Gudhi Padwa in Girgaum on Thursday, and as usual, the festivities were grand, picturesque and saw humongous response not just from the local residents. This year, the celebration saw huge participation of enthusiasts from beyond the borders. While some coincidentally bumped into the event, some others actually typed ‘Gudhi Padwa 2026 schedule’ in their google search bar to ensure they did not miss this ‘must do’ event while planning their holiday...

Gudhi Padwa draws world to Girgaum

Mumbai: It was the 24 th  celebration of Gudhi Padwa in Girgaum on Thursday, and as usual, the festivities were grand, picturesque and saw humongous response not just from the local residents. This year, the celebration saw huge participation of enthusiasts from beyond the borders. While some coincidentally bumped into the event, some others actually typed ‘Gudhi Padwa 2026 schedule’ in their google search bar to ensure they did not miss this ‘must do’ event while planning their holiday travel in India. It is indeed a big moment for a Mumbaikar to know that an international traveler has Girgaon listed as one of the ‘must do’ destinations for an India trip in their diary; Gudhi Padwa being the cause is even more interesting. Tana, who lives in the Netherlands embarked on a long duration trip to India earlier this month, visited Mumbai specifically to enjoy the festivities. She told ‘The Perfect Voice’ , “I came here to celebrate Gudhi Padwa with you. I am here to experience everything that I see, all the beautiful outfits, beautiful people. I did a lot of research. I knew that today is the day New Year is celebrated in Maharashtra. I am a tourist. I am alone. I am indulging in everything here from food, festivals, dresses. I adore India. I actually typed Gudhi Padwa in the search bar to ensure I did not miss this must-do event during my trip to India.” Shivani Dopavkar, a Hula Hoop artist who is a regular and active participant had made an interesting statement when she had spoken to ‘The Perfect Voice’  during last year’s Shobha Yaatra. She had said, “I quit my IT profession to take up Hula Hoop as my full-time art. I wish to take Girgaum to a level where it is recognised globally. I have chosen Hula Hoop to accomplish this dream for which Gudhi Padwa Shobha Yatra is a perfect platform.” The dream doesn’t seem to be far from success as a lot of foreign participants dressed up in traditional Indian attire were seen enjoying the activities Annie, from Berlin who came to India as a tourist co-incidentally got introduced to the festivities. “It is really colourful. I have come from Berlin with my Indian friend. German culture is very different. Everything is colourful and vibrant here. The women on the bikes, the flowers, everything that we see around is very eventful,” said Annie. Early Preparations Girgaum woke up to busy preparations right from six am, as participants and volunteers geared up for the day ahead. The action began at around nine am, with people from different walks of life wounding their happiness around different themes from Hindu mythology to ancient Marathi traditions. From Children to elderly, to differently abled individuals, all enthusiastically navigated through densely crowded tiny lanes that whole-heartedly accommodated hundreds of visitors. Kamini Darji, a Gujarathi speaking Girgaum resident was present in the middle of the action with her differently abled son. Darji said, “I get my son every year to witness the festivities. The environment gives a very united and positive vibe. We never miss the event.” From Lejhim to Dhol Tasha Pathak, from bike borne Navvari saree clad women to Hula hoop artists; from live bhajan singing to Mardani Khel to children dressed up based on different themes from Chandrayaan to ‘Vithoba-Rakhmai’; the celebration gave a perfect introduction of India’s cultural wealth to all the international visitors. Jennifer from Germany who participated in Mardani Khel wearing a traditional nine-yard saree said, “We play Mardani khel every year for Gudhi Padwa. I have been to Maharashtra many times. This is the first time that I have come to Mumbai. I learnt this art at Shivaji Raje Mardani Akhada in Pune. I have been visiting India for nine years. Earlier I used to live in Bengaluru.” Vande Mataram Theme While it was a beautiful blend of all the aspects that define India, the cherry on the top was – the ‘Vandya Vande Mataram’ – theme. To commemorate 150 th  anniversary of India’s national song Vande Mataram, most of the Tableaus and art work revolved around patriotic sentiment. While Shobha yatra 2024 was all about Lord Shri Ram and 2025 about pride for Marathi language, the year 2026 was all about freedom struggle and love for India. The most interesting highlight was the 25-foot-tall paper statue of freedom fighter Swatantryaveer Savarkar that was carried past to the thunderous beats of drums filling the air with exuberance. A 31-year-old sculptor Gaurav Pawar made the statue along with his brother Gitesh and other volunteers. Gaurav said, “Last year we made a statue of Dnyaneshwar. This year we got an opportunity to make a statue of Savarkar Ji. We took 10 days to make the statue out of paper and bamboo material. It was completely eco-friendly. We got to learn a lot about Savarkar ji during the process and it was a very very sensitive experience.” The Statue was prepared in Bedekar Sadan which is one of the buildings located in Shantaram Chawl Complex which was the hotbed of freedom movement. The residents unknowingly carry forward the legacy of the enclosed structure, a place where prominent freedom fighters like Lokmanya Tilak, Annie Basant, Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Lala Lajpat Rai used to gather to lead historic movements.

Parrot Politics

In the charade of global politics, it is one thing for American President Donald Trump, the master of bombast, to blurt out trumped facts about Operation Sindoor to puff himself up before a Republican dinner crowd. But it is infinitely more dangerous for Rahul Gandhi, India’s Leader of the Opposition, to lend credence to Trump’s fiction in full public view.


That Trump claimed, for the 24th time, that he prevented a nuclear war between India and Pakistan by threatening trade sanctions is unsurprising. His inflated sense of self-worth is rivalled only by his detachment from fact. The former president’s latest flourish that “four or five jets” were “shot out of the air” is vintage Trump: unprovable and unverified. In the hands of any responsible political actor, such nonsense would be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. But Gandhi saw fit to amplify it by seeking clarification about Trump’s claims from Prime Minister Modi.


In doing so, he did not just attack Narendra Modi but cast doubt on the integrity of India’s armed forces, the credibility of India’s diplomacy and the dignity of its democratic discourse.


The irony is that both men - Trump and Gandhi - are political heirs who treat institutions with disdain and facts as inconveniences. Trump, who once called Pakistan “a safe haven for terrorists” now accommodates Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, the brain behind the brutal Pahalgam attack wherein 26 Indian civilians were massacred by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.


It is a grotesque revisionism that betrays Washington’s long-standing frustration with Pakistan’s double game on terror. In parroting Trump, Gandhi mimics that same selective amnesia.


India’s defence forces deserve more than to have their professionalism questioned on the basis of one man’s pathological lying and another’s political opportunism. In claiming to ask for clarity by parroting conspiracy and in questioning the government’s policy by validating a foreign demagogue, Rahul Gandhi only sows more mistrust.


In repeatedly aligning himself with dubious international narratives, be it comments made abroad about the state of Indian democracy or Trump’s invented ceasefire, Gandhi reinforces the ruling party’s most potent accusation that the Congress has grown more comfortable criticising India than defending it.


Gandhi’s eagerness to amplify Trump’s ramblings rather than stand with his own country’s institutions is not just politically reckless but morally indefensible. That a leader who aspires to govern India would so casually cast doubt on its military and peddle fiction sourced from a compulsive fabulist is an insult to the office he seeks and to the men and women in uniform he so glibly undermines.


India deserves a better opposition that can hold the government accountable without endorsing the unhinged fantasies of a twice-impeached American populist. An opposition that can tell the difference between a diplomatic lie and a national security threat. Rahul Gandhi, in his eagerness to needle Modi, appears to have lost that distinction. In doing so, he has done grave disservice to the nation he claims to speak for.

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