The Hindu : Front Page : Ganesh procession peaceful

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Monday, Sep 15, 2008
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Ganesh procession peaceful

— Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

Grand finale: The 11-day Ganesh festival celebrations culminated in Hyderabad on Sunday after thousands of idols were immersed in the Hussainsagar.

HYDERABAD: In the backdrop of the serial blasts in New Delhi, the grand immersion procession of Ganesh idols in the capital was peaceful, but was way behind schedule on Sunday. As reports last came in at 8.30 p.m., only 2,500 idols were immersed, while the main procession’s last idol was yet to cross Charminar in the old city as the procession was halted, first for evening prayers and the ‘iftar’ break.

Save for a brief tussle between two groups over playing of drums at Golnaka near Amberpet towards dusk, the procession was incident-free. The entire city, especially the procession routes, wore a festive look right from the break of dawn.

Enthusiastic citizens were seen carrying smaller idols in their personal vehicles or three-wheelers for immersion. However, the bigger idols started only towards afternoon as trucks and other vehicles were still being bedecked.

Excitement in the air

And once it got started, there was excitement in the air as the idols came in myriad varieties with accompanying music and dances. The famous Balapur ‘laddu’ was bid for a record Rs. 5.07 lakh. National flags were waved and patriotic slogans reverberated during the revelry. There was no palpable tension in the air yet the previous day’s blasts seemed to have had their effect on the crowds as the roads were relatively empty.

Groups of people, including women and children, were seen at junctions like Chandrayanagutta, Chudibazar, Kotla Ali Jah and few other places watching the Ganeshas in various hues and sizes. The crowd gradually picked up towards the evening, more so at the main immersion points of Tank Bund and NTR Marg. The biggest idol at Khairatabad is to be taken for immersion only at 10 p.m. with the help of a special vehicle.

Greyhounds on standby

Well armed police and paramilitary forces were present in full strength occupying all the vantage points along the route. Top brass, including Director-General of Police S.S.P. Yadav, Police Commissioner B. Prasada Rao and senior officials, went round some of the areas and stayed put at the Charminar police station monitoring the situation.

Eight units of Greyhounds personnel were kept on standby to tackle any eventuality.

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