PUNE, INDIA, September 22, 2002: The entire city came out on the streets on Friday afternoon to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, and patiently waited until the early hours of Saturday when the last idol was immersed. The procession began after mayor Deepti Chaudhari performed puja (worship) of the first Ganapati exactly at noon at the historic Mahatma Phule Mandai on Friday. The procession, which lasted for 28 hours and 40 minutes, flowed through four major roads; Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, Kumthekar Road and Kelkar Road. All five main Ganapatis were accompanied by cultural pageants organized by various schools. One of the major attractions of the Tilak road procession was a tableau of the Market Yard Ganesha Mandal, which depicted the scene of Ganga coming to Earth. Illuminated chariots of the Dagdu Sheth Halwai Ganapati Trust and the Akhil Mandai Mandal, which are the usual draws every year, made their presence felt this time too. The Akhil Mandai Mandal used 50,000 bulbs to illuminate their chariot.
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