Press Trust of India
MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA, August 31, 2003: The Elephant God Ganesh today descended on a 10-day sojourn to Earth as the festival began in Maharashtra amidst fanfare and revelry with police making elaborate security arrangement in view of the recent twin bomb blasts. Around 30,000 policemen have been deployed all over Mumbai to maintain law and order, and the police have sounded a high alert in the state. The police are being assisted by Rapid Action Force, State Reserve Police Force, National Cadet Corp and Home Guards. For the first time, Ganesh mandals (temporary temples set up in the streets) have drawn the services of volunteers and private security guards to help police in maintaining law and order. As a part of the security exercise, the police have resorted to combing operations at five checkpost in Mumbai. The bags of commuters in buses, cars and private taxis are being checked at random. Yesterday, police had issued orders curtailing the use of firecrackers during the festival. About 800 sarvajanik Ganapati Mandal are participating in the festival. Scores of devotees offered flowers, the traditional modak and fruits, urging Ganesh, the harbinger of good omen, to bring in peace and incident-free atmosphere in the city. Men and women, wearing orange bandanas, danced to the beats of the drums, filling the air with chants of Ganpati Bapa Morya, as they ushered the elephant-headed God into their homes and installed him with great fanfare and pomp. Lord Ganesh, popularly known by several names — Siddhivinayak, the giver of boons, Nadapratithistha the lover of music and Devadhidev, the Lord of Lords — was welcomed into various households with the traditional aarti.