Ganesh idols Immersion Ends Peacefully

Pune, Sep 7 (UNI) Several thousand people including 10,000 students participated in singing the national song 'Vande Mataram' in Pune while 11-day Ganesh festival ended on a peaceful note with immersion of the last Ganesh idol in Mutha river this afternoon.

Around 10,000 students participated in singing the national song at Ideal colony, Kothrud area in the city this morning, people also gathered at Bhopala Chowk to sing the national song.

Police said that 'Vande Mataram' was also sung at midnight marking the centenary celebration of the song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterji. The colourful idol immersion procession with idols, cymbals and chants of ''Ganapti Bappa Morya, Pudchya Vasrshi laukar ya'', lasted 28 and half hours with around 3000 idols of the sarvajanik ganapati mandal being immersed. Enthusiastic school children and leaders performed Lezim in tune with drums beats on the roads decorated with colourful rangolis.

Inspite of terrorist threat, after the recent Mumbai train blasts, the festival passed off without any untoward incident and with maximum peoples participation, police said.

Pune Police Commissioner D N Jadhav and his force who took no chances, kept a constant vigil and provided tight security to see the festival through. The festival became a social event after Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak used it as a platform to bring people together against the British Rule.

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