Celebs gear up for the Ganeshotsav fervour

Ganeshotsav is just around the corner and the city is already bustling with preparations for the arrival of Ganpati Bappa. Many dhol-tasha pathaks across the city have been practising their beats and celebrities from the Marathi film industry have also joined in by participating in Kalavant Dhol Tasha Pathak’s annual practice sessions. Artists Saurabh Gokhale, Anuja Sathe, Shruti Marathe, Siddharth Jadhav, and Shailesh Deshmukh among others who are associated with the group, enthusiastically played the dhol amidst heavy rains. Actor-couple Saurabh Gokhale and Anuja Sathe, who are at the forefront of this group walked us through their prep.

“All the practice pays off when the crowd enjoys our performance. The energy is electrifying, and I like to call it the Puneri trance” — Anuja Sathe

“We have been a part of the city’s Ganeshotsav celebrations for many years now and also performed at the Maanacha Pahila, Kasba Ganpati, for the past four years or so. It’s an honour for us. Many people from different parts of the city come to watch us play and cheer for us which adds to the infectious energy of the pathak,” shares Saurabh. On the prep required to perform on the main day, Anuja says, “It is a huge responsibility to perform during the visarjan miravnuk every year. Playing the dhol is as much about rhythm as it is about physical strength. Which is why we start our practise sessions well in advance so we are used to the weight and the movements.”

“We were joined by cops who were passionate about dhol-tasha and always wanted to be a part of it. make it a point to include new members to be a part of our dhol-tasha practice. Though many people didn’t show up because of the rain for the previous practice, the ones present had a great time. We look forward to many more events and sessions” — Shruti Marathe, actor

Pune City Police officers take part in a dhol-tasha session
The practice session on Sunday was a different experience as many Pune City Police personnel got a chance to give in to their passion for playing the dhol-tasha. While Pune City Police officer Reshma Mohan Taware got a chance to live her dream of playing the dhol-tasha, amaldar Sagar Gangawane, too, got a chance to fulfil his wish. Amaldar Sanket Shinde, Administrative assistant at deputy inspector general of prison W.R region Yerwada, says, “We’ve seen celebs on the TV but it was a different experience to watch them live and perform with them. It was great to see their energy and we look forward to many such events.”