Community bonding marks Laxmi Puja, high footfall at markets and temples

Pune: The city was illuminated with countless lights, decorations and elaborate ornamentations as residents celebrated the festival of lights with firecrackers, festivities and prayers.While some citizens celebrated Naraka Chaturdashi on Thursday, a few families performed Laxmi Puja."There was a lot of confusion about the day of puja. Our parents told us to perform Laxmi Puja on Thursday," said Aniket Shukla, a resident of Aundh.The celebration highlighted community bonding as residents shared homemade festive treats. "My mother-in-law and I prepared traditional faral. Sharing these with neighbours, friends, and family made Diwali special," said Asmita Joshi, a homemaker from Kothrud.The bustling city markets witnessed heavy footfall as citizens made their way to complete their shopping.Notable city structures such as Shaniwarwada, Sarasbaug, and Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple showcased special lighting arrangements. "The Dagdusheth Temple is decorated with vibrant lights. We expect several devotees to visit for darshan during the festival," said Mahesh Suryavanshi, treasurer of Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganapati Trust.Along with Maharashtrians, the South Indian community also celebrated Naraka Chaturdashi.Nandita Warrier, a resident of Pimpri, said, "I have been living in Pune for over three decades. We incorporate Maharashtrian festivities into our celebration. Along with our traditional sweets such as maladu and susiyam, we also prepared karanji, shankarpali and chakli."The Bengali community observed Kali Puja. "We visited Kali Bari temple for the Kali Puja, after which we went home and lit a few sparklers," said Pratima Bose, a resident of Khadki.Youngsters also adopted contemporary celebrations. "We held an eco-friendly party It had organic rangoli and LED lights," said Kunal Sharma, a resident of Undri.
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