Harmonised celebrations

Ganesh Visarjan in Rajnandgaon has emerged as a model event riding on innovative strategies, meaningful community involvement, and effective coordination—ensuring peaceful, organised celebrations

- ANIL SWARUP

Ganesh Visarjan in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, is a vibrant and culturally rich event that marks the culmination of the 11-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

The event is not just a religious ritual but also a community celebration that brings people together and has been celebrated since the 1930s during pre-independence era.

During Ganesh Visarjan in Rajnandgaon, the 'jhankis' (tableaux) are a major highlight.

In Rajnandgaon, the festivities are particularly grand and draw large crowds.

More than 2 lakh people from across the district and neighbouring towns attended the event on the eve of September 17, 2024.

Security challenges

Crowd management: With thousands of devotees participating, managing the crowd becomes a significant challenge.

Ensuring that the processions move smoothly without causing stampedes or overcrowding is crucial.

The streets are narrow and would get easily crowded especially because traditionally the jhankis would move abruptly in any direction.

The crowd becomes unruly because of presence of intoxicated anti-social and criminal elements carrying arms who would often turn the processions into fight arenas.

This makes the space unsafe for women and children.

Traffic control: The processions often lead to traffic congestion.

Special traffic arrangements, including rerouting and setting up barriers, no entry zones, one-ways etc become necessary to prevent gridlocks and ensure emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire brigades, 112 and police patrolling vehicles etc can move freely.

Noise and pollution control: The use of loudspeakers, boom boxes and DJs can lead to noise pollution, which has been a point of contention.

Elderly and children are usually the worst affected by noise pollution, especially those living in houses in lanes through which the jhankis pass through.