Punit Balan | Actress Rakul Preet Singh, actor Sharad Kelkar, IPS officers Ravindra Shisve and Krishna Prakash, IAS officer Sagar Doiphode and other dignitaries take ‘Darshan’ of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust idol, perform ‘Aarti’

Pune: Punit Balan | Devotees thronged in hordes to India’s first public Ganpati Mandal the Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust’s Ganpati idol on Tuesday on the 8th day of Ganeshotsav. Long queues were witnessed at the pandal. Braving such crowds, actress Rakul Preet Singh, actor Sharad Kelkar, Mumbai Railway Police Force SP Ravindra Shisve, Pimpri-Chinchwad former Commissioner of Police Krishna Prakash, Kupwada (J-K) former District Collector and current Div-Daman Secretary Sagar Doiphode, Director Mahesh Limaye, actress Hruta Durgule and singer Savani Ravindra and other celebrities and dignitaries had ‘Darshan’ of Ganpati. Trustee Punit Balan felicitated them all.

Around 2,500 school girls recited ‘Atharvashirsh’ at 9 am in front of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Bhavan, in the presence of actress Hruta Durgule and singer Savani Ravindra. The place was jam-packed. Thousands of devotes lined up to have a glimpse of their Lord. Famous Chintamani Musical Group performed ‘Live Benjo’ in the evening. Thousands of devotees recorded the melody and took selfies out of joy. Actress Rakul Preet Singh and gazetted officer Sagar Doiphode arrived around 7.30 pm. They, along with Director Mahesh Limaye, performed ‘Aarti’. Rakul Preet Singh spent almost one hour at the pandal. Many took selfies with her. After a chat with Punit Balan, she addressed the devotees present and expressed her feelings about Ganeshotsav. She thanked Punit Balan for inviting her for the ‘Aarti’.

IPS officer Krishna Prakash and actor Sharad Kelkar arrived at 9 pm and performed ‘Aarti’. Though it started raining, crowds of devotees could still be seen. They queued up to have ‘Darshan’ till late night. Mumbai Railway Police Force SP Ravindra Shisve arrived late in the night. He also took ‘Darshan’ and was felicitated by Punit Balan.

Immersion procession to start at 7 pm on Thursday

The Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust announced that the Mandal will join the ‘Visarjan’ procession at 7 pm on Thursday. Dhol-Tasha troupes such as Samarth Pathak and Shriram Pathak will participate in the procession while traditional martial games will be demonstrated. This was revealed by Trustee and Celebration Chief Punit Balan.