Ganesh festivities at Hubballi Idgah Maidan conclude peacefully

Grand Ganesh festival celebration in Hubballi concludes peacefully with high security, leaders leading immersion procession amid music and speeches.

The public celebration of Ganesh festival, with a Ganesh idol installed at Idgah Maidan adjacent to Kittur Chennamma Circle, in Hubballi concluded peacefully amid high security with the organisers taking out a grand immersion procession on Monday.

The Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation had given conditional permission for installation of the Ganesh idol at the Idgah Maidan well in advance this time and after the three-day festivities that included various religious programmes and rituals, Rani Chennamma Maidan Gajanan Utsav Mahamandali ensured that the immersion procession began within the deadline given by the municipal corporation.

As the permission was given till noon on Monday, the immersion procession began at around 11.45 a.m. and the idol moved out of the Idgah Maidan compound within minutes, after which, however, the procession, which was accompanied by loud music, moved at a snail’s pace amid boisterous music and dance by the revellers comprising different age groups.

The Idgah Maidan where the Ganesh Pandal was erected saw a steady flow of visitors early in the morning with leaders of the BJP and various Hindutva outfits and members congregating at the venue in good numbers.

MLCs C.T. Ravi and Pradeep Shettar, MLA Mahesh Tenginakai, the former MLA Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, office-bearers of the Mahamandali Sanjiv Badaskar, V.S.V. Prasad, Lingaraj Patil, Santosh Chavan, Subhash Singh Jamadar, Mahendra Kautal and scores of leaders led the immersion procession.

A while after the procession left the Idgah Maidan, the revellers gathered at Brindavan Circle in front of Sangolli Rayanna’s statue where the leaders made vociferous speeches. Subsequently, loud music belted out by high decibel sound system overwhelmed the procession.

It took nearly five hours for the procession to reach the pond where the festivities concluded with the immersion of the Ganesh idol amid chanting of Ganapati Bappa Morya.