Driven by devotion: The unsung tractor drivers powering Pune’s grand Ganesh Visarjan

“We are all from Daund. We have been doing this for a few years. Every year, we coordinate with mandals and pull their Ganpati across Tilak Road. We don’t do this for money, but out of sheer devotion,” says Roidas Mahakar, a driver who has come along with four others. The group also takes up the responsibility of managing the crowd as the procession progresses.

The commitment spans generations, with drivers ranging from young volunteers to veterans—including an 80-year-old driver. “One of our tractor drivers is 80 years old. Nevertheless, he comes here to drive for many hours, out of devotion,” says Mahakar, who is accompanied by friends Ganesh Khenet, Sainath Mandap, Avinash Balsingh, and Rushikesh Kunjir.

“Every year, we come on the eve of ‘visarjan’ and reach near Swargate to attach our tractors to the mandals. We get special permission for logistics from the mandals,” says Mahakar.

The mandal organisers would have already secured the permission for the drivers from the police ahead of the procession. “Without permission, you cannot go onto Tilak Road, and you have no choice but to go back home,” he explains.

Drivers transport the huge deities with portable generators through dense crowds for anywhere from 15 to over 30 hours continuously.

But they smile and say, “You just manage it. You eat or sleep near the mandal or at a nearby hotel. We don’t know how long it takes. It could take 15 hours, or it could take more than 30 hours. This also depends on negotiation. We manage with other mandal organisers and the police to keep the procession moving and avoid logjams.”

This year the number of mandals has increased, which is a cause of worry for the drivers. “More mandals means longer duration for the procession. Some new mandals came last night and blocked the places across Tilak Road. Such a large number will slow down the procession,” said two mandal operators on condition of anonymity.

The permissions for the drivers are renewed automatically, says Saurabh Bhosale, organiser of the Shivraj Mitra Mandal.

“In recent years, the number of mandals has increased, which has slowed down the processions. But we manage with the help of other organisers and the police,” Bhosale says.

Keeping the massive procession moving requires continuous negotiation and real-time cooperation between tractor drivers, mandal organisers, and police personnel who manage law, order, and traffic flow.

“Our job is mainly maintaining law and order, and making sure everything is going smoothly. All the mandal organisers respect us, and work with us to keep the procession going forward,” says a traffic policeman.

All this and more goes behind the scenes of a procession, with dozens of moving parts working together to say goodbye to Bappa.

(Sameer is an intern with The Indian Express)