Student’s Day Out

Every year Ganesh Chaturthi brings along with it,its own share of people who in their own little ways work towards the causes that the festival brings along with it. Students across the city take up volunteering work at various mandals across the city as they merge responsibility with fun. Take the case of 20-year-old Ganesh Yadav,a third year,Biotechnology student at Nowrosjee Wadia College admits to have given his college a back seat during this festive period. “It is only these 10 days that I compromise on attending classes. But I do not loaf around. You will only find me at the mandal near Bombay Sappers doing some work or the other,” says Yadav,who is given the responsibility of keeping the mandal spic-n-span at all times. Just having wrapped up his internal examinations,he still has a lot of project work due early next month. “I will manage my studies and my project work after the Ganpati festival is over. I have been volunteering at the mandal for the last five years,” he adds.

Another student,Aditya Marothi,presently in his second year of computer engineering at Sinhagad College of Engineering has volunteered at the Nadbramha mandal near Krishna Sunder lawns,Mhatre Bridge,for the first time. He says that he juggles his time between college work and mandal work through proper time management. “Since I am playing the dhol-tasha,I had to practice everyday from 6pm to 10pm. Now there is a slack period in college as our lecturers know that we would like to enjoy these ten days of Ganesh Chathurthi so we can manage our college time and the volunteer work well,” says 19-year-old Marothi,who is involved with managing the traffic,keeping the crowd under control and keeping the mandal and the surrounding area clean when he is on a break from playing the dhol. “There are volunteers of all age groups from little kids to senior citizens. The true essence of the festival lies when you mingle with all these people and share the responsibility of making sure that the festival is a happy celebration for everyone,” he adds.

Dhruv Ruparel,MBA student from MIT is also busy with the hustle- bustle at the Dagduseth Ganpati Mandal. “You can do any work you want here. Even if we are delegated to look after the traffic,when we are walking past the stage and notice that something needs to be cleaned,we go ahead and help,” says Ruparel,who has been volunteering at the mandal since he was in junior college. “There is a special satisfaction that one gets by volunteering at the mandal during this festive season. When you are volunteering at the pandal,you can catch all the action live as it happens. At the end of the day,when you are tired with all the work done,you feel like you have done something worthwhile. It gives a meaning to the festival for me,” says Ruparel.