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Journalism of Courage
THE paint on the walls is peeling off. Each step up the staircase is accompanied by an ominous creak. Despite that, this large wada silently speaks volumes about its rich history. The first Ganapati idol was installed here by Balgangadhar Tilak in 1894, heralding the beginning of the sarvajanik Ganapati festival.
In the heart of the city, Sardar Vinchurkar Wada on Kumthekar Road in Sadashiv Peth is a striking contrast to its modernised surroundings. But every year its ancient precincts are visited by thousands of devotees for a hallowed site of the Ganesh idol. Acknowledging and revering its historical importance, a small group of devotees under Lokmanya Tilak Pratham Prasthapit Ganapati Trust began installing a Ganesh idol at the wada in 1992.
This year, marking Tilak8217;s 150th birth anniversary, is particularly significant for the wada, as it is for Ganpati mandals across the city. A number of organisers are planning programmes, starting with the dissemination of his teachings to the release of booklets on his life and work.
THE Lokmanya Tilak Pratham Prasthapit Ganapati Trust will be hosting a talk on 8216;Westernisation: Do We Need It?8217;, while the Nimbalkar Talim Ganeshotsav Mandal in Sadashiv Peth will be bringing out a a 100-page Marathi booklet on Tilak8217;s life.
Mandal president Suresh Pawar says, 8220;We will design the court room scene. A five-minute cassette, recorded by actor Rahul Solapurkar, where he has voiced the arguments by Tilak will be played in Marathi and English.8221;
Gokhale Smarak Mandal8217;s tribute will be in the form of a tableau on the Indian Army, alongwith a light-and-sound show. Mandal member Dhananjaya Kale explains, 8220;The army is symbolic of Tilak8217;s mental and physical strength. The tableau will also encourage youngsters to join the Armed Forces.8221;
The Jan Jagruti Mandal in Shukrawar Peth will be staging plays to depict how Ganeshotsav was celebrated during Tilak8217;s time and its current form. 8220;The stage performance will also show Tilak as a law teacher who used to tutor aspiring lawyers,8221; he says.
TILAK, who lived in Sardar Vinchurkar Wada, celebrated Ganeshotsav here from 1894 to 1905. Later, he moved to Gaikwad Wada in Narayan Peth. Today, the wada belongs to the descendants of Sardar Vinchurkar. Part of the wada is used as a marriage hall, while the other half is shared by Khadi Gramodyog Mandal run by the Maharashtra Lokseva Sangh.
In the days of Tilak, the Kesari office was located in the wada while the basement housed the printing press. Ganeshotsav at the wada was known as the Ganeshotsav of Law Classes as Tilak used to tutor aspiring lawyers for their examinations.
The Vinchurkar Wada is important for yet another reason8212;Swami Vivekanand is believed to have stayed here for a brief period, during his visit to Pune in 1892. This was long before he left for the US.
But the workers are not so happy a lot. Pathare sums up crestfallen, 8220;There is no proper flooring in some section of the wada. It8217;s dismal, considering that even the staircase is dilapidated. The 150-year-old wada is silently dying.8221;
FOR OLD TIMES8217; SAKE
Balgangadhar Tilak will take the centrestage once more here:
8226; Adarsh Mandal, Budhwar Peth
8226; Aryaneshwar Mandal, Sahakarnagar
8226; Twashtakasar Samaj, Kasba Peth
8226; Kasba Ganapati Mandal, Shaniwar Wada
8226; Sakhli Peer Talim Mandal, Nana Peth
8226; Lokmanya Tilak Pratham Prasthapit Ganapati Trust, Sadashiv Peth
8226; Nimbalkar Talim Ganeshotsav Mandal, Sadashiv Peth
8226; Gokhale Smarak Mandal, Deccan Gymkhana
8226; Jan Jagruti Mandal, Shukruwar Peth
