Dilemmas of today

   In the Ganj Peth area of Pune, riding through the small crowded lanes without any signboards for the 'Mahatma Phule wada' and completely trusting the Google maps to show me the location, I reached. Horns of the vehicles reverberated my ears. The front gate was closed so I along with my friends went from the rare gate. The unadorned historical site is preserved by the Archaeological Department of Maharashtra government.   While stepping into the wada I came across the holy basil which in itself gave me the feel that I am about to see some thing historical but the dust and the sand had filled the atmosphere as the construction site was underway in the wada  was unpleasant. Removing our footwear we entered the house of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule. The legendary work of Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai is safe guarded through painted canvasses. The wada built in 1852 bears testimony to various social reforms brought by the couple.    Th...

   The anticipation of the million eyes ceases today as the Ganesh Utsav completes its glorious 125 years amidst controversy about its inception. The 'Ganpati Bappa Morya ' chants, the aartis are heard all around. The markets are overcrowded and galore with Ganesh idols, the fragrance of the flowers, modaks and decorative items.   This festival finds its roots way back in history when Shivaji Maharaj established the Maratha Empire in the 16th century. Later the Peshwas kept up with the tradition and observed Ganesha as their family deity but the celebrations were only confined to their individual homes. It was in the year 1893 that the idea of public gala was initiated by Lokmanya Tilak. He installed his first Ganpati idol in Vinchurkar Wada at Sadashiv Peth in Pune. In the view to bring people of various stratas of society- educated, non educated, young and old together, to participate in the National Movement against the British. Tilak encouraged the Melas and also...