Festive fervour turns gloomy for some Bappa devotees

A hit-and-run, electrocution and drownings leave communities in shock during immersion processions

- Poonam Apraj

For the first time in the history of Lalbaugcha Raja, the immersion of the Lord's life-size idol, scheduled on Sunday, was delayed by nearly 13 hours due to the high tide and technical difficulties. As per the annual tradition, it should have been immersed by 9am on Saturday; however, the ritual was finally completed at 9.15pm on Sunday.

The immersion procession of the hugely popular idol of the deity started at around 10.30am on Saturday. After nearly 22 hours, the idol finally reached Girgaum Chowpatty around 8am the next day. However, early high tide arrival in the Arabian Sea and technical difficulties in placing the idol on a state-of-the-art raft, bought especially from Gujarat, delayed the immersion.

On Saturday night, another major Ganesh idol, Mumbaicha Raja, was immersed at 9pm. Next day, nearly 200 volunteers from the Ganesh Galli mandal came to take back their trolley. They helped remove Lalbaugcha Raja's trolley, which had sunk into the sand, said Sandeep Sawant, assistant treasurer of Mumbaicha Raja Mandal.