As the name suggests, this annual festival is held in honor of the Hindu god Ganesha (side note: Ganesh is my personal favorite). The festival lasts for 10 days with newly-built shrines and nearly-constant events occurring every neighborhood of the city.

The events in my neighborhood (called Koregaon Park) were held in several different streets, each beginning around dusk and going until around 11pm.

The events themselves are a mix of celebration and worship with pandals (temporary shrines) pulled down the street by farm tractors as crowds of people follow along on foot.

It’s hard to explain, but for folks in the U.S., think: parade + street dance + outdoor church service + tractor pull. 🙂

Typically I have work meetings via Zoom each weeknight with colleagues in the U.S. (when it’s morning there), but during the festival it was amusingly hard to concentrate with my apartment windows shaking from the loud music and beating drums right outside.

After the first couple of nights, I just made a habit of taking a break each evening once I heard the drumming begin to check out whatever was unfolding outside.