Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Sparse crowds mark procession

HYDERABAD: The speeches of the Ganesh Utsav Samiti leaders on the occasion of the Ganesh immersion procession this year were seasoned with invocations of the New Delhi blasts and the recent Amarnath issue which rocked Jammu & Kashmir.

The blasts had another discernible impact too in keeping crowds off the roads, partly due to the trepidation and perhaps sluggishness of a Sunday afternoon.

Though idols began to arrive since the morning, the trickle remained even after 3 p.m. “Most pandals were emptied on the third, fifth and seventh day due to fear of untoward incidents. Last year, we saw idols from this end to that end of the stretch. We have been on the wait since morning and only a few idols passed by,” said Annapurna, a disappointed home-maker.

The situation got better once the old city idols, thus far held up to accommodate the Ramzan prayers, began arriving. Devotees dancing to drum beats succeeded in electrifying the atmosphere and saved the day’s grace. Rows of trucks bedecked with marigold and palm leaves brought along the carnival atmosphere to the procession.

A sea of saffron shared the space with the tricolour and the chants of ‘Ganpathi Bappa Morya’ were interspersed with ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Police largely remained obtrusive while several of them in civilian clothes kept a watchful eye on the procession.

The usually vehicle-clogged NTR Marg had a vast sea of pedestrians.

Thronging multitudes, not as much due to the turnout as due to the closure of a side of the road, milled around desperately to have a glimpse of the big splashes.

Some got onto the divider and held onto the power lines for support, creating panic among CPDCL officials camping on the roadside.

Rest of the city especially Secunderabad, Begumpet, Banjara Hills and other places had total inactivity and practically empty roads allowing commuters to cruise merrily.

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