We haven’t yet achieved ‘mask-mukti’ but just came out of ‘mask-sakhti’, says Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday as Covid-19 restrictions because a sort of history on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa.
Thackeray, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar attended a host of events during the day, however, at every function they wore face-masks.
“Literally, we have come out of Covid-19 restrictions….I can see only me and Ajit Dada in masks, but the majority of you do not have masks…we have just come out of ‘mask-sakthi’, but not yet come achieved ‘mask-mukti,” Thackeray said.
The Gudi Padwa festival, the start of the Marathi new year, was celebrated with traditional fervour.
The centre of attraction was Girgaon, where the grand celebrations were held. Besides Mumbai, the neighbouring Mumbai metropolitan region's suburban hubs of Thane, Dombivli, Vasai too celebrated Gudi Padwa in a big way.
Women in Nauvari sarees, wearing headgear of different kinds, rode in bikes traversed through lanes and bylanes amidst cheers of Mumbaikars.
The celebrations started at the crack of dawn, with people erecting the traditional colourful ‘Gudi’ or a long bamboo stick draped with a new silken cloth, garlands, neem twigs topped off with a silver, copper or bronze pot, symbolizing victory, prosperity and spirituality, outside their homes, rooftops or balconies.
Large processions in which men and women of all ages danced gaily, in different parts of the state including Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Nashik and other towns and villages.
People were seen sporting the traditional Maharashtrian ‘pheta’ (head-gear) danced singly or in groups to the beating of drums, cymbals and lezims, leading colourful floats depicting highlights of the festival. Mouth-watering dishes like ‘shrikhand’ and ‘puran-poli’ are savoured along with ‘sunth paak’ and ‘aambe daal’ and other goodies. Several restaurants and eateries also offered these dishes as a ‘special’ item on the day’s festival menu.
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