Bapat, DJ, Punekar & Ganpati!

 

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“MAN HOW MUCH NOISE DO YOU MAKE IN THIS WORLD;

on occasion of 28^th April, International Noise Awareness Day”― Vineet Raj Kapoor

“And no sound from outside or anywhere. That must be the thing when you have money, I think. You never have to hear anything you don't want to, ever.”― Megan Abbott

“I wish there should have been the ability to close my ears too, just the way I can close my eyes to stop watching unwanted sights” … Me

Well, from the name itself you must have guessed the topic & add the above quotes in it, sure you may be deaf but not dumb if you can read (sorry, sarcasm)! Yes, it's about Ganpati & Punekars & one Mr Bapat whose name was talk of the town of late (plz google) & common thread joining these three is, sound or say noise pollution. Ganpati Bappa has gone back (I mean if you believe in the concept that by immersing an idol you can send back even gods’, keeping due respect for Bappa & religion) & what he has left behind is good memories & devotion & faith but what his disciples / devotes has left behind is many deaf or damaged humans also & reason is our noise pollution! At the start let me be clear (confess/ disclaimer) something, I am a believer of God, at my home there is ten full days (12 days, this year) of Ganpati & my sharing is not against immersion ceremony or celebration but our ways of celebration & I am not judge to decide what’s right or wrong, it’s up to the readers only!

This year’s Ganpati immersion procession went for 34 hours & holding entire city for nearly two days (read as cripple) can be a subject of debate & I won’t blame the police dept as they are part of society & it was ten thousand plus police which also are humans wearing some uniform against nearly one million humans, in case if anything goes wrong, you can imagine the odds of police controlling over this procession crowd! And then most of this mob is in frenzy mode for their own respective reasons & tempers or mood swings are at their extreme high & smallest of friction can turn the things nasty, this we must understand before we blame or comment on any dept or segment of society! Ok, before that about Mr Bapat, just to give background to the readers who has read about him only via memes of forwards, he is common citizen like you & me but dared to raise his voice (it’s a phrase & not sound pollution, lol bad joke) about social cause which was noise pollution during Ganpati festival. As usual what Bapat was pointing was ignored & the debate (if you call it debate) went of different track, Hindu & Non-Hindu & thankfully the guy is Hindu Brahmin (I don’t believe even in religions or castes by myself) or else the entire objection thing would have gone to different level! Bapat objected about sound levels during Ganpati festival & stated need of control on sound levels which many people took as ban or no use of loudspeakers or playing high level songs of music systems. And he did this in a meeting over Ganpati festival arranged by PMC where all segments of society including officials & elected members were there & Bapat was removed forcefully from this meeting for pointing out the sound pollution aspect of Ganpati festivals! And later also he pushed his point on social media which is like a hungry shark when it smells blood & here it was a pool of fresh blood.

Outcome was, the entire Bapat thing no more was objection raised by a Punekar about which also many objected that he is migrant from Ratnagiri & who is he to comment on “Our” festival. Unfortunately, this trend is dangerous as every debate or discussion now turns into “Ours” & “Theirs” rather than focusing on the subject of the discussion, is my point of sharing & what we are doing about it? As Bapat wasn’t objecting about Ganpati festival or devotion but as a citizen he is objecting about the way we are celebrating (do mind, we) the festival & Ours or Theirs my personal opinion is, everybody has right to celebrate but not at the cost of other’s discomfort, this I am sure also was point of Bapat, nothing more. It's not about the use of loudspeakers or Dhol taasha & dancing on streets but if that is causing not just disturbance but physical damage to others who are living around your celebrations then it must be stopped, simple! This is where we need to focus as all those who backlashed Bapat (even physical attack) blame him for Anti-Hindu & non believer of God & outsider, those people should introspect this aspect of their own definition of believer (which I have doubt will ever happen) & if they are not doing it here is where govt must take lead along with Ngo’s & start working on it! As on its own nobody will take lead & stop use of DJ or loudspeakers but the way only after repeated awareness efforts right from schools to offices, people on their own stopped buying (and burning) fire crackers as the society realized they can celebrate even without firecrackers, same path must be followed for curbing sound pollution during any festivals or celebrations & not just Ganpati! Here, all those who are naming Bapat & his supporters that why only at the time of Ganpati, so they are anti Hindus’ but my take is, first from somewhere this is needed to be started & Bapat was referring to sound pollution at large & not some particular festival, just he was part of a meeting which was organized on occasion of Ganpati, so the point was raised here. And second, barring Ganpati no other festival continues for ten-plus days, so the impact of sound pollution is much more than any other festival, simple! Ask any family residing on the roads from where every other festival or Jayanti or Punyatithi (I am deliberately not taking names, can’t afford it, lol) procession goes (Sinhgad road, Dandekar Bridge, SB Road) and listen what’s their opinion about such celebrations, of whichever religion, caste or God it may be & you will know what Bapat was trying to tell! Oh yes, even one Mr.Punit balan who is a social name in Pune also objected to sound pollution & appealed to Ganpati Mandals for not using DJ, he also got trolled by the very same people who used to praise Mr.Balan for his generous contributions for many social activities, such was the opposition for curbing sound pollution! 

Now, coming to the aspect of law & enforcement & blaming police or any govt dept; in the early morning when I drive to my badminton game, on every signal right from PMT busses to educated citizens to college kids to moms with their kids sitting behind on two-wheelers & yes Zomato/ Amazon delivery boys, all of them jump red signal or ride in wrong way. There are cameras, & they all know jumping red signals is a crime & they can get fined for it, yet they do it, why? Because they think they can get away with it, they don’t think it’s that serious a crime & they don’t care for their lives or others, & same is applicable for the sound pollution while we celebrate! It’s the mentality of the society which police & govt has to deal with & when millions break the law repeatedly, then still it’s wrong but the right way is not taking direct strict action but slowly changing the mindset of such law breakers, accept it or not! As on any cigarette packet there is clear sign printed as “Smoking is Injuries to health” yet the smokers smoke but we have banned smoking in public places because your smoking pleasure should not become nuisance to others as then it becomes a crime, same way sound-pollution for any reason must be dealt & govt must empower the concerned depts accordingly! Stopping sale or renting of any public audio loudspeaker systems, and doing it only from registered shops, can be one effective way of curbing sound pollution! This is why the hon Comm of Police said their priority is safety of millions of people & controlling the crowd during procession & he is right! Though from next year we (Police) can be proactive right from beginning & curb all the loudspeakers & music systems in advance rather than filing crimes against the Mandals’ later & PCMC police force along with Nagpur & other cities has done it successfully, surely Pune police also can do it!

 Guys, Pune’s Ganpati festival is probably the best platform to make people aware about various aspects of the environment, especially sound pollution. Eco friendly Ganpati doesn't mean just to curtail noise as well river pollution by not using hi peach speakers or not using Gulal or not throwing the all Nirmalya (garlands, flowers, decoration) in river nor just avoiding use of Plaster-of-Paris or Thermacol. But it means using this platform at fullest for the cause of environment. We are thinking of reducing the damage but we are forgetting to use the power of this festival to reach out to the people for spreading the message about environmental conservation. And indeed, Ganpati celebration is the best energy generation period, & like any energy it's up to us whether its bad or good for us as our use only decides it. Instead of naming (read as blaming) people who are demanding curb on sound, as anti-celebration or outsiders, let's come together & reduce sound levels & make Pune’s Ganpati festival as a leader for showing the world how a society can celebrate in the right way. I think, then only even the Ganpati Bappa will bless us in true means, as he is after all God of Intellect (Buddhi); till then, use ear plugs or buds or go on vacation is one way & raise your voice on awareness front about sound pollution is another way, choice is yours, adios with this note!
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Sanjay Deshpande 

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked..

 

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Dear Baba!

 

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“A father is not just a biological term; he is an entire education system... only the fortunate ones get admission here”… Me

Baba,

92 years... "Babu Moshai, zindagi lambi nahi, badi honi chahiye" (Life should be grand, not just long)... For many years, I couldn't grasp the true meaning of this dialogue—what difference did it make whether life was grand or long? Didn't both essentially mean large or long enough? But looking at Baba, I came to realize that life can be both—grand as well as long!

Baba, you lived entirely on your own terms and left the world just the same! Just six months ago, on your birthday, even though you looked tired in the picture, I have captioned it, “I am old, not Obsolete.” But then every journey must come to an end somewhere, sometime... and all that remains behind are the memories of the life journey! Among the countless lessons you imparted, a passion for cinema was one—and perhaps one of our very few shared traits; which is why movie references come in so handy whenever I need to express myself! Looking at today's kids (including my own), seeing their expectations from their father (and mother too), and their reactions when those expectations aren't met—by those standards, we should have committed suicide every single day & this is not sarcasm or ! And it wasn't your fault at all; rather, we were the most fortunate to have a father who gave zero importance to us or our emotions. Because only then, when we eventually achieved so much later in life, did we understand the true value of everything—and that respect for its worth stayed with us forever!! Back then, all fathers were like that; so, thank you for following the right path and keeping us grounded at all times!

Baba, the greatest gift you gave us was discipline! Because of that, all the subsequent lessons became easier to understand and put into practice. We didn't talk every day, nor did we have the convenience of phone calls when we were far apart, yet there was always a Wi-Fi connection... invisible, but deeply felt! you didn't pamper us in the conventional sense, though you punished us plenty; but that is precisely what taught us that even affection comes with a price. And most importantly, the realization that while everything can be bought or borrowed, mental toughness and the willingness to take responsibility are things you have to build within yourself! and yes, preserving self-respect through it all (which many might mistake for ego)—that was the very lesson, the “Muz par ek ahesaan karna ki muzpar koi ahesan na karna”wala attitude! That's your gift to me, lol!! And you did sacrifice your own desires for the sake of responsibility as a dad! In our locality in Khamgaon, the first refrigerator came to our house, the first color TV came to our house, the first land line phone came to our house... all because of your fondness for these things! You had a strong desire to buy a four-wheeler, but keeping only our education and our settled lives in mind, you set your own wish aside. You never spoke it out loud, yet we understood it—and the lesson behind it too!

And the habit of writing down an account of expense of even ten paise ... that still serves me well in business today! Though you were a teacher, I was never your student in the conventional sense, yet you were always my 'class teacher' in the classroom of life, that makes me the most lucky student! Many things were never explicitly said or heard between us, but that certainly never created any distance! and yes, your love for plants... that is why, without caring about 'what people will say,' we mixed your ashes into the soil of all the pots on our terrace! Today, if your soul is lingering around, that is entirely your own choice; because even today, I do not have the authority or strength to tell you what you shoud do!

All I can say is, you are no longer physically here, but your presence will always be with us. And the path you expected me to walk on will remain my path—because it was, and always will be, the right path! and I will try my absolute best to ensure that Rohit, Rohan, Nikhil, and Ketaki walk on it too... This is my and Neeta's tribute to you!!

(I am writing on Neeta's behalf as well; firstly, because she took maximum care of you, more than a son would have done (read as me), and secondly, because she wouldn't be able to write all this—a fact you would know well, lol!!)

Your Son and Daughter (with all, even bagira)

Oh yes, something your grandsons’ wrote to me, thanks to you as you are the cause they wrote to me which actually is a tribute to you only….

“You are more than what you have become.” — Mufasa, The Lion King

Dear Baba,

I am sure Abbu must have never told you the above words, but for sure he must have felt

it.....For five years after Aai passed away, you wrote letters to us. Through those letters, you

shared your thoughts, memories, worries, hopes and, most importantly, your love.

Abbu lived a long and full life of 90 years. That means 90 years of memories, struggles,

happiness, family and so many stories that will always stay with us. But no matter how old

we become, I don't think anyone is ever ready to lose a parent. Today, we don't just see you

as our father. We also see you as a son who has lost his father.

The relationship between a father and his sons is a funny one. There is a lot of love, but

somehow nobody says it....... Instead, love comes in the form of advice, lectures, arguments,

scolding and the famous, “Ata tu motha jhalays tari baapacha aaikat jaa kadhitari” which

every son knows that he should at least think about it. We are sure you and Abbu had your

own version of this.

There must have been so many times when you disagreed with him, got angry with him or

thought he was being too strict. We can say this confidently because we have gone through

the same things with you. Maybe that is how fathers pass down their love, a little love, a lot

of scolding and a lot of advice.

So much of who we are comes from you, just as so much of who you are came from Abbu.

His habits, his values, his strength, his stubbornness and probably many things you once

promised yourself you would never do when you became a father — but ended up doing

exactly the same even before you realised that, and when you do realise you definitely carry a

smile in that moment. And one day, unfortunately for our children, we will probably do the

same.

The lessons a father gives his sons don't always come through words. Sometimes we learn

simply by watching how he lives, how he takes care of his family and how he stays strong

when things get difficult. I know there is nothing we can write that will make losing your

father easier. But we want you to know that today, you don't always have to be the strong

father you have been for us. Today, you can simply be his son. Remember him. Miss him.

Talk about him. Laugh about the things he did. Remember the arguments, beatings the good

times and even all the advice that you later realised was right. Also now it will be easier for

you talk to him......where he will listen and just give signs which only you will understand.

Love you,

Rohit & Rohan

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Sanjay Deshpande 

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked..

 

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

 

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https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2025/12/pune-real-estate-in-2026.html

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https://jeevnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2026/08/
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Hanuman Ansh; Journey of Hope & Faith!

 

                                        

                                                                

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"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." — Saint Augustine

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." — Corrie ten Boom

"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." — Helen Keller

“It’s not about faith, it’s about how you tell the story about the faith” …Me.

Augustine of Hippo, also well-known as Saint Augustine, was a Christian theologian and philosopher from Thagaste (Died 28 August 430 AD) Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker. Helen Adams Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer who lost her hearing & eye sight at age of nineteen & lived till eighty-seven years. Well, Siant Augustine nobody has seen or met but the rest of two are very much from our mortal world (and Me too) & what they all wrote about one aspect which differentiates humans from all rest living animals is very true & its faith! Especially our Hindu philosophy revolves around this one word & so does ancient Chinese philosophies also though western world was never much in fond & yet they believe in Jesus & his rebirth or say reappearance post death! Well, you must have guessed by now with my love about movies & the current rage post Dhurandhar, yes Hanuman Ansh! If you don’t know what’s this, which probably most Gen Zs’ or even so-called grownups educated ones must now have watched then I am sure you must have come across at least some post about its success (commercial of course) on Insta or Google ads as FB no more many people take seriously though they do post (sarcasm)!

Ok, it’s a movie about a Nib Karori (not Nim Karloli) Baba, who was very much real & passed away in 1973 & was a great devotee of Haunamanji (plz google). I myself too am a devotee of Hanumanji but I won’t share or spend time about what I do as a devotee! Because that’s not subject of the sharing but my movie-love pulled me towards Hanuman Ansh, as after ages there is a Bollywood movie which was supposedly about a Saint (Sadhu) & his life & he is not philosopher or Gyan sharing Saint, just a simple man from normal family, so how the movie went on making crores & become one of the greatest all-time hits of Pan India cinema already & still going, was my subject of interest! Just to give you an idea, Dhurandhar which is supposedly made some 3000 plus crores rupees (both parts combine) is way ahead on gross collection than HA (hanuman Ansh short form lol) but it's making & publicity spending is more than 1200 crore rupees, means the profit is double or say max triple, a guess! HA movies making & total expenses are said to be 2 crores rupees & it’s already earned nearly 300 crores & still counting & this doesn’t include OTT money which will follow, now tell me who is more hit, Dhurandhar or HA, is my subject or interest & sharing & study! And yes, Disclaimer (Terms & Conditions applicable); I am not justifying any miracle or such act shown in the movie Hanuman Ansh, nor I expect people to believe whatever has been shown in it about Nib Karori baba’s supernatural power, that’s up to individuals’ discretion, my sharing is about the way movie has been made & presented & its success with masses & on box office!

Before we analyse success of HA, nearly fifty years back there were two movies, Santoshi Maa & Shirdi ke Saibaba, made in low budget & they broke all box office records, though back then there was no 100-crore club thing but I remember vaguely (as I was 5/7-year-old then) in 1975 the entire theatre singing (mostly ladies) aarti of Santoshi Maa when the song used to play on the screen, it was mass hysteria! Same thing repeated two years later, 1977 with Shirdi ke Saibaba (sure no need to introduce Saint Saibaba) got released & devotees made box office ringing like anything, in both movies actors & rest crew’s names were not known much except Saibaba was produced bay Manoj Kumar out of his personal devotion for the Saint & he also didn’t think that this will be his life’s biggest hit in term of money earnings! Why I mentioned these two movie’s names is because Hanuman Ansh made me remember these movies as no success is an accident, it may look like one yet somewhere you hit a formula which has all potential for a hit just you don’t know about it, is the case then also & today too! Year 1975 & that era was full of unrest, which is why the Angry Young Man Hero became the Super Star of all time where most of the youngsters & mid-age men could correlate with his way of dealing with society & hardships of life! But what about women & people who were not physically fit or knew their limitations about fighting with the system & even in movies couldn’t relate with Angry Young Man’s actions, well, the answer was in Santoshi Maa & Saibaba! Evry young & middle-aged woman in the society could correlate with troubled (tortured) Daughter-in-Law in Santoshi Maa who is helped by the goddess for her survival fight in Sasural & all ends with good things. And in Saibaba, a middle-class family man was helped by powers of Saibaba & there to all ends well, what more connection with masses could have been there than this & outcome was not just commercial success of these two movies but the way they reached to the hearts of their watchers, mostly common families!

But this is 2026, a most commercial digitalized so-called intelligent era of all times & ruled by Gen-Z. Today everything is available to everybody on screen & nothing can make this genre surprize or to make them believe & in such scenario how a movie about a Baba (Saint) to whom most of these people has never ever seen could make them believe in him but connects with the movie to make it the biggest Sleeper Hit (plz google about the term)! Answer lies in three things (by me), one, this period is also of unrest & of insecurity & this unrest is generated not because of lack of something but because of plentyness (too much) of everything, as deep within most of us are unhappy & not at peace, though on surface (read as on Insta & FB) all are busy in showing how best their life is! And second is the way story is being told, as its not complicated with turns & twists but can happen with any of us or around any of us, is something we have forgotten to experience & yes third thing, no darkness about the presentation of the story, no blood shade, no abusive language, no flesh exposure (item songs) or no patch-up comedy characters, as people have got bored of it & needed a break where they can watch something simple & day to day goodness of life which we have forgotten! A neighbourhood which cares for you, gives you shelter, shares their food with you without asking your caste or religion, this is what we are as an Indian society, & this we have forgotten to watch! And then there are scenes like Baba making a gora (angrej) surrender to his powers & devotion by stopping a train in which the angrej was travelling, adding dash of our Mythic power’s victory over the western world, a perfect blend of all the masala which has a potential of a super hit is there in HA! This is the reason why years after years & for nearly a century, Disney studio keeps presenting similar stories with earnest simplicity & feel-good approach adding dash of magic & miracles & outcome is, most of their movies become a commercial hit. In the past we too had a dash of such storytelling, “Ashtavinayak” was one such in modern times & was a good commercial hit but in the midway somewhere today's movie makers misjudged the new age generation as non-believer of magic or faith in goodness & stopped doing such movies. But we forget, the same so called non-believer society in magic & miracles has made movies like “Stree” a hit where there are miracles, magic but on dark side so all it needed is a story which will touch the hearts of the masses with magic & miracles blended with faith for goodness & what better story can there be which involves journey of a believer common kid towards becoming a saint & that too with god which is most common in central India i.e., Hanumanji, is the true success of Hanuman Ansh!

Do mind, I come from a town (khamgaon) which itself is known by the Saint i.e. Gajanan-maharaj of Shegaon & people still believe that he had magic powers & there used to be oldies in my childhood who had witnessed Maharaj doing miracles, again individuals’ discretion to believe or not! But the best part of HA is the Nib Karori baba does perform his miracles in a very subtle way, for e.g. when a poor man comes to him for illness of his wife, Baba asks him, “Baid ko dikhya? (have you shown her to a doctor), when the poor man says no then Baba says, Baid ko dikhao sab thik ho jayega! In another scene, when some farmers come complaining about their crops being stolen at night, baba says, increase night watch & all will be well. Means Baba has shown telling his devotees not to rely totally on god (or any such power) but put your efforts in the problem at hand & then the gods will be with you, isn’t it true everywhere for any believer? Agreed, there are some miracles shown but then it can be a case of mass hypnotization also (for a non-believer) what is important is the outcome of having faith & yet putting our full efforts, no harm in it, right? Faith & hope should be our strength & not become our crutches making us weak, is the message from Baba, which is very important, especially for today’s devotees!

Full marks to team of Hanuman Ansh as by its commercial success, it has once again proved a right product always succeed & here the product was not some Nib Karori Baba but the way his story been told, after all we all believe in something (most of us) & stores like hanuman Ansh makes our belief strong not just in miracles or super powers but by giving (read as gifting) the most important thing i.e. Hope! If the devotees are going back home happily after watching Baba pulling them out of their troubles, then many youngsters & grownups now can believe, if this movie with such small budget can make a mega hit, then I also can succeed in my project however difficult it may look for now, that’s the biggest success by me of Hanuman Ansh! And all kudos to the producers, director & every person associated with the movie for gifting us something we are lacking i.e. hope; Sitaram, Sitaram; what better words I could have to say adios & yes, eagerly waiting for Shesh Katha i.e. part2!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

 

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2025/12/pune-real-estate-in-2026.html

https://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025.html

https://jeevnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2026/08/
Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/