Bandwalas play, cash in on Ganesh festivities

FESTIVE BEATS: The foot-tapping music is crucial ingredient to liven up the sombre atmosphere.

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Mumbai: As the religious fervour builds up to the immersion day for Lord Ganesha and devotees get set to give a musical farewell, for the bandwalas it’s time to cash in.

The motley group of musicians with their foot-tapping music will add to the revelry of the processions as the countdown for the final journey of the Elephant God begins.

“They get excited when they are shown a note. Also there must be energy in the band,” says a devotee, Abhishek Ingle.

The drumming around may look fun but it sure is hard work. Rehearsals begin a month in advance and during immersions, the non-stop entertainment goes on till the wee hours. But as the bandwalas put it, its devotion that also encourages them to go the extra mile.

“We get both joy and money by playing during this time,” says a band member, Sanjay Shirke.

As the excitement builds up, the enthusiastic and energy of the bandwalas from Pune will do whatever it takes to keep the crowd on their toes.