It marks the onset of the new harvest, it heralds the season of hope, it is celebrated as the Hindu New Year! Gudi Padwa is significant for its traditions and celebrations. And like always Palava City celebrated this festival in true Maharashtrian style with its first ‘Shobha Yatra!’
The intricately woven 9 yard ‘navvari’ saree, the sparkling ‘nath’ or nose ring, stacks of colourful bangles and the fragrant mogra adorning the hairbun, the women of Palava dressed in their finest cultural attires.
While some children dressed up as Lord Krishna, the mighty Shivaji, the holy Sant Tukaram, and other heroic characters and promised to guard you forever, others participated in a skit called ‘Granth Dindi.’ They also became the bearers for the traditional ‘palkhi’ which carried the revered Bhagwad Gita, Mahabharatha and other epics.
The skillfully choreographed lezim dance by the women residents was a sight to behold. And the iconic human pyramid by Yog Parivar group just raised the bar on the festive fervor!
Over 1000 residents, including little ones, young couples, families and the elderly, came together at Downtown and participated in the Gudi Padwa procession to the Shiv Temple at the Lakeshore Greens.
At Palava, significant importance is given to community living, to further strengthen the sense of belonging and foster brotherhood prevalent among the residents. One such attempt made by the city is the annual Gudi Padwa event organised to celebrate our traditions.
Nita Bansode, a resident and participant in the lezim performance said, “We have been looking forward to this festival since the beginning of the year and we got together to begin practice for lezim two months ago! It was easy for us to choreograph this performance as we had learnt this dance form last year in Palava itself!”
For septuagenarian, Mahesh Welling, Palava makes sure he and wife don’t miss their family back in USA! The elderly couple shuttles between their home here and their family in the United States. He says, “The support of the Palava City Management Association and the enthusiasm of my fellow community friends makes home a delight – with every such festival we celebrate our customs and it brings back fond memories.”