Pune: The Madhla Bazar Mitra Mandal, which has been celebrating the Ganesh festival for the past 95 years and the Pailwan Taziya, which has been taking out Moharrum procession for the past 117 years, have set up a common pandal in Khadki Bazaar. 

Both groups decided to hold these religious events in the same pandal. Mandal president Chintan Shah said, “After around 25 years, both the festivals are celebrated together, sometimes consecutively for 2-3 years.” 

As a mark of respect toward their Hindu brothers, the Muslim devotees decided not to offer any non-vegetarian offering during the time of ‘Niyaz’. 

The Alam procession and the traditional Moharrum ceremonies are conducted and celebrated by Hindu s while Muslims also participate in Ganpati celebrations. 

Mozin Sheik, a member of Pailwan Taziya group, said, “Our society needs communal harmony at present.”

"We are privileged to share the same pandal for Ganpati and Moharrum celebrations," Sheik added. 

With the chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ during the Ganpati ‘aarti’ and the calls of ‘Ya Hussein, Ya Ali’ can be heard side by side in the pandal. Both the Ganesh idol and the Moharrum Taziya are kept side by side. “It is after over three decades that the two festivals have coincided. We will celebrate the festivals next year too,” said Tushar Pawar, a resident of Khadki Bazaar.