Parel kabaddi team gives one-ton Ganesha a lift on his way to Hyderabad

Around 80 kabaddi players helped Bappa get out of a tight spot. Pic/Bipin Kokate

No one is better at getting in and out of tight spots than kabaddi players, which even Lord Ganesha realised on Wednesday. It was 80-odd kabaddi players who came to Bappa's rescue on Thursday, when the Hanuman Seva Mandal from Hyderabad struggled to ferry its idol out of the narrow lanes outside the sculpting workshop in Lower Parel. The athletes carried the 1,000-kg Ganpati for half a kilometre, before loading him on a truck.

The 17-foot Bappa was crafted by sculptor Rajan Zaad, who is known for his tall idols. On Wednesday, the Hanuman Seva Mandal arrived at his Delisle Road workshop with a truck and far too less manpower. Thanks to the narrow lane and two arches at the entrance of the ground where the workshop is located, the truck could not get close enough for loading. Enter, the kabaddi players. They hoisted the 1,000-kg idol on their shoulders and carried it for half a kilometre before loading it on the truck to Hyderabad.

Mandal ill-prepared
Zaad recalled, "The Hyderabadi mandal's members had come here to see the idol, and they were given the dimensions in advance. Despite that, the truck they got from Hyderabad was too small for the idol, and I had to reduce the breadth of the wooden plank on which the idol was built." He added, "After this was done, getting a crane inside was not possible, so the kabaddi players helped carry the idol outside." While the Hyderabad-based mandal had arrived around 3.30 pm, but the truck left only around 9.30 pm, once the idol was secured in the vehicle.

Kabaddi player says
Among the athletes who carried the idol, many have represented the state in various kabaddi competitions. Amit Kokate, one of the players and joint secretary of the Shivshahi Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, said, "It takes a lot of strength to lift a Ganesh idol from the ground. Thankfully, there was a troupe of 80 people to help the Hyderabadi mandal. "We carried it with the help of iron rods that we use to carry our own idol to the pandal. We carried it through the muck for about half a kilometre, and then set it cautiously in the truck, as it was to be taken to Hyderabad by road."

Grateful mandal
The idol is still on road and is likely to reach Hyderabad on Friday. Pappu Patel, president of Hanuman Seva Mandal, said, "We misjudged the whole thing. We had taken the measurement of the wooden plank, but were not aware that some space had to be left on either side, so that it can be placed inside. We did not realise how much manpower would be required to do this. But thanks to the kabaddi players, we can take our idol safely home."

1k
Idol's weight in kg

17
Height of idol in feet

Also Read: Mumbai: Long Bumpy Ride Awaits Ganpati Bappa This Ganeshotsav

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