India has over 1,000 regional festivals a year and the North has its fair share. September and October find the streets lit up with huge portraits of the Hindu Gods and Temples full of people 24 hours a day, fire walks on hot embers by devotees of the Gods are a common site at this time.
Festival of the Lord Ganesha - Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav
It was in Pune in 1894 that Lokmanya Tilak initiated the concept of the "Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav" — the collective communal celebration of the festival of Lord Ganesha. During the month of August or September each year, the city celebrates the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. Almost every neighborhood puts up a ‘pandal’ with an idol of Lord Ganesha, often amidst a mythological setting, complete with decorative lights and festive music. The 10-day festival culminates in a carnival-like procession along the busy thoroughfares of the city, with every pandal leading the idol on a float to finally immerse it in the local rivers. This is one of the most important yearly events in the city and causes quite a traffic jam as hundreds of pink elephant Gods make their way to the river!
During this time, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organizes the month-long Pune Festival which hosts classical dance and music recitals, a film and drama festival, automobile rallies and some traditional sports.
Diwali & Holi
Late October or early November is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. It seems every household, however poor, buys a box of fireworks on this day and sets them off from dawn until midnight. Go to the tallest building and watch at night for the most spectacular fireworks show you will ever see!
Holi is held around Easter time and is a great traditional family festival. Powder paints of every colour are daubed on faces and clothes in celebration of killing a demon god. Usually the festivities get out of hand and can end with buckets of paint being poured over people or balloons full of paint thrown between apartments! Even the poor old cows don’t escape and wander around with pink horns and nose for weeks afterwards.
Pune was also home to a considerable population of the Indian Jewish community, the Bene Israel. It is home to Asia's largest synagogue (outside Israel), The Ohel David Synagogue.