Ganeshotsav may bring streets and homes alive with devotion, but for those working in emergency services, the festival takes on a different rhythm. Fire brigade personnel in Navi Mumbai, unable to leave their posts during the peak days of duty, celebrate Ganeshotsav in their own way—by installing idols at their workplaces and carrying out rituals whenever time permits.
Every year, Lord Ganesha is installed without fail in all five fire stations of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Puja and aarti are conducted in between duty hours, filling the fire brigade offices with chants of Sukhakarta Dukhaharta. Preparations begin nearly two weeks in advance, with staff staying after hours to design decorative backdrops, arrange makhars, book idols, and set up lighting that brightens the stations for the ten-day celebration.
But for firefighters, responsibilities don’t pause during the festive season. Along with their regular firefighting duties, they are deployed in large numbers at immersion sites to prevent mishaps and ensure safety. This means that while most households and mandals bid farewell to Lord Ganesha on Anant Chaturdashi, fire brigade staff usually cannot perform the visarjan on the same day. Instead, their Ganpati is immersed a day or two later, after immersion bandobast duties ease.
Despite the delay, the devotion remains undiminished. Aarti is performed thrice daily by whichever staff are on shift. Families from fire brigade quarters often send naivedya, which is shared among everyone present. Evenings are marked by bhajans and devotional singing by the staff themselves. And though duty sometimes delays the rituals, the spirit of celebration continues.
“Our work commitments remain year-round, but Ganpati comes only once a year. That’s why we welcome Him in our offices. Even if visarjan happens a day later, we celebrate with the same devotion. The moment we do puja and sing bhajans, all the fatigue of our duty simply vanishes,” said one firefighter with a smile.
Thus, in fire stations across Navi Mumbai, Lord Ganesha lingers a little longer—leaving behind not just blessings but also a reminder of how devotion adapts to duty
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