Our Journey
In order to make the celebrations of the Ganesh festivals more disciplined, constructive and culturally aesthetic, a group of young men came together and formed a troupe on 2 October 1999. Thus was born the ‘Samarth Pratishthan’. Sanjay Satpute is the Founder and President of Samarth Pratishtan.
Starting out with only five-six dhols, today the Pratishthan boasts of a hundred ones with an equal number of dhal-talwars and thirty-five tashas. The Pratishthan has nearly a four hundred and fifty members today who come from different parts of the state. The Pathak is a regular in Pune City but has also performed in Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gujrat, Mumbai, Sangli, Nagar, Shirdi, Akkalkot, Pandharpur, Nashik and Mahabaleshwar in the past. Along with that, it has also received the privilege of performing at the prestigious events like the Gurupournima in Shirdi and Akkalkot, Commonwealth Games, Vishwajit Foundation’s Football Competitions in Balewadi and the Zee Gaurav Awards in BKC Mumbai, Dhol tasha and Western Drums duet with Master Percussionist Shivamani in Yuvasena Program in Dadar, Shivaji Park, Mumbai, Indian Super league opening ceremony in Kolkata with Master Percussionist Taufiqji Qureshi, India’s biggest Ramnavami Utsav Shobhayatra in Hyderabad organised by Mla Raja singh Thakur, Swami Samarth has been Palkhi Samarth since its inception, Mahalaxmi Mandir Navratri Utsav in Pune, Pune’s Gramdevata Shri Tambdi Jogeshwari Devi Dasehra Utsav, Manacha Pahila Shri Kasba Ganpati, Manacha Dusra Shri Tambdi Jogeshwari, Manacha Tisra Shri Guruji Talim Ganpati, Manacha Pachva Shri Kesriwada Ganpati, Shri Jilbya Maruti Ganpati, Akhil Mandai Ganpati, Shrimant Dagdusheth Ganpati, Mumbaicha Raja Ganpati in front of all Mandal Samarth Pratishthan playing in Ganeshotsav First day and Last day (Visarjan) Miravnuk.
The troupe is not just about ‘all work’, but also devotes time for ‘some play’: it regularly arranges for all- expenses- paid treks and camps for its members. Treks to Rajgad, Raigad, Tikona, Murud Janjira, Sindhudurg, Harishchandra and Jiwdhangad and camps to places like Mawal, Mulshi, Malegao, Marnewadi, Bhodegao, Urawde, Peth, Kashig and Mutha have been organized by the Pratishthan.
The attire for the performances includes an aboli color kurta with a white salwar, a white Gandhi topi and an orange shela with shoes. The Dhal-Talwar troupe has a historically-relevant attire of the Maratha Mavle for the boys and that of Rani Laxmi Bai for the girls. Keeping with the principles of a moral cultural code, the Pratishthan discourages any use of tobacco or addictives during the processions, thus adhering to its policies of civil decorum.
