Riders Pedal To Khairatabad Ganesh At Dawn
Cyclists blend green message with Ganesh visit
HYDERABAD: Around seventy-five cyclists set out before sunrise and rode to the iconic Khairatabad Ganesh on Thursday morning as part of the Happy Hyderabad Heritage Rides initiative. The ride carried both devotion and a message that the city’s traditions can exist alongside greener practices such as cycling.
“It takes effort to leave home at that hour,” said Ravi Sambari of Hyderabad Cycling Revolution. “Our youngest is 18 and our oldest is 60, and everyone showed up.”
Cyclists set off from different corners of the city, some from as far as Secunderabad and Miyapur and converged at the mandapam just after sunrise. Riders spoke about clear air, lower stress and a feeling of doing right by the city.
The main idea behind this initiative was to reach a puja landmark on cycles, cut emissions on a festival day and prove that short city trips do not need fuel. “What surprised me is the sheer number of people gathered here at 6 in the morning. The immersion is in a couple of days, so maybe that explains it, but still, I did not expect such a rush that early,” added Ravi.
The Khairatabad tradition goes back to 1954, when Singari Shankaraiah installed a one-foot idol inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s call for public celebration. The size grew year after year and reached 60 feet by 2014. It touched 61 feet in 2019 and stood at 63 feet in 2023. This is the seventieth year and the Ganesh idol is in its 70-feet form.
Darshan continues until midnight on September 6 and the Nimajjanam procession starts the day after. Large crowds showed up even at 6 am today, and many stayed through the day.