‘Bappa, Please Forgive Us’: Surat Youths Do 'Sit-Ups' Before Ganpati Visarjan

Surat: “Bappa, please forgive us if we have made any mistakes.”

As the drums rolled and the chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” filled the air, a group of young devotees in Surat chose an unusual yet deeply emotional way to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha.

In Phulpada, members of the Gupteshwar Yuvak Mandal performed uthak-baithak — sit-ups while holding their ears — before Shreeji’s idol, seeking forgiveness for any mistakes they may have made, knowingly or unknowingly, during the 10 days of worship.

The gesture turned an already emotional farewell into a poignant moment of devotion.

Seeking Forgiveness Before Visarjan

After 10 days of prayers, aarti, celebrations and devotion, the time had come to bid farewell to Bappa.

Before taking the idol for immersion, the youths stood before Shreeji and prayed that any error or lapse during the worship and rituals be forgiven.

With their hands holding their ears, they did sit-ups in front of the idol.

For the devotees gathered around, the sight carried a simple message — before saying goodbye to Bappa, they wanted to leave with a clean heart.

Ten Days Of Devotion, One Emotional Goodbye

Across Surat, devotees prepared to take part in Ganesh Visarjan after 10 days of worship and celebrations.

Various mandals and housing societies organised immersion processions, filling the streets with drums, devotional music and chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya”.

But beneath the celebration was the familiar sadness of saying goodbye.

For many devotees, Bappa's departure brings two emotions at once — the pain of seeing Shreeji leave and the hope that He will return soon the following year.

‘Bappa, Come Back Soon’

The farewell procession of the Gupteshwar Yuvak Mandal moved ahead amid the beats of drums.

Yet, before the idol was taken towards immersion, the youths paused to seek forgiveness.

Their gesture reflected a deeply personal side of the festival — the belief that devotion is not only about grand celebrations, but also about humility and asking forgiveness for one's shortcomings.

As the chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” echoed through the procession, devotees bid farewell to Shreeji with moist eyes and folded hands.

The idol may be immersed, but the final prayer remained the same:

“Bappa, please come back soon next year.”