Pune Dhol Troupe Kicks Off Campaign for DJ-Free Festivals to Fight Noise Pollution
In Pune, a lively dhol troupe has started a big signature drive to make festivals quieter and more traditional. They call it the "DJ and Dolby-Free Processions" initiative, and it kicked off on Sunday at Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir. This effort comes from the Kalaawant Trust, which wants to tackle the rising noise pollution problem during Ganesh Chaturthi and other celebrations in Maharashtra.
Even with strict laws, court orders, and rules in place, loud DJ systems and Dolby speakers still blast through public processions. These high-decibel sounds upset residents, cause health issues, and drown out the spirit of our traditions. The trust is pushing hard for a complete ban on DJs, Dolby, and similar noisy setups in religious processions, cultural events, national figure anniversaries, and fancy rallies. They shared this demand in a recent press release.
This year, things went well in some spots—Ganesh visarjan processions in Latur, Solapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar stayed DJ-free and earned tons of praise from people. But Pune’s own visarjan events were a letdown with all the noise, so the group decided to launch this city-wide campaign to change that.
Saurabh Gokhale, the famous Marathi actor and chairman of Kalaawant Trust, shared exciting updates. "We’ve already gathered nearly 3,000 signatures both online and offline," he said. The team plans to hand over a memorandum to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis soon. The drive will keep going across different parts of Pune for the next three Sundays, and they’re calling on everyone to join in and sign up.
Gokhale added in his statement, "This is our small but heartfelt step to protect people, keep our cultural traditions alive, and bring back peace to festivals. We’re not against the fun of Ganesh Chaturthi or devotional vibes—we just hate how high-decibel DJs and sound systems harm health, annoy neighborhoods, and spoil the true essence of our celebrations. With good intentions, we need your support to make festivities joyful, safe, and full of real culture."
The trust also updated Union Minister Nitin Gadkari about the campaign during an event at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir. Dhol-tasha performers from the popular Kalaawant Pathak troupe joined a Sunday drive to spotlight traditional instruments as fun, eco-friendly alternatives to blaring DJs.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis echoed the call for quieter festivals. Speaking to the media in Pune, he said the government fully backs the push for DJ-free Ganesh festivals and other events. "On this DJ and Dolby-free festivals issue, we’re on the same page as citizens. Overall, fewer people used DJs during this Ganesh season—it’s dropped a lot, and in big cities like Pune, it’s almost gone. We’ve cracked down in some areas too. But our real goal isn’t just to ban it; we want to spread awareness so people choose not to use them themselves. That’s the smart way, and it’ll stick for the long haul."
Kalaawant Trust, known for its Kalaawant Pathak dhol-tasha group in Pune, has long championed traditional performing arts. They focus on saving cultural practices, getting young people involved in community work, and cutting down noise pollution. By boosting dhol-tasha and other heritage sounds, they aim to make festivals in Maharashtra more sustainable, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone.
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