38,233 diyas light up Shaniwar Wada to spell 'Vande Mataram', setting Guinness record for Pune

Shaniwar Wada in Pune was lit up on Saturday by thousands of diyas. At the event, held on Diwali and to mark 150 years of the national song 'Vande Mataram', 38,233 diyas were lit within just 30 minutes to form the words 'Vande Mataram'. The event has been entered in the Guinness World Records. Patriotism and the participation of young people were evident at the event, held in Pune on November 8, 2026.

The Diwali festival of lights was organised by the Pune Municipal Corporation to mark Diwali and the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. It was conceived by Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure. The initial target was to set a world record by lighting more than 36,000 diyas together. The final count reached 38,233.

The forecourt of Shaniwar Wada had been decorated with a large, orderly arrangement of diyas. At the appointed time, volunteers began lighting them, and the historic complex gradually filled with the glow of thousands of diyas, bringing a festive mood to the whole setting. About 250 young volunteers lit the diyas together. Gen Z youth played a major role in the event.

Patriotic songs rang out at the programme, and performances by a military band added to the occasion. A team from Guinness World Records examined the arrangement of the diyas and the whole process of lighting them, and then officially confirmed the record.

As soon as the record was announced, celebrations began at the historic monument. Participants and others present raised slogans of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' amid loud applause.

As part of the programme, mothers and wives of soldiers who died in service were also honoured. They were felicitated in remembrance of their sacrifice and contribution to the country.

Union Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, MLA Hemant Rasane, Deputy Mayor Parshuram Wadekar, Standing Committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale, Additional Municipal Commissioners Omprakash Diwate and Prajit Nair, Pune Cantonment Board president Brigadier Tarunesh, Colonel Vikas Sawalge, Colonel Shrinivas Katwalekar, Kaushik Kothiya, Krishnakumar Goyal, Rajesh Mittal and Colonel Rajesh Kumar Jindal were present.

Mayor Manjusha Nagpure said the Pune Municipal Corporation had resolved to set a world record through a festival of diyas on completing 150 years of Vande Mataram. She credited the success of the initiative to the participation of Gen Z volunteers. She also said that, through such an initiative, the Pune Municipal Corporation is the only local self-government body in the country to have set a world record.