Baluabhau Dhanorkar memorial 'Bhau Ka Dandiya' begins in Chandrapur, runs till October 20

'Bhau Ka Dandiya', a raas dance festival, has begun in Chandrapur city. It is being organised by the Maratha Charitable Trust and the Baluabhau Dhanorkar Mitra Parivar.

The festival will run from October 11 to 20, 2026, between 7 pm and 10 pm every day. The venue is the Police Football Ground on Tukum Road, Chandrapur. Prizes for participants, a reels competition, food stalls and a lucky draw every day have been arranged.

Former MLA Devrao Bhandekar presided over the inauguration. In his presidential address, he recalled the public welfare work and social contribution of the late former MP Baluabhau Dhanorkar. "The inspiration and work of the late former MP Baluabhau Dhanorkar will always show the way to the youth. He was known as a person who reached the grassroots people. His passing has left a big void, yet through dandiya he has given the people of Chandrapur a rich cultural heritage," Bhandekar said.

Senior Congress leader Vinod Dattatraya said how the dandiya festival has been established successfully for the fifth year in a row. He recalled, "The late MP Baluabhau Dhanorkar began organising this competition to bring the youth under one platform and to keep them united."

Senior Congress leaders Vinayak Bangde, Praveen Padvekar, Subhash Gaur, Dr Suresh Mahakulkar and Suryakant Khanke were present at the function. OBC leader Sachin Rajurkar, OBC district president Shamkant There, Chandrapur rural taluka president Anil Narule, Prashant Kale, Suraj Gawande and Vinod Ahirkar also attended. Surendra Adbale, Congress floor leader in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, former city president Santosh Lahamange, zone chairperson and corporator Ramnaresh Yadav, and former mayor and corporator Sangita Amritkar were also present.

Corporators Sunanda Dhobe, Mahananda Walke, Vanashree Meshram, Saida Begum Taju Sheikh, Vaishali Mahadole, Sheela Sidam and Safia Tawangar Khan were also present. Corporators Rahul Ghotekar, Sunil Khandelwar, Ajay Balki, Vinod Labhane and Akash Mankar, along with many office-bearers and workers, came in large numbers.

All the guests were welcomed by Praveen Kakde, Manas Dhanorkar and Parth Dhanorkar.

MP Pratibha Dhanorkar, the chief organiser of the festival, could not be present at the event. She had to go to Delhi immediately because of an important agitation under way there. She expressed regret and has sent her heartfelt good wishes to the people of Chandrapur for the festival.

Attractive prizes worth lakhs of rupees have been set aside for participants who take part and perform the best dances. There is also a special reels competition, live food stalls for food lovers, and a daily lucky draw giving spectators a chance to win prizes. On the occasion of Navratri, the organisers have appealed to all citizens, young men and women and garba lovers of Chandrapur and nearby areas to turn up in large numbers and enjoy the festival.