Pune has set a Guinness World Record after 38,233 diyas were lit in front of Shaniwar Wada on Saturday evening, forming the words “Vande Mataram” during a Pune Municipal Corporation-organised Diwali Deepotsav.
The lamps were lit within 30 minutes as part of an event marking 150 years of the national song. The civic body had set a target of lighting more than 36,000 diyas, and the final count exceeded that mark. A Guinness World Records team was present at the historic fort to inspect the arrangement and observe the lighting before officially confirming the record.
The event was organised by the PMC following an idea proposed by Mayor Manjusha Nagpure. Around 250 young volunteers took part in lighting the lamps, with Gen Z participants carrying out much of the work. Rows of diyas had been arranged in advance across the courtyard of Shaniwar Wada so that the words became visible as the volunteers lit them at the appointed time.
After the record was announced, the gathering responded with applause and patriotic slogans. A military band performed patriotic songs during the evening. The programme also included a tribute to the mothers and wives of soldiers who died in service. They were felicitated for their sacrifice and contribution to the country.
Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, MLA Hemant Rasane, Deputy Mayor Parashuram Wadekar and Standing Committee Chairman Shrinath Bhimale attended the programme. Additional Municipal Commissioners Omprakash Diwate and Prajit Nair were also present, along with Pune Cantonment Board President Brigadier Tarunesh and military officers including Colonel Vikas Sawalge, Colonel Shrinivas Katwalekar and Colonel Rajesh Kumar Jindal.
Mayor Nagpure said the PMC had chosen to pursue the record through the Deepotsav to mark 150 years of “Vande Mataram”. She thanked the young volunteers who helped organise and light the diyas. Nagpure also said the PMC was the only local self-government body in the country to achieve a world record through an initiative of this kind.
The event placed a large civic gathering and a record-setting public display within the courtyard of one of Pune’s best-known historic sites. The official confirmation by the Guinness World Records team was the concluding milestone of the municipal programme.
