A urologist's guide to pandal hopping, visarjan processions, and festive eating — by Dr. Anand Utture, Head of Urology, Advanced Endourology & Laser Surgery, S.L. Raheja Hospital, Mahim, Mumbai.
Ganeshotsav is one of Mumbai's most joyous times of year — from the first day's aagman to the processions winding through Mahim, Bandra, Khar, and down to Girgaon Chowpatty for visarjan. But the very things that make the festival special — long hours outdoors, packed darshans, festive food, and marathon visarjan processions — also put real, if often overlooked, strain on the urinary system.
As a urologist, I see a small but consistent rise in kidney stone pain, urinary tract infections, and bladder complaints in the days following major immersion processions. Here's how to enjoy the festival without paying for it later.
The three biggest urological risks during Ganesh Chaturthi are dehydration from long hours outdoors (raising kidney stone risk), urinary retention from avoiding toilets at crowded pandals (raising UTI risk), and a spike in kidney-stone-forming foods like sweets, fried farsan, and tea. Staying hydrated, not holding urine for extended periods, and moderating festive food are the simplest ways to protect your kidneys and bladder during Ganeshotsav.
Sip water during processions and darshan queues — a refilled small bottle works better than one large one.
Don't hold urine longer than this — locate toilets near pandals before you commit to a queue.
Pair modaks and salty farsan with extra water that day, especially if you're stone-prone or diabetic.
Mumbai's late-August and September heat, combined with hours spent standing in queues for darshan or walking alongside a visarjan procession, causes significant fluid loss through sweat. Many people cut back on water deliberately because they don't want to search for a toilet in a crowd — this is one of the most common mistakes I see during festival season.
Concentrated urine from dehydration is one of the leading contributors to kidney stone formation, and Mumbai already sees a seasonal uptick in stone-related emergency visits around major festivals and processions. If you already have a history of kidney stones, this is genuinely a higher-risk week for you.
This is the issue I hear about most from patients after big Ganeshotsav weekends. Long darshan queues, packed pandals, and a shortage of clean public toilets lead many people — especially women — to hold urine for six, eight, sometimes ten hours at a stretch.
Occasionally holding urine for a couple of extra hours is not dangerous. But repeatedly and severely overfilling the bladder over several festival days can:
Festive indulgence is part of the joy of Ganesh Chaturthi, and there's no need to avoid modaks altogether. But a few dietary patterns during the festival do carry urological relevance:
None of this means skipping the prasad — it means balancing it with extra water, lower added salt in your other meals that day, and being a little more mindful if you're diabetic or stone-prone.
Men over 50 who already have symptoms of an enlarged prostate (frequent urination, a weak stream, getting up at night to urinate) often find these symptoms flare during long visarjan processions or all-day pandal visits — the combination of dehydration, holding urine, and hours of standing can aggravate an already sensitive bladder.
If this describes you, plan your festival day with scheduled bathroom breaks rather than "waiting it out," and avoid alcohol during the celebrations, as it further irritates the bladder and increases urine output at the least convenient time.
Most festival-related urinary discomfort settles on its own within a day or two of rest and rehydration. However, consult a urologist if you notice:
Occasionally, yes — the bladder is designed to stretch. But repeatedly holding urine for many hours across multiple festival days raises the risk of UTIs and bladder discomfort, so it's best to use available facilities rather than waiting it out each time.
Modaks themselves aren't a major stone risk in moderation, but a week of oxalate-rich sweets, salty snacks, and reduced water intake together can tip the balance for someone already prone to stones.
Yes, with planning. Stay well hydrated, use the bathroom before starting, identify toilet points along the route, and avoid alcohol, which increases urine output and bladder irritation.
Persistent one-sided back pain, burning urination, fever, or blood in the urine warrant a same-week consultation rather than waiting for symptoms to pass on their own.
As a general guide, sip roughly 200–250 ml of water every 30–45 minutes while walking in the procession or standing in a long queue, more if it's hot or humid. Spread intake through the day rather than drinking a large amount at once.
The combination of prolonged outdoor heat exposure, reduced water intake, higher salt and oxalate content in festive food, and disrupted daily routines all raise urinary concentration of stone-forming minerals — which is why urologists typically see more stone-related visits in the days following major festival processions.
Dr. Anand Utture, Head of Urology, Advanced Endourology & Laser Surgery, S.L. Raheja Hospital, Mahim — Bandra, Khar & South Mumbai
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