Mumbai: Lord Ganesh, Maharashtra's presiding deity, begins his annual eleven-day visit on Sunday.
The festival has always been a riot of colour and pomp. But not too far away, the twin fears of swine flu and terror lurk.
The government has urged Ganesh mandals to ensure that people with flu-like symptoms are screened properly.
They have also asked Mumbaikars to keep celebrations low-key. A similar plea went unheard during Janmasthami in early August.
The Mumbai police has ordered 300,000 masks for the force.
But post the 26/11 attack, their prime concern remains terror. Says Himanshu Roy, Joint CP (Law and Order): "We are teaching the mandal staff on how to identify an IED, booby traps, deceptive wires. We are training them."
There will be 5500 public mandals in the city.
At all major ones CCTV cameras, sniffer dogs and security personnel will be deployed.
Forty towers will also be erected at strategic locations to keep an eye on the huge crowds. Precautions the police is taking though there is no specific terror threat.