From Virar to VT cries of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya” rent the air yesterday. The city bid farewell to their beloved guest, who stayed with them for ten days. A sea of humanity witnessed the Ganpati immersion at the various beaches. People dressed in their best, with gulal covering their face and hair, were seen enthusiastically singing and dancing as their favourite God made his final journey. Little children perched on their father’s shoulders were a common sight.
Months of preparation and ten days of revelry had finally come to an end. The children are most disappointed as their fun time now gives way to a frenzied study time with the midterm examinations around the corner. The street corners which were a blaze of lights, the festive Ganpati pandals, are no longer beckoning .Roads are now deserted and dark. Things have changed so fast bemoan the youngsters. The last few days, the noise levels had gone up several decibels, with every young boy beating away on his drum, with all the frenzy he could summon. Our street had put up a huge pandal resembling a Rajasthani palace. The Ganpati housed in it was made of eco-friendly material and decorations used were also degradable, so as not to burden an over-burdened municipality. Every evening variety entertainment programmes were put up by residents of our area. Children who normally try to give the slip for any religious activity at home were the first to reach there for the daily arati and prasad. The local elders sang a few bhajans and then began the programmes. Day one had a magic show, where a young man impressed with his skilful magic, involving the delighted children in his acts. His ready wit, imagination, communication skills and commanding stage presence had the kids totally mesmerised! On day two, a Rajasthani team came with their colourful puppets and regaled the children with tales from the epics. Rama winning the hand of Sita in the swayamvar, Ravana being vanquished by Rama, Hanuman getting the sanjeevani to save Lakshman, were some of the scenes that entertained the young and old alike. Song, dance, mimicry, monoacting etc. brought all the latent talent to the fore. Thus for seven days, entire families bonded together, away from the soaps on the idiot box, iPod , I Pad and other addictions.. Every household was in charge of the prasad for a day and it was interesting to taste dishes from different parts of the country. It was unity in diversity at its best. On the last day, all the families gathered before the Lord, sang bhajans and performed the final arati before transferring the Ganpati idol to the beautifully decorated truck. All the children and the adults followed in a bus, to the sea, to send off their royal guest of seven days.
Ganpati is worshipped by most communities. I have been invited to Parsi homes where the Lord occupies pride of place for five days and is worshipped with the same fervour as the Hindus do. In Mumbai, in almost every house a Ganpati is installed. The house is painted afresh, new upholstery, decorations and curtains adorn the house. Neighbours vying with each other, come up with coloured lights, decoration using vivid imagination, artistic rangolis and so on. Every housewife takes time off from work to prepare delicious refreshments to serve Ganpati and the guests who come visiting. It is lovely to see traditionally dressed men and women, in all their finery. I have a huge collection of Ganesh icons. Every year, I arrange all 108 of them, make different kinds of eats, and sing songs in his glory. I enjoy the festival for all ten days before moving the icons back into the showcase. To show my friends that one can make an idol in an eco-friendly manner, without use of toxic paints which pollute the water bodies, I crafted one out of turmeric and decorated it. I immersed that idol yesterday in a bucket of water and poured it into the pots in my garden. You can follow customs which need not create problems for aquatic life, I strongly feel. When I see broken, maimed statues on the seafront, I feel sad. The deity worshipped for ten days washes up as a pathetic broken mass bereft of dignity. The toxic paints used kill fish and other forms of life in the sea, disturbing the ecological balance. It is time to bring in a change, so that we leave a better world for our children and grandchildren.
This is the only God who is treated like a best friend. He is brought home, seated in a decorated room readied for him, fed all his favourite foods, while his hosts ask him for favours or thank him for his generosity. They show him off to all their friends and spend entire days in his company. When it is time to bid adieu, they feel saddened, but know he will be there with them next year, year after year. With that consoling thought, they take him lovingly to the water and gently see him off till he goes out of sight.
