Festivities

India is the best example of unity in diversity where people from different cultural mosaics live under one roof. These people have their own distinct traditions and they observe every ritual in their own unique methods. Even though these communities follow divergent practices, all of them come together to celebrate one common festival loved by all- Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in every nook and corner of the country in a splendid manner for ten days. This festival is celebrated to mark the birth of the problem-alleviator and the astute thinker- Lord Ganesha. Every day sumptuous food and mouthwatering sweets are presented to Vinayaka (He is just like any one of us, a sweet-lover with his favorite being Modak). Usually, the festival falls during many kids' exams so it is mostly them who pray  him for good scores and a nice rank. It is really amazing how these children balance between studies and fun so efficiently. 

 In many apartments and gated-communities, a Ganesh idol is placed which is worshipped every day. There are games, dancing, singing competitions organised in which everyone- regardless of age- take part and have fun. Children run hither-tither and play the entire evening. Prizes are given away to winners, there are auctions conducted (where it poures money and people go to any height to buy things) for the Laddoo and the Lord's Vastram, and in this entire event, kids get garbed in different attires every day and become really busy in taking pictures. In schools, clay Ganesha making competitions and a jamboree is conducted.

The main highlight in these entire proceedings is the lavish buffet provided the day before the idol immersion and the dance that we perform when the idol is being taken in a truck. During this time, it doesn't matter if you are a dancer or not. You just jump into the arena, shake and twist the way you want!! We hire drum-players for about two hours and keep dancing non-stop! Also, a mini-Holi is played by all where people smear color on each other's faces. Dozens of people go to the nearest lake in trucks and the roads become full! There would be no place, but still more and more people squeeze in. This is very common everywhere and people eagerly wait for that time- where they can open up the fullest.

 After complete two-three hours (or sometimes even four; completely unpredictable) of mental and physical gusto, finally, the air of excitement around us comes down and we become our normal self. After finishing the cleaning, we again start longing for the next year festivities and this cycle keeps going on.

Before proceeding further, one must know the reason why this household festival is celebrated like a carnival. During the British era, when Indians had no unity among themselves, Lokamanya Tilak wanted to bring everyone together. So he organised a religious gathering, stuck posters and popularized the notion of group Ganesh puja at the time when public gatherings were banned. Since Lord Ganesha is worshipped by all castes and creeds, he thought it befitting to bring Gajanan's worship to a larger platform so as to unite people and bring within them the spirit of nationalism. This festival played a pivotal role in shaping the patriotic fervour. Due to that reason, even today, the festival is celebrated in a majestic way.  

It is believed that when we immerse the idol in a water body, we would be leaving behind all our bad qualities thus elevating ourselves to the next state. In olden days, mud Ganeshas were submerged in water. The reason behind this was our ancestors concern towards all the beings of nature.  By doing so, the soil in the sea becomes rich in nutrients thus providing food for the aquatic animals. 

But sadly, these days, POP Ganeshas are used thus polluting the sea water. It doesn't get dissolved unlike mud and causes suffocation for the water animals. So, let us be aware of the fact that our actions done in ignorance would harm nature. Let us take steps to prevent the contamination of our pure water bodies and start looking for ingenious methods to make Ganeshas like using clay, dough, planting seeds inside mud so that it can be watered to grow plants etc. Let us play our role as a responsible citizen and spread awareness among people.

Due to the COVID pandemic, there may not be a full-swing celebration and mass gathering this time. So, let us put on our thinking caps and explore the options of making different types of Ganeshas using eco-friendly materials. 

In many institutions, centers and apartments there are virtual celebrations being conducted. This is done for two reasons. One, is to brighten up moods of people who are feeling sad that they can't have a gala time like last year. Two, is to take them back on a trip down the memory lane so that all the good days get refreshed amidst these adverse times.  Also, many channels have organised Ganesh utsavs with celebrities (which would be aired on national TV) so that people can feel happy seeing their favorite actors/actresses perform and forget their unhappiness.

Every year, we always perform the puja of Ganapati without full knowledge of the symbolism of the festival and the true meaning hidden behind his stories. Lord Ganesha going three times around his parents not only says that he is intelligent but also conveys the message that parents are the child's world and one must always respect them. He chose a mouse as his Vahan so as to spread the message in the society that no animal is less than the other and all lives are equal. He makes us understand that wars are won not by fight but by using one's brain.

The large head of Ganesha symbolizes wisdom and he has huge ears so that he can capture even the tiniest detail in a conversation and can listen to his devotees. The trunk can hold anything in this universe. Similarly, humans too should possess high adaptability factors. Due to these deep-layered messages hidden within these simple anecdotes and symbols, his cleverness and the way of bringing things out without hurting anyone, Lord Ganesha is worshipped first before beginning any task.

So, let us all spend this time well to become well-versed in the reasons behind celebrating any festival, follow the set of procedures wholeheartedly and know more about our mythology. Let us pray for the frontline COVID warriors and increase in the recovery rate of the country. Let us pray to the Vighnahartha- the remover of obstacles to give us the strength to cross this hurdle of COVID that is destroying livelihoods. Finally, let us all pray that by next year everything comes back to normalcy and we welcome him, in a more grand way!!

                                JAI SHRI GANESHA!!

                                         

                                                         

                                                                                                - Anusha Sridhar