The festival season of the Indians begin with the Ganesh festival which is a few days away. Preparations have already started in real earnest with pandals being erected in various ports of cities large and small. Lord Ganesh will reside in these temporary accommodations for the duration of the annual festival. He is the harbinger of all the good things, especially related to riches. Hence, whoever carries out business worships this elephant headed deity.  The festival starts  on Ganesh Chaturthi - 4^th day of Bhadrapada Shukla (Shuddha) Paksha, when Ganesh Pratishthapana is performed and the festival is concluded with the Ganpati Visarjana (immersion procession) on Anant Chaturdashi (14^th day of Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha).  This year, it commences on 7^th September 2005 and concludes on 17^th September.

The ten-day long festival is celebrated basically in Maharastra and by Maharastrians wherever they may reside in other parts of the World. This year, in view of the havoc created by the unprecedented rains, and loss of lives and property, the celebration may be on a subdued scale. From reports it seems that plenty of idols have been damaged by the rains and flood conditions. In olden days, it used to be restricted to families. Later, Bal Gangadhar Tilak realized its tremendous potentials as an opportunity to bring people on a common platform to carry out the struggle for freedom from British rule. Hence, he converted it into a community festival in Pune. Later, it caught the fancy of the masses and propagated to far corners of the state and even beyond the boundaries of Maharastra. http://www.panditjiusa.com/ganesh_festival.htm

Coming to Nashik, there are quite a number of Ganapati pujas – the one on the Main Road is most famous, here the idol is made of silver! It is normally housed in the Ganapati temple on Raviwar Karanjia. During the festivals, it is brought outside for public viewing. Then there are the Khandave Ganapati, the Tilya Ganapati, the Varad Vinayak, the Dholya Ganapati and the Navshaya Ganapati. Details are available on the following link: http://www.nashik.com/pilgrimage/temple.html

The Pune festival organized by Sri Suresh Kalmadi on this occasion showcases the various aspects of the cultural side of Maharastra. Details of the events of 2004 can be viewed on this official link - http://www.punefestival.com/

Like so many other Indian festivals, this also occupies a prominent position on the internet. Innumerable memorabilia are on offer on attractive terms for on-line buying. There are even sites where one can perform Puja on-line based on instructions that come over the net. You may not be able to enjoy the fragrance of incense sticks but, who knows, you may be fortunate to locate a site where you can certainly light them and watch the smoke curl up into the air. http://www.astrojyoti.com/ganeshapoojas.htm

On the 14^th day that is on Anantha Chaturdashi the images are immersed in the local rivers or lakes. In Mumbai, the large ones are immersed in the Arabian Sea. The TV networks dutifully relay the complete proceedings and, the gorgeous affairs are really and truly breathtaking. With chanting of ‘ganapatti bappa morya, pudcha barsha laukar ya!’ we bid good bye to the Lord Ganesh requesting him to come early next year.

GANAPATI BAPPA 2004

The ten day long Ganesh festival is just round the corner. This year (2004) it will commence from the 18^th September. Preparations have already started. Originally a festival celebrated in the confines of ones homes, it has now become a Public show celebrated with pomp and grandeur, a sort of mass movement. India’s Iron man Bal Gangadhar Tilak, during the freedom fighting days, used this opportunity to unite the masses against the British. Today, Tilak is not there but the tradition carries on. Donations are pooled together from the common man and huge pandals are erected, extensively decorated with lights and adorned with large images of Lord Ganesh, popularly known as Ganapati. Each celebration committee tries to outdo the other in decoration and lighting and, young and old move from pandal to pandal taking in the spectacles with awe. Political patronage adds a new dimension and makes competitions more intense. With 2004 being declared as the Election year, the codes of conduct defined by the EC cannot be violated. Hence, brains are working overtime to identify escape routes, so that the dictates of the EC are taken into account while formulating the programmes and controlling the extent and magnitude of celebrations.

Last year I had seen a Ganesh made of cashew nuts, almonds and copra (dried coconuts). It drew crowds only for its innovative presentation. The annual Pune festival is celebrated during these festivities. TV channels transmit video footages of these pandals so that, even without moving from the house, we can enjoy and be a part of the festivities.

In the recent past, quite a number of our youngsters have shifted overseas to take advantage of greener pastures. They are fondly called NRIs. In order to cater to their needs, innumerable websites have cropped up offering a whole range and variety of products and services. Knick-knacks like key chains, lockets, wrist bands with the motif of Ganesh are usually in great demand. These could be of gold or silver or even platinum embedded with precious stones. Money is no problem for the NRIs because they pay in dollars and use credit cards. There are also photographs and paintings on sale. Vendors eagerly wait for the smallest of excuses to dump leftovers on the unsuspecting Public and festivals of such magnitude present them with wonderful opportunities. The products are non perishable; hence a bit of polishing can do the trick!

Then, there are the sites which help you to perform the Puja yourself – the mantras are uttered with perfect diction and, accompanied by appropriate devotional music in the background, one momentarily forgets that he is in Memphis, USA and not in Mumbai!! The process rekindles old memories and brings back what is called ‘home sicknesses’.

On the 14^th day that is on Anantha Chaturdashi the images are immersed in the local rivers or lakes. In Mumbai, these are immersed in the Arabian Sea. The TV networks dutifully relay the complete proceedings and, the gorgeous affairs are really and truly breathtaking. With chantings of ‘ganapatti bappa morya, pudcha barsha laukar ya!’ we bid adieu to the Lord Ganesh requesting him to come early next year.

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