JOIN USThe roads are lined up with Ganesha idols; ‘garike’ grass and flowers are flooding the markets; ‘pandals’ are vying to be the best and the aroma of freshly-prepared ‘modakas’ is ushering in the festivities. When ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’ arrives, it arrives in all pomp and glory and Bengalureans are leaving no room for complaint when it comes to celebrating this much-loved festival.
The festival celebrations start with worshipping the mother of Lord Ganesha,
explains Gayathri, an entrepreneur, “The mother of Ganesha, Gowri, is remembered first and then we move on to celebrate ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’. On this day, we decorate the idol with ‘garike’ grass and make 21 ‘modakas’, a sweet dish favoured by the lord. We perform ‘puja’ in the morning and evening and chant the ‘mantras’ praising him.”
One should make sure not to look at the moon on this day as it is believed to be cursed by the lord. “Once the rituals are done, it is time to feast on a variety of dishes as Ganesha loves food.”
Jyothi Satish, an engineer, describes this as the grandest of festivals for Kannadigas. “Right from bringing the idol home to the immersion, everything is celebrated in its fullness. We decorate the idol grandly. Nowadays, not everyone brings a ‘purohit’ home, we follow the rituals through a devotional CD, which guides us step by step. The ‘Gowri’ puja is done by the women of the family and the ‘Ganesha’ puja is done by the men,” she explains.
She adds that the story of Ganesha is narrated everyday and is a regular practice. “Since, everyone is aware of the pollution ensuing the festival, we opt for a small idol,”
she says.
Anjana Sudheendra’s family has been going only for clay idols, keeping the environment in mind. “My husband’s family has always used an eco-friendly Ganesha as this is ethically and culturally the right way to do it. This is a conscious step taken by the family through generations and is a tradition,” she says.
She adds that the ‘puja’ starts with a small silver Ganesha, after which they do ‘puja’ of the main Ganesha idol. “We start everything by remembering him.”
DS Vijaya makes a special platter for ‘Gowri’ and ‘Ganesha’ ‘puja’. “The platter which is offered at the ‘puja’ will include items like ‘obattu’, ‘palya’, ‘kosambri’, ‘obattu rasam’, ‘payasa’, and ‘puliyogare’, and is later consumed by us.”
“The special items that are made for the Ganesha festival include ‘modaka’, ‘kodubale’ and ‘kadabu’. Since Lord Ganesha loved sweet items, these are made for him,”
she adds.
People from other parts of the country are also celebrating the festival in style. Jatin C Munvar, a professional, says that the Gujarati community celebrates the day
in all its grandeur. “We bring the idol home and the rituals and ‘puja’ takes place. Towards the evening, the priest narrates a story about Ganesha and why we celebrate the festival. He also tells us interesting anecdotes about it. The immersion of the idol is done in a grand style with a lot of dance and music and is a community-based
ritual.”
Maharastrians also celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm. “During the day and the ten days till ‘visarjan’, one can hear the chant ‘Ganapathi Bappa Morya...’ all across Mumbai,” says Aatish Kulkarni, adding, “here the festivities are different. The day
is more about family and close ones here, while the festival is more community-based back home.” Aatish adds that the enticing part about the festivities are the ‘modakas’.
For young couples, ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’ is an occasion to spend some quality time with family. Asha and Sharath, two professionals, make it a point to visit both their parents on this day. “We do a ‘naivedya’ and ‘puja’ and then go to their houses where the idol is kept,” says Asha. When it comes to food, they prepare ‘modakas’, ‘vadas’, ‘payasa’ and ‘karjikai’. “This year, I plan to make ‘modakas’ and ‘vadas’,” she adds. They have also been getting an eco-friendly Ganesha every year. “We also don’t immerse them in tanks outside, but in a bucket in our house itself,” she informs.
Rashmi GC has also decided to go eco-friendly. “I have made an eco-friendly idol as part of this year’s celebrations. The dough used to make the idol consists of the ingredients
from my pantry. I have used edible ingredients to make the idol because they are non-toxic to work with. Also, when the ‘puja’ is over and the ‘visarjan’ (immersion in water) is done, the components of the idol become food for aquatic life.”
“I have used two cups of maida/all-purpose flour, one cup of table salt, half-cup of water, one teaspoon of vegetable oil and three to four drops of food grade colour. Then one needs to mix all the ingredients to form a dough, knead well, store it in an air-tight container and make desired shapes of the idol using it.”