Ganpati Bappa Morya...

This year I got a chance to attend the famous 'Ganpati Visarjan' at the Girgaum Chaupati, Mumbai. The festival is now famous world over for its fervor, devotion and involvement. Everybody - right from the actual devotees to Celebrities to Film Stars to Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to various Political Parties to 'Bhai-log' to Street vendors to Eunuchs... wants his share of the pies of Blessings and Business. Everything aside, the 9 day long festival does have a distinct charm to it. People do rise above caste & creed to be a part of the festivities. The Drummers (Nagada Players) are mostly Muslims, the lorry drivers who drive the Ganesha Idols all the way from Pandaals to the beach for immersion are many a times Sikhs, the person announcing the arrivals of Ganpati from around the city with a high dose of melodrama atop a BMC tower, was a Christian. You rarely find a blend of so many Indian Religions and Sects joining a Religious Celebration with so much dedication.... that's probably how the late Bal Gangadhar Tilak must have planned it to be. To an extent, the festival has still been able to retain its Character. But, as all things are destined to, the Character has also been changing with times - for good & for bad. One thing is for sure, it’s certainly getting more and more commercialised. Almost all big & small pandaals are having sponsors ranging from the local Chaat-waala to big consumer brands. You will find a banner of 'Lachchu Mithai & Chaat Pakodi' alongside that of Cadburys, a banner of 'Dhamaka' Gutka alongside that of Wrigley's Double Mint Gum plus a banner mentioning that 'All the activities of this Pandaal are being telecast Live on CNN (Read it Chembur News Network)' . . But the promotional banners inside & outside the pandaals make for an interesting read while you are queued-up, sometimes, for 4-5 hours to have a darshan of your favorite Elephant-God. The discussions among the devotees, ahead & behind you in the queue, make up for the rest. Off late many a movie stars are thronging various pandaals for 'Blessings' from Ganpati. They will, however, bow for 5 seconds and then wave to hoards of fans for 25 minutes, remember all this is telecast live on CNN!... then there are some not-so-famous TV Stars. You get to know he/ she is a certain star the moment they start waving at the crowd, all by themselves.

Then there are some sidekicks of Political leaders who will move into a pandaal with their group of supporters and 'invite' some of the local & national TV Channels for an interview. The reporter, in all her humility, will start interviewing with an obvious question - What did you pray for... to Ganpati Bappa?... Depending on his political party, the 'Leader' in question will start with - The COUNTRY is facing a huge crisis in Bihar, owing to Floods & incessant rains and our Government in Bihar is putting in all possible efforts for the poor people of Bihar and I have prayed to Ganpati to protect OUR poor people from such Natural calamities.

Imagine all this happening at some Ganpati Pandaal somewhere in Ghatkopar. Next Question - What did u request for your own self?... and the 'leader' will reply... I want that MY people should not suffer because of the unfriendly policies of Central Government; I want that MY people should remain hale & healthy... I don’t want anything for myself.... this is selflessness to extreme!!... An outburst of slogans like Degu Bhai Patil zindabad... Aapla manoos Degu Bhai... amidst some chants of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' from his supporters. Get ready for a group of Eunuchs in Pandaal, Dressed up & made up as if attending a marriage, the kamlas, Rekhas, Hemas & Madhuris, while in queue and having Darshans, will make a statement on everything big and small. You may not get where their discussion is heading to but it will be interspersed with "Ae..e... dhakka kaiko deta hai"...Peechhla baar main Ganpati mein wo georgette saari lee thi na, wo abhi tak sambhaal ke rakkhi hoon, ek baar koi saari Ganpati mein pahin kar aaye to wo dharam-karam ka saari hota na re Hema... Ae...e dhakka kaiko deta hai.... I can have a separate post on conversations between Eunuchs, if public demands.

Then there are some old fellows who get into the queue probably to admonish the 'young generation' and blame everything to God. Even Ganpati is not spared. Even mismanagement in Pandaals will be blamed on Ganpati. "Kya bolega bhau, Oopar waala jaisa chala raha hai duniya waisa chal raha hai"... After repeated blames even I am forced to think WHY the things are happening the way they are?... Why the petroleum prices are rising? - May be God wills that there should be less Pollution on the Roads. Why is there so much Violence in Movies? - May be God wills that we should see the and satisfy our appetite for Violence in Movies and not indulge ourselves in the same. Why is Salman Khan not getting married? - May be God wants to let some of our Parents know & accept that Celibacy has its own advantages!!!

While in queue, a whole variety of questions keep coming to my mind... then I reach in front of the Ganpati Idol... mesmerised by the Idol, decoration and atmosphere… a question hits - Why one of the heaviest Gods has chosen one of the smallest animal (a mouse) to ride on? - May be Ganpati wants to put across - if there is a belief and confidence we can pull-off a lot heavier and bigger things in life which initially seem way beyond our abilities.

Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhcha varshi lavkar ya!...

Click on Pictures to enlarge.
Photographs : Samsible