Today is Ganesh Chaturthi - our friendly God Ganesh's Birthday. We hope that praying to Ganesha today will bring you all the success and happiness in life.
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August 2009
Puja Rituals in Ganesh Chaturthi
The nicest part of Ganesha’s birthday, Ganesh Chaturthi, is that anyone can celebrate it, thanks to its relative lack of mystifying ritualism. Ganesh Chaturthi is a social event, spreading goodwill and bonhomie and marking the start of the Indian festive season in the latter half of the year.
Traditionally, a thorough house-cleaning is carried out the day prior to the festival, in much the same spirit when expecting a very special guest. In some Maharashtrian homes, women fast to invoke the blessings of Parvati, Ganesha’s mother (again, this isn’t mandatory).The festival officially takes off on the evening of Day One, when the services of priests are requisitioned for installing the idol, either in homes or in public mandals. While beautifully painted idols are sold all over, you can go creative and make your own Ganesha out of clay, much like his mother, Parvati did! Yellow Calendula flower garlands are the prescribed form of decoration for Ganesha; in their absence, he is adorned with the more easily available marigolds. A bunch of holy durva grass is also a must. Ganesha’s favourite snack, a plate of modaks, is placed before him. With the entire family assembled, the priest lights the oil lamp and incense sticks and chants prayers and incantations that will charge the idol with prana, the universal life-force. During the festival, it is believed that the home and those who visit it will benefit from the power of this force. The ceremony ends with arti and a round of modaks for everyone.
For the next nine days, Vinayaka is worshipped morning and evening with simple prayers and readings from sacred texts. It’s open house season, with friends and relatives shuttling between homes or alternatively, visiting the huge public celebrations at temples and mandals. In many places, cultural activities are organized, when devotees showcase their talents in traditional music and dance, skits, debates and food fairs. The large, public celebration committees also organize social service activities alongside, such as free medical check-ups and blood donation camps.
A Look Back at the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in 2008
As the monsoon receded, there was a frisson of excitement in the air. The festive season drew closer. Ganesh Chaturthi, which began on September 3rd last year, was the precursor, the festival that kicked off what followed in October and November. It was noisy, crazy and color-drenched – one, big party for 11 days, as India celebrated her beloved Lord Ganesha’s birthday.
While Mumbai and Pune headed the list of grand public celebrations, other metros like Chennai and Bangalore weren’t lagging, either. Still others, while relatively subdued, marked the occasion with music and dance, competitions and food fests.
History
The tradition of public celebrations was begun by the great Maratha warrior, Shivaji to instill among common people, a sense of nationalism. In 1893, freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar ‘Lokmanya’ Tilak revived this tradition as a means to unite caste-driven Indians in the struggle for independence.
Pune Festival
The city of Pune (Maharashtra), where it all began, is the nerve centre of the celebrations. Pune Festival organizers conduct enormously popular competitions involving decorating tableaux exhibiting Ganesha put up in public places. Prize money for the winners totals around US$ 35,000.
Last year there were new categories for entrants to express their creativity and raise awareness, such as the environment, education, the history and growth of Pune, etc.
A happy development in 2008 was a concerted effort by social enterprises to revive the old tradition of creating and decorating idols from biodegradable materials like locally available clay.
Mumbai
Maximum City is where the action was! The tallest idols, the most expensive decorations, and largest donations…in short, every superlative you can think of came into play here.
Contributions poured into the publicly displayed Ganesha tableaux put up by the Goud Saraswat Brahmin Organization, Wadala. Offerings of silver and gold were common and the cost of special worship sessions booked by devotees ran into millions of rupees. Last year, devotees donated around 44 kg of gold jewelry and another 140 kg of silver ornaments. Traders expressed their devotion by donating high-quality grain and other food items to the community kitchens that operated in many places in the city. Every day, more than 10,000 sweetmeats were cooked and distributed to devotees at the Wadala Ganesha tableau.
The famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav turned 75 last year .To commemorate the occasion, the organizers went flat out. Sample this:
- Twelve steel gray, fiberglass elephants caparisoned in gold line the entrance.
- In a departure from tradition, there was a background set, designed by Bollywood set designer, Nitin Desai. It was not about ostentation, but rather, the desire to create something memorable for this special occasion. The cost? US$ 650,000, approximately.
- Lord Ganesha himself, measuring a sizeable 20 feet, sat on a throne. The lighting effects were more elaborate than usual.
The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav was a must-see for Mumbai’s movers and shakers. The city’s political who’s who – Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde among others – visited the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav on Day One of the festival. Familiar faces from Bollywood, the Hindi film industry, included Lata Mangeshkar, Urmila Matondkar, Sunil Shetty and the Kapoor family.
What was different about the Ganesh Festival in 2008? The shadow of terrorism for one. Naturally, the more high profile exhibits faced the greatest threat. For the first time ever, the elaborate red-and-gold draped set of the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav had been insured for US$600,000 (Rupees 26.5 million). Additionally, for the first time, a premium of US$ 75,000 was paid as insurance cover for every devotee that visited the premises. Fifty CCTVs were installed and there were 30 home guards besides the 2000-plus volunteers who guided and assisted devotees. Metal detectors were also installed.
Interesting titbits about the grand public celebrations:
There were 8,840 registered public Ganesha Festival associations in Mumbai
- The Lalbaugcha Raja Festival celebrations were held on land donated by a Muslim businessman, Rajjabali Tayyabali – telling proof of the city’s synergetic traditions in today’s atmosphere of fundamentalism and outbursts of ethnic violence.
- Ganesha’s birthday was also celebrated on a television channel’s reality show – this is one deity who goes places!
The Chaubal family, based in suburban Utsalar, continued to follow the 90-year-old legacy of Ganesh worship by their ancestor, Gangadhar Chaubal. Four generations ago, this was a grand affair in a villa surrounded by lawns and fruit trees. Today, Vijay Manohar Chaubal celebrated the Ganesh Festival in his modest, two bedroom home with the same dedication. Around 40 family members, some from outside Mumbai gathered for the one-hour worship, followed by music and a traditional feast.
Over the years, there’s been growing concern over the use of toxic plaster of Paris, and, mercury and cadmium-laden paints for constructing and decorating Ganesh idols, which have contributed to polluting the sea and shore areas during the immersion ceremony. Last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had built artificial ponds across town for the immersion ceremony. But when IIT-Mumbai suggested that post-immersion, the idols should be recycled into building material, the BMC baulked, fearing that this would hurt the sentiments of devotees. Instead, carried the idols far into the sea on seven floating platforms and immersed them there, so that they do not get washed ashore. Will Mumbai have a cleaner Ganesh Chaturthi this year? Wait and watch!
Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi: Bring Home a Ganesha
The time of the year, when all sects of Ganesh followers erupts into joyous celebration is almost here. This is the time when we say ‘Happy Birthday’ to our revered deity, Lord Ganesha. As part of the celebration, now through Aug 23, 2009, we are sharing a small gift with other Ganesh lovers. Buy any Ganesh inspired product on Ganeshmall.com and get a free Wood Frame Abstract Wall Hanging (pictured above) priced at $21.
Offer valid till supplies last, so bring home a Ganesha today. Click to see our collection of Ganesh statues.
