This has been a ritual I have followed for the last 20 years.At the end of the 11 day festival, when its time to say goodbye to our dear friend , "Ganapati bappa', I walk the entire stretch from Khar Linking road upto the Juhu Lions garden, and hungrily capture with my ardent eyes as many idols that I can , seeeking their blessings !
Also , this is a time when I observe the people around me. Believe me , there is magic in the air. You almost have the entire city on the roads, fervently praying ,the air rending with, "Agle baras tu jaldi aa". What faith, what devotion, what hope ! I can never go through this without the familiar tears and lump in my throat ! (This too seems to have become a ritual)
There were Ganapatis travelling in Innova's,Maruti Zens, tempos, handcarts, buses, trucks, autos, taxis or simply being lovingly carried on the heads of the family members. I saw Ganapatis from 10 inches in height to 10 feet in height !
There was an 80 year old grandfather, clutching the hands of his tiny grandchild, urging her to fold her hands in prayer, a doctor couple standing next to me, were continuously on their mobiles, giving instructions on which medicine to administer to which patient. There were a group of casual labourers talking about some site on which they had to start work from the following day. At the Santacruz police station , the bystander's attention were momentarily diverted , as we saw a popular bollywood actor going into the police station , quarelling with another, while the familiar chant of "ganapati bappa morya" rang into the air. I hope everything went OK for him...A group of capri clad NRI kids kept scampering on the road. I caught one of them , curiously accepting a piece of sugar candy ,"prasad" and then , after much thought popping it into his mouth.
What hit me most , is the classlessness of the entire ritual.....All of us , rich or poor are there on the streets , acknowledging HIS power and control over our lives, actualising the fact, that without HIM , we are nothing . Amidst the maddening crowd, we all become equal, in our sorrow at the end of HIS visit to us. As we immerse Him in the water , the clay from the 10 inch idol and the 10 foot idle mesh, to melt in the sea , carrying with it the burden of the dreams and hopes of the millions of devotees !
Tomorrow we are back to playing , "I am the boss, you are my subordinate", quite forgetting that less than 24 hours ago......we all had just one BOSS and we stood 10 days in front of him, heads bowed, seeking his mercy, begging him for wish fulfillment, thanking him for whatever had come our way, loving him for taking care of us......and the moment HE returns to his abode....we start believing its all our doing ...Funny na?
Truly, when it come to Ganapati bappa......I jes can't beat it !
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i had a very diff feeling with all the ganpati processions for may be this was my last ganpati festival, and its over...
ReplyDeletewell nevertheless i really like the blog and the fact that it does motivate mi to comment everytime i see something
Yes....the very classlessness which people forget during festivals and Indian cricket matches too!...name me another country like ours with so much of colour and vigour and I will change my name!!!
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