Religion and folklore lead us to believe that Lord Ganesha is the remover of all obstacles. Could they have been wrong, all along? For a cursory drive on Ganesha Chaturthi, or even a week before, would present you with insurmountable obstacles by way of humungous statues of Ganeshas, pandals, street decorations, hawkers peddling Ganeshas and what have you.. Literally blocking every lane, bylane and street that can be found.. Leading to a maze like activity where you try and find an alternate lane to course through, only to be greeted and stopped and stumped, by one more Ganesha...
Glory be to Ganesha. I do remember the times from my childhood when Ganesha mandals were setup on huge grounds that could actually accomodate him and the accompanying fanfare. Over time, it seems that the grounds have shrunk, Ganeshas have multipled manifold, and now there is an abundance of him everywhere..
No offence meant- Ganesha is really sweet and gentle; and always welcome . Every year, we do a small Ganesha puja every year, with a home made clay idol, and immerse him in a bucket of water, that we then put back in the garden. It is not grandiose, just simple and sweet (with lots of sweet modaks, to relish, of course). Just wish the glorious Ganeshji would remove the road obstacles too, sooner rather than later....
Regards Aina Rao The Amblingindian. www.amblingindian.com - For more quirky reads on India
