Changing Times And Festivals

Hi TM,

Great article..... Gone are the days Ganesh Idols are made out of Bhakthi... Today it is not only a marketing tool, but also a prestige issue... If my next colony does a 12 foot idol, i should do 13-15 ft.... Otherwise what will happen to my colony's reputation.... The otherday, somebody has posted an article here only in IL regarding how the Ganesh idols are left in the Beach and it lies in the seashore..... Sometimes it hurts......

Gone are the days of Clay Vinayaka with that eyes with kunthumani and all for homes.... Now it is painted, plaster of paris.... decorative only... You hardly find those clay ones.... The reason is availability of clay ???.....

So for the next year, we can expect Ganesha in different forms.....

Veda

 

Hi TM,
Again another nice post.
Yeah, the description of Ganesh Puja (as we say in Bhubaneswar), also reminded me of my childhood days and the then celebration of Ganesh Puja.
Both my paternal and maternal uncles were staying with us for their studies.
So, they were the leaders in all the arrangements. But it was a great fun for us kiddies all around the locality.
I remember, during that time many people near our locality do not possessed double storeyed house and a balcony, so it was a great occasion for everybody to attain and help for the Puja. So, we have to do the Puja on the balcony which faced the road. We used to buy an idol of ganesha and all sort of things that will be required for the Puja day before the actual celebration.
All the decoration will be done with mom's fancy sarees as they are easy to deal with. Then after these all the paper decorations will be put on everywhere from the walls to borders (with glue made up of flour) without even thinking for once that its going to spoil the walls.
Then we used to put the lights, those days we used to call that "Lichi" lights as the lights have a lichi like plastic covering.
On the day of Puja, we used to wake up very early in the morning, do our daily chores and after having our bath wear new clothes. By that time mom used to finish all her delicacies and the priest arrives.......for the next 2 hours, I tell you, for whole 2 hours (10-12:00 noon), my uncle and priest will perform the Puja and we kids will be sitting around waiting for the prasad to be served......
Then all our relatives will come to have their prasad (a full launch). And another funny thing, during that time we had no recorder and special ganesh bhajan albums at home, so the near by electronic shop will play some ganesh related bhajan throughout the day as a good gesture.......
It was fun everywhere during the pujas.
In the evening, we used to go with Papa to visit all the ganesh idol in the town and describe all these to mom, who prefer to rest at home.......
I still remember everything of those days.......
Now, come to my celebration of ganesh puja.......
Brought everything from Indian store and decorated a small nook of my house with my dazzling chunni and flowers and offered all those ladoos, fruits brought from market to ganeshji and as I am too ignorant to shlokas, played the most soothing ganesha mantras from raaga.com on the laptop and in stead of original ghee ke diye, lighted candles............
And this way, morning session is over and during evening, attened indian party..........
Abt bisarjan, can't do that here, so put my ganeshji back into the puja room.
Oh god, I wish to do everything as it was in my childhood.........GONE ARE THOSE DAYS OF HAPPINESS AND CELEBRATIONS................
TC.