1. Have an Interesting Snippet to Share : Click Here
    Dismiss Notice

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Anandchitra, Sep 18, 2012.

  1. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,617
    Likes Received:
    2,620
    Trophy Points:
    345
    Gender:
    Female
    (this is a repost)

    Ever since I can remember, Ganesha was my favorite deity to watch. I used to gape at the trunk in front of his face, his big ears and the tiny mouse in front. All the explanations given for the trunk and ears never seemed to hold up to a child’s mind..
    How would someone chop of their own child’s head and then try and fix it? Seemed more like a movie story. And so Ganesha drew in the sympathy factor also.
    The only other great thing about Ganesha was the modaks made for Ganesha Chaturthi. I came from a family where my mother need not have to wait for once a year to make modaks. She made them quite frequently.
    Still Ganesha Chaturthi was special. The very cute looking Ganesha’s sold on the sidewalk captivated me. Most of our purchases were along the streets of Mylapore Tank. We had our own identified shops there. I had to wait patiently till my grandmother went round the Mylapore temple. For some reason those days I thought the temple had a huge compound and going round it never seemed to end. We seemed to walk around it forever.
    Once outside the compound, we would go straight to my shop, which was one of the many identical shops around the temple pond.
    I got to choose my umbrella first. I absolutely loved the colorful, multi colored umbrellas sold for God. They were short in length, because they were intended for God and not us.
    Their red, green yellow colors were so attractive. Then we chose a Ganesha idol.
    My grandmother tended to choose grey over black but that really did not bother me. I always managed to buy some more plastic knick knacks and then we would ride the bus home.
    On the eve of Chaturthi, we used to clean the puja room and it was my task to draw the kolam. Kolam is Rangoli. We used to make the kolams using rice grounded and its called Ma kolam or arisi maavu kolam. When these are drawn outside the house, they tend to attract ants which feed on the rice flour.
    Also these kolams were made attractive by the red lines with which we decorated them.
    The making of the modaks were indeed a task that required expertise and skill. My grandmother’s hands used to fly through all the dough quickly making and shaping the cup and then placing the filling inside and then closing the modak with a slight tilt to its top.
    I used to spend more time watching than doing. I was set aside a separate station where I had my own dough to work with, some water and oil in a bowl.
    By the time I managed to make one cup my grandmother would have finished a dozen. So you can tell I made very slow progress.
    Of course this slow progress was nothing compared to how I made murukku. My grandmother I will claim was the BEST when it came to making murukku by hand. Her deft fingers would just shape the dough into beautifully twined circles and she would just move swiftly making a whole sheet in no time at all while I still tried to curve ONE round.
    Compared to the murukku making, my modak making skills fared better. Thanks to those countless hours of assisting my grandmother today I am able to make the modakam with ease.
    The other popular feature of Chathurthi being the immersing of the idols in water. Once television started to transmit the Ganesha procession to the river to be immersed or to the sea as in coastal areas , it brought a whole new dimension to the picture.
    I have always been amazed to see the huge Ganesha idols that went in the procession and for a long time I could not believe these were immersed in the sea. They really looked too good to be immersed anywhere!
    Needless to say since we have so many temples for our favorite Pillayar, it seems like the whole city is celebrating on Vinayaka Chaturthi.
    The other advantage I feel having so many temples in many a street corner is you can tell your problems to God as you pass the temple.. no need to wait.. God seems to be right there!
    Well I am looking forward to one more Ganesha Chaturthi.. are’nt you?
     
    Loading...

  2. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    3,575
    Likes Received:
    3,327
    Trophy Points:
    308
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi Chitra,

    A lovely recount of your Vinayaga Chathurthi during your younger days :)

    Hope you had a wonderful celebration this year.

    Have a Great Day,

    Akila
     
  3. rgsrinivasan

    rgsrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    10,291
    Likes Received:
    9,985
    Trophy Points:
    540
    Gender:
    Male
    That was a very nice thing to read AnandChitra. And "They were short in length, because they were intended for God and not us.", this line showed both the child and the adult in you. Enjoyed reading. Thanks. -rgs
     
  4. PushpavalliSrinivasan

    PushpavalliSrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    4,712
    Likes Received:
    3,758
    Trophy Points:
    340
    Gender:
    Female
    Dear AC,
    Hope that you have celebrated your favourite festival with vigor and fervor. When children were at home and studying I used to make Ganesh Idol at home with clay. It was really fun. We used to visit Ganesh puja pandals also. We yearn for those nostalgic days!
    PS
     
  5. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,617
    Likes Received:
    2,620
    Trophy Points:
    345
    Gender:
    Female
    Thank you I had a very good celebration and made modaks.

     
  6. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,617
    Likes Received:
    2,620
    Trophy Points:
    345
    Gender:
    Female
    my dear Pushpavalli
    Well said. Those days were indeed so different .. but time goes on. Yesterday I only spent an hour making kozkattai as opposed to previous years where I spent longer hours making larger quantity. Your presense here makes me feel so good.
     
  7. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,617
    Likes Received:
    2,620
    Trophy Points:
    345
    Gender:
    Female
    rgs
    Thank you so much for reading and writing your lovely comment. I really feel so blessed. Thank you.:)
     
  8. Paulina

    Paulina Moderator Staff Member Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,692
    Likes Received:
    690
    Trophy Points:
    225
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi AC,

    Great to re -read your piece....remember it from so not so very long ago !
    your avatar says it all ....now that you have crossed the 7 seas and are resident in distant shores ....your GANESHA is riding in the fast lane on a speeding two wheeler......you are nevertheless missing those old glorious days ....so are many of us.....thanks for the lovely colourful walk down memory lane and Mylapore shopping areas.Thanks to IL we can make these frequent nostalgic trips and share our memories from time to time.
    L
     
  9. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,617
    Likes Received:
    2,620
    Trophy Points:
    345
    Gender:
    Female
    love ya lali:) thanks for the support:thumbsup
     
  10. parineetha

    parineetha IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    1,763
    Likes Received:
    12,901
    Trophy Points:
    385
    Gender:
    Female
    AC,

    Loved your sweet writing just like those sweet modaks. So now your moadak expert than murukku eh?
    Ganesh Chaturthi the first of all festivals will sure spread that happiness and excitement year long. May God shower his choicest blessings on you and your family.
     

Share This Page