The tag line at the Olympics is Faster,Stronger ,Higher!
The tag line at the Ganpati festival each year it is Louder,Grander ,Higher!!!
Please do not get me wrong here.I too am an ardent devotee of the elephant-headed Ganesha and I celebrate the grand festival of Maharashtra state with fervour.As each year passes by ,the height of the idols keep rising.I was under the impression that there were just a few idols around the city which were huge and all the others were of medium or small size,how wrong I was! This time around I visited a Ganesha-making workshop and was amazed to see a large number of huge idols all displayed for the festival.Every nook and corner of the city has got its very own Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal which try to compete with each other on the grandeur scale. Even when I visited the Girgaon beach on the tenth day of immersion ,I saw that every second idol was a huge one.On the way to the beach and back,there were numerous huge Ganesha idols all being taken in a procession with great fanfare.If Lokmanya Tilak was seeing all this he must be pained as he had brought forward the concept of Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav to bring the people closer and here they were competing against each other.
The festival has become unimaginably noisy reaching the highest decibles. All around there is non-stop music blaring on the loudspeakers that dole out obscene and ear-shattering music.It is the worst ever time for the old,sick and those who need peace and quiet.Even for the animals around it is punishment.I am not saying do not do the required poojas or sing devotional songs,all I say is that the noise levels should be drastically reduced.At the procession I saw the crowds dancing like there was no tomorrow and many of them were actually drunk!Intoxicated at a festival like this!
There is a lot of effort that goes into spreading awareness about an eco-friendly Ganesh festival yet there is no indication of that being followed by the majority.The use of thermocol and other non-biodegradable materials is rampant.The idols are mad using POP(plaster of paris) and toxic colours that play havoc with the environmental balance of the water bodies and the existing marine life.There is minimum use of the artificial lakes for immersion as most of the idols are huge.Crackers are burst at most places leading to air pollution.Some of the pandals use public space like roads and are the cause of traffic jams and inconvenience for all.There is high usage of electricity for the lighting and music facility.It is use of MORE all the way!!!
At the beach on the tenth day, there was a huge crowd which was being ably controlled by the police and the other swayam sevaks who had been roped in to manage the crowds.The police had a tough job at hand and they were working tirelessly.There was maximum celebration in the Dadar-Parel-Lalbag area.One by one the idols kept coming in and the announcement was made to welcome each Ganesh Mandal. There were small boats and trolleys in order to help the idols to be immersed.It was late evening when I went there with my photographer friend,and it was high tide.With every wave that hit the shore we could see lots of debris.The water was full of plastic remains,decorative material,garlands,etc.There were huge Nirmalya containers kept at the beach for people to put in the garlands and other waste before immersing the idols but they were not used by the people.Why bother when it could all be dumped into the waters along with the lord?
What pained me was that it was not possible for the people to immerse the idols properly due to their huge size.The smaller ones were taken in a boat a little ahead in the water and immersed while the bigger ones just would not budge ahead!Try as they could,many idols just could not be immersed and as a result they were left right in the middle of the water and there they stood with their backs facing the shore,like as if they were left in isolation after ten days of fanfare and worship.Is this how we treat our God?Just looking at the huge idols standing there in the water made me realize how important it is to reduce the height of the idols and to also reduce the number of Ganesh Mandals that are emerging all around.
That reminded me of a video I watched yesterday wherein the Ganesha idols were loaded on to a truck and taken on the bridge on a river or creek.Once there, the idols were picked one by one unceremoniously and just thrown, I really mean thrown into the shallow water below.We could actually see the idol shattering to pieces as they fell down and at times they shattered as they crashed against the walls of the bridge.This was done in the presence of the police and other devotees.It was really disheartening to watch the video.Where was there any piety or sanctity in this type of immersion?
It is time to start to having one idol for one particular area,and that to an eco-friendly idol which is smaller in size too.The complete celebration should be eco-friendly with less noise,less pollution and less wastage.What should be MORE is the devotion and piety in our hearts for the lord and His creation.Sounds too far-fetched,does it??But it can be a possibility.
Lets hope Lord Ganesha can instil good sense in the people and they will opt for an eco-friendly Ganesh festival in the years to come.
Here are some snap shots of my visit to the Girgaon Beach on the tenth day of the Ganesh festival this year.
The tag line at the Ganpati festival each year it is Louder,Grander ,Higher!!!
Please do not get me wrong here.I too am an ardent devotee of the elephant-headed Ganesha and I celebrate the grand festival of Maharashtra state with fervour.As each year passes by ,the height of the idols keep rising.I was under the impression that there were just a few idols around the city which were huge and all the others were of medium or small size,how wrong I was! This time around I visited a Ganesha-making workshop and was amazed to see a large number of huge idols all displayed for the festival.Every nook and corner of the city has got its very own Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal which try to compete with each other on the grandeur scale. Even when I visited the Girgaon beach on the tenth day of immersion ,I saw that every second idol was a huge one.On the way to the beach and back,there were numerous huge Ganesha idols all being taken in a procession with great fanfare.If Lokmanya Tilak was seeing all this he must be pained as he had brought forward the concept of Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav to bring the people closer and here they were competing against each other.
The festival has become unimaginably noisy reaching the highest decibles. All around there is non-stop music blaring on the loudspeakers that dole out obscene and ear-shattering music.It is the worst ever time for the old,sick and those who need peace and quiet.Even for the animals around it is punishment.I am not saying do not do the required poojas or sing devotional songs,all I say is that the noise levels should be drastically reduced.At the procession I saw the crowds dancing like there was no tomorrow and many of them were actually drunk!Intoxicated at a festival like this!
There is a lot of effort that goes into spreading awareness about an eco-friendly Ganesh festival yet there is no indication of that being followed by the majority.The use of thermocol and other non-biodegradable materials is rampant.The idols are mad using POP(plaster of paris) and toxic colours that play havoc with the environmental balance of the water bodies and the existing marine life.There is minimum use of the artificial lakes for immersion as most of the idols are huge.Crackers are burst at most places leading to air pollution.Some of the pandals use public space like roads and are the cause of traffic jams and inconvenience for all.There is high usage of electricity for the lighting and music facility.It is use of MORE all the way!!!
At the beach on the tenth day, there was a huge crowd which was being ably controlled by the police and the other swayam sevaks who had been roped in to manage the crowds.The police had a tough job at hand and they were working tirelessly.There was maximum celebration in the Dadar-Parel-Lalbag area.One by one the idols kept coming in and the announcement was made to welcome each Ganesh Mandal. There were small boats and trolleys in order to help the idols to be immersed.It was late evening when I went there with my photographer friend,and it was high tide.With every wave that hit the shore we could see lots of debris.The water was full of plastic remains,decorative material,garlands,etc.There were huge Nirmalya containers kept at the beach for people to put in the garlands and other waste before immersing the idols but they were not used by the people.Why bother when it could all be dumped into the waters along with the lord?
What pained me was that it was not possible for the people to immerse the idols properly due to their huge size.The smaller ones were taken in a boat a little ahead in the water and immersed while the bigger ones just would not budge ahead!Try as they could,many idols just could not be immersed and as a result they were left right in the middle of the water and there they stood with their backs facing the shore,like as if they were left in isolation after ten days of fanfare and worship.Is this how we treat our God?Just looking at the huge idols standing there in the water made me realize how important it is to reduce the height of the idols and to also reduce the number of Ganesh Mandals that are emerging all around.
That reminded me of a video I watched yesterday wherein the Ganesha idols were loaded on to a truck and taken on the bridge on a river or creek.Once there, the idols were picked one by one unceremoniously and just thrown, I really mean thrown into the shallow water below.We could actually see the idol shattering to pieces as they fell down and at times they shattered as they crashed against the walls of the bridge.This was done in the presence of the police and other devotees.It was really disheartening to watch the video.Where was there any piety or sanctity in this type of immersion?
It is time to start to having one idol for one particular area,and that to an eco-friendly idol which is smaller in size too.The complete celebration should be eco-friendly with less noise,less pollution and less wastage.What should be MORE is the devotion and piety in our hearts for the lord and His creation.Sounds too far-fetched,does it??But it can be a possibility.
Lets hope Lord Ganesha can instil good sense in the people and they will opt for an eco-friendly Ganesh festival in the years to come.
Here are some snap shots of my visit to the Girgaon Beach on the tenth day of the Ganesh festival this year.
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