Ganesha Chaturthi

Ganpati in the home of one of the Assistant Directors

Wow. I seem to saying that a lot these days. I spent Thursday traveling the length of Mumbai with members of the film crew. This week is the festival celebrating Ganesha, the Hindu deity of Auspicious Beginnings and The Remover of Obstacles. So I was brought into several homes to celebrate the start of the week of Ganesha. This is a time when friends and family can drop in anytime to see each others’ pandals, seen above, and to worship, pray and lay treats and other gifts before Ganesha. I was privileged to participate in the entire ritual of bringing Ganesha to life in one home, including presenting sweets to Ganesha and playing finger cymbals during the traditional chants which accompany the rituals. Ganesha is a playful deity in Hindu legend. He is friendly like a child and is known for being extremely wise and for always granting your wishes.

There are supposedly over 10,000 Ganpati idols created for his holiday in Mumbai alone, but I expect the number is ten times that. There are big tents raised all over the city the night before Ganesha’s birthday and each one has a big Ganpati in it. The one above is about 18”, but the ones in the street are up to 6 or 8 feet. Then there are the BIG ones, which reach 10m (30ft!). I visited four shrines in people’s apartments during the day, and just for good measure visited South Mumbai, which is the more well-known part of Old Bombay with the British monuments, the Gate of India, the Parliament of Maharastra and the Taj Hotel. South Mumbai is very different than where I am. More on that later.

Everywhere we went flowers and treats were laid at Ganesha’s feet and around his neck. Each one is different. With all the family and the requirement that you must eat at every house, (all traditional dishes,) it seemed very much like how we celebrate Christmas. So many parallels while at the same time a completely different series of rituals and meanings. It is quite something. I now have a little bracelet that shows I am a follower of Ganesha, and even had the little red mark on my forehead for a while! It’s all so welcoming and unpretentious while at the same time an important part of the values and social definition of India.  Days later I’m still thinking about it.