Today happens to be the 11th and Final day of this year's Ganpati Festival. It is also known as 'Anant Chaturdashi' - the day on which the majority of the Ganesh idols are taken on a farewell procession, and finally, immersed into water bodies (depending on the size of the idol, and/or convenience of the people taking the idol for immersion, the immersion venue could range from small wells, tanks, ponds and lakes to bigger water bodies such as the rivers and seas.)
Another important point to note would be, that not all people/Mandals house the lord for a period of 11 days. It is normally the custom to keep Ganpati for odd-numbered days. It could range from 1.5 (One and half) days, to 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 days.
My family was earlier based in place called Chhedanagar, in Chembur (North-East Mumbai). And the society in which we resided, celebrated the Ganpati festival with great devotion, pomp and splendour year after year. It was the most-awaited event of the year, and youngsters and elderly, irrespective of their roots, backgrounds, religion etc. wholeheartedly joined in the celebrations.
The preparations would start approximately a month before the Ganesh Chaturthi day, when the youngsters would go door-to-door to collect money from the residents, to build funds for the festival. The idol would be booked at our regular idol-maker's place. Then, just days before the D-Day, all the materials required for the decoration would be purchased.
But the actual work, would begin only on the night on the eve of the D-day. We all youngsters would assemble after dinner, and start work. Everyone would tirelessly and sincerely work through the night, and by the wee hours of the morning, the whole place would be totally revamped, all-set to receive the King - our dear Lord Ganesha.
The traditional Aarti would be conducted twice a day - once in the morning, and later again in the evening. The evening session would be a longer one, with loads of members joining in, for a couple of hours long Bhajan session. (Again, people irrespective of their religion or background join in with total devotion.... something really special and touching). The morning and evening Prasad (special delicacies offered to Ganpati and later shared by everyone present as a token of his blessings) would be made by people from different flats on each of the days.
The celebrations would be for a period of 5 days. On the 5th day evening, the Ganpati would be taken in a lorry/tempo to Shivaji Park Beach (near Dadar, Central Mumbai) for Visarjan (immersion). Earlier, the people joining in for the immersion trip were quite a handful in number, and a big Lorry used to be hired for the journey from Chembur to Shivaji Park. There were a couple of occasions when the youngsters had even arranged for a live band to play upto a certain distance (initial leg) of the procession for them to dance along. But over the years, with the number of people reducing considerably (due to work schedules and other constraints), the lorry has made way for a tempo, that comfortably houses the reduced number of people who escort Lord Ganpati for his farewell journey to his immersion.
When I was staying in Chembur, I had accompanied the group for Visarjan on quite a few occasions. But ever since we shifted to another area (Ghatkopar) in 2008, I had never got to join them for Visarjan. Yes, me and my family still visit the Ganpati in our old society on atleast one of the 5 days every year. We are too attached to the place, the people, and of course, the Ganpati celebrations over there, to miss out on paying a visit. But this time, after a gap of 3 years, I again got the privilege of joining the Visarjan trip. It was quite a dramatic turn of events, which I would do better to recount in a seperate post, as this one has got pretty long now! :)
~ Ganpati Bappa Moraya ~
Another important point to note would be, that not all people/Mandals house the lord for a period of 11 days. It is normally the custom to keep Ganpati for odd-numbered days. It could range from 1.5 (One and half) days, to 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 days.
My family was earlier based in place called Chhedanagar, in Chembur (North-East Mumbai). And the society in which we resided, celebrated the Ganpati festival with great devotion, pomp and splendour year after year. It was the most-awaited event of the year, and youngsters and elderly, irrespective of their roots, backgrounds, religion etc. wholeheartedly joined in the celebrations.
The preparations would start approximately a month before the Ganesh Chaturthi day, when the youngsters would go door-to-door to collect money from the residents, to build funds for the festival. The idol would be booked at our regular idol-maker's place. Then, just days before the D-Day, all the materials required for the decoration would be purchased.
But the actual work, would begin only on the night on the eve of the D-day. We all youngsters would assemble after dinner, and start work. Everyone would tirelessly and sincerely work through the night, and by the wee hours of the morning, the whole place would be totally revamped, all-set to receive the King - our dear Lord Ganesha.
The traditional Aarti would be conducted twice a day - once in the morning, and later again in the evening. The evening session would be a longer one, with loads of members joining in, for a couple of hours long Bhajan session. (Again, people irrespective of their religion or background join in with total devotion.... something really special and touching). The morning and evening Prasad (special delicacies offered to Ganpati and later shared by everyone present as a token of his blessings) would be made by people from different flats on each of the days.
The celebrations would be for a period of 5 days. On the 5th day evening, the Ganpati would be taken in a lorry/tempo to Shivaji Park Beach (near Dadar, Central Mumbai) for Visarjan (immersion). Earlier, the people joining in for the immersion trip were quite a handful in number, and a big Lorry used to be hired for the journey from Chembur to Shivaji Park. There were a couple of occasions when the youngsters had even arranged for a live band to play upto a certain distance (initial leg) of the procession for them to dance along. But over the years, with the number of people reducing considerably (due to work schedules and other constraints), the lorry has made way for a tempo, that comfortably houses the reduced number of people who escort Lord Ganpati for his farewell journey to his immersion.
When I was staying in Chembur, I had accompanied the group for Visarjan on quite a few occasions. But ever since we shifted to another area (Ghatkopar) in 2008, I had never got to join them for Visarjan. Yes, me and my family still visit the Ganpati in our old society on atleast one of the 5 days every year. We are too attached to the place, the people, and of course, the Ganpati celebrations over there, to miss out on paying a visit. But this time, after a gap of 3 years, I again got the privilege of joining the Visarjan trip. It was quite a dramatic turn of events, which I would do better to recount in a seperate post, as this one has got pretty long now! :)
~ Ganpati Bappa Moraya ~
