The Lonesome Road

Maharashtra’s favourite festival is back! It’s Ganesh chaturti from the 18th (that’s today) to the 29th. It’s a huge festival in the name of Lord Ganesha. According to hindu mythology, Ganesha is the God whose name is taken before starting any work as he’s supposed to be the remover of obstacles.

The festival was revived during the Independence struggle by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who saw the importance of the event as a rallying point for a large number of people. It brought everyone together and reforged the links of brotherhood.

Today, the festival has reached almost epic proportions. There are 42 major pandals in Pune - the most famous of which is the Dagadu Seth Ganapati. Peoplw flock to see this idol in huge numbers. Apart from these, there are smaller pandals in almost every corner of the city. In fact, most housing societies order their own idols for the pooja.

Of course, nothing goes so smoothly in India. In spite of the fact that the MSEB has promised concessional rates for the pandals, only 14 out of the 42 major pandals and almost none of the smaller ones have registered. This does not mean that they go without power - it just means they tap power from the mains. Stealing in the name of God.

You know, when there is a religious ceremony, you expect to hear devotional music. It’s the done thing. Now, I don’t claim to know what God feels about all this - but I really think that when I walk past a pandal, I should hear a bhajan, hymn or something in that vein. What I end up having to hear are english songs, the latest hindi film music and crappy remixes. Really puts me off. But most guys seem to enjoy it and I have no doubt that it’s going to continue.

Alok and I plan to do the Ganesh walk this time. You start off after dinner and walk around the city, visiting all the pandals you want to. We plan to cover at least 21. It’s a lot of fun - but very tiring. It’s not the walking - it’s the pushing and shoving through the multitude - who just happen to be doing the same thing Will write about my walk if I make it.

Anyway, that’s all for now…