He Comes, He Sees, He Blesses, He Leaves

He Comes, He Sees, He Blesses, He Leaves

Ganesha, for the average Mumbaikar, is more a friend than a God. He is someone with whom he can communicate effortlessly and feel assured that he is being heard.....The immersion, in a very spiritual way, each year also makes humans realise one more time the ultimate destiny of human life – to go back to the expansive consciousness. The return of the Ganesha next year is again symbolic of the recurring creativity of human birth and rebirth. 

The return of the Ganesha is one of the most awaited events in Mumbai city. Since childhood I have seen important festivals like Holi, Diwali lose sheen in terms of their outward expression, but festivities related to Ganesh Chaturthi have not only not ebbed, they have in fact risen and grown to different levels of excitement as well as creativity.

What makes Ganesha the God so special is the intricate human connection that Mumbaikars have with the Lord. This is one God whose arrival is awaited with the excitement reserved for a guest whom we deeply love. I have personally experienced that when we get the idol home on the appointed day, the house ambience seems to undergo a dramatic change. Ganesha brings happiness with him. There is a natural pull for relatives and people living around you to visit your home to have darshan (auspicious sight) of the idol.

The representation of Ganesha in its various forms conveys the very strong bond that people have with the Lord, whom they consider a member of the family. The idol-creators build expressions that bring alive the human personality ever so beautifully. Ganesha, for the average Mumbaikar, is more a friend than a God. He is someone with whom he can communicate effortlessly and feel assured that he is being heard.

Ganesha enlivens the mood of the city like nothing else does. When one of India's great leaders of the freedom movement Lokmanya Tilak launched the Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav (public celebration of the Ganesh festival) concept in pre-independence India as a tool to ward off the British, even he may not have envisioned the longevity of the idea, which has now acquired a relevance and context of its own. The expansion of the social dimension sprung from a political-religious context is truly stunning. Ganesha, in his various forms, mirrors not just human creativity, but also showcases emotions which are superbly human.

Ganesha is a God that Mumbaikars associate with very closely. He is their `silent` friend, philosopher and guide. Besides the social-religious significance, the festival also provides relief to the average Mumbaikar from the at times excruciatingly challenging life he has to lead in this fascinating but complex city. The festival in many ways is a celebration of this relief. The Lord's departure on visarjan (immersion) day therefore evokes emotions that you feel when a loved one is leaving for a long sojourn. On visarjan day, as the Lord gets carried into the deep waters for being immersed, tears bid farewell to a friend who arrived one more time at the appointed hour to bless and take away some of the burdens of human existence.

The immersion, in a very spiritual way, each year also makes humans realise one more time the ultimate destiny of human life – to go back to the expansive consciousness. The return of the Ganesha next year is again symbolic of the recurring creativity of human birth and rebirth. Thus, the chant Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudcha Varshi Lavkar Ya (Hail Ganesha! Come Back Next Year Soon) is not just a slogan, but a clarion call to the Lord to one more time Come, See, Bless and Leave.