The hustle and bustle of the streets are signal enough that Ganesh Chaturthi is here. The grand festival which falls tomorrow is a celebration of love, peace, happiness, prosperity (and of course modaks).
Artisans across the country start indulging in their clay regimes to give shape to beautiful Ganeshas which reach each and every home. The artisans make statues of Ganesha in different poses and colours.
Mumbai, the city which is vividly known for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations is being beautified at the hook and corner. Beautiful pandals have been established which are the bed rock for heavy Ganesh statues. Each pandal will house priests who will perform the holy rituals from the scractch. The first ceremony is called Pranapratishhtha – the act of infusing life into the statues by chanting aloud the sacred verses. What follows is the Shhodashopachara – encapsulation of 16 forms of paying tribute to the Lord. After this, Uttarpuja is performed. It is a pooja in which the idol could be relocated to another place. Lastly, the followers perform the ‘Ganpati Visarjan’, an act of immersing the idol in holy waters. As the visarjan takes place, the chants almost deafening voice which chants “Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudcha Varshi Lokar Ya”. If translated, this means, “Lord Ganesha, come back soon next year.”
