Ganpati in memories - Anand Kankariya

(Illustrator - Dr. Rajeev Suryavanshi, Skin and Aesthetics Specialist)

Rayat Samachar

22.9.2023

Ganpati in memory

    Ganesh Chaturthi is a very important festival in Maharashtra and a devotional festival for a large population of the country. When Ganeshotsav comes, The entire ambiance fills with joy. This festival is held in August or September during monsoon. It is also celebrated as the birth festival of Ganesha. Ganeshji means the beloved son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati with his elder brother Kartikeya, who is famous in South India as Kartikeya Swami. Ganesha is considered a symbol of wisdom and prosperity. Ganesha was established to achieve both these things.

In our childhood, whenever I used to see Ganpati Mandal, I felt like doing something for Ganpati. Then we used to bring a ready-made receipt book of five rupees from the market. He used to take four or five friends from the street to collect the subscription. Once the money was collected, we used to visit the Ganpati stall every day for 10 to 15 days to decide which Ganpati to buy. On the day of Lord Ganesha's installation, we used to take gulal worth five rupees, throw it on each other, and shout "Ganpati Bappa Morya" loudly with a plate and spoon. That childhood fun was very different. Secondly, I really thought that Ganapati Bappa would surely pass me in my exams. With this desire, he would go to Bappa and say "Bappa pass me" and Bappa would say in his heart "O you crazy study." Indeed, there is less to write about Ganapati as a child.

Days went by and when I grew up I realized that childhood Ganapati was indeed very nice, because of that Gulal of childhood, that sweet, sweet memory of childhood. They used to bring Ganapati at night. That fun was different and now DJs, big drums, Tashe. Sounds good but something else is happening. Money and time are also lost, so it seems that Ganapati as a child was really beautiful and happy at heart.

    In the beginning, What Ganapati used to represent was unity, but now it seems like a competition between individuals. Ganapati Bappa gives wisdom to people. Troublemaker, pleaser, keep everyone happy.

- Anand Kankariya,

Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

◾