Ganesh Chaturthi

 

The streets of Mumbai were busier than normal. People were cleaning and decorating their houses, store owners were doing the same to their shops, and everyone was out and about shopping. The streets were filled with smells of fresh flowers and fragrant fruits. After all, it was a special time for Mumbaikars because Ganesh Chaturthi was right around the corner.

Ganesh, Ganesha, Ganapati, or even Vinayaka as he is called, is a very widely known deity across the world. Ganesha is most famously known for his elephant head. He is said to be the Remover of Obstacles or the Lord of Success. Therefore he is prayed to and honored before any new task such as buying a new home, taking an exam, going for an interview, or even buying a new car. He is the first idol to be placed into a new home in the Hindu culture in order to bring luck. Of the many festivals devoted to the Lord Ganesh, Ganesh Chaturthi is the most important. Ganesh Chaturthi is the celebration of Lord Ganesh’s birthday. This festival usually lasts around eleven days and is most celebrated in the state of Maharashtra, on the western coast of India. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of Maharashtra.

On the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi, people bring little statues of Ganesha to their homes to be worshipped. During this festival people engage in religious ceremonies, sing holy songs, prepare different foods that were liked by Ganesha (Modak, a sweet dumpling, being most popular), and visit family and friends. In Mumbai people go to famous places to see the huge clay statues of Ganesh built especially for this festival. On the last day of this festival the streets are filled with people who take the statues of Ganesha to the seashore to be immersed into the water. On the way to the sea, people are dancing, singing, and playing music in the streets of Mumbai.

It was the day before the big celebration when two brothers, Karan and Arjun, were walking home from school. Karan and Arjun were born in America and had just moved to Mumbai a couple of months ago. They noticed all the shops had been decorated with flowers and all the people were out buying new clothes and sweets and looked at each other with confusion. They quickly ran home and went straight to their grandma who was in her prayer room praying. They knew not to disturb her and waited till she finished. She turned around to find them sitting quietly as ever and went to give them a big hug. She told them to go wash up and that she would fix them something to eat. But the boys had something else on their mind. They began to ask their grandma all sorts of questions like “why is everyone cleaning and decorating?”, “why is everyone out shopping all of a sudden?”, and “how come we don’t have school tomorrow?” The grandma laughed and said, “First, go wash up and as you eat I will tell you.”

She told them that tomorrow was Ganesh Chaturthi, or Ganeshji’s birthday. The boys immediately shot up from the seat with excitement on their faces and asked, “So, so are we getting a birthday cake for him?”

Again the grandma laughed and said, “No, not a birthday cake, but we are going to make all sorts of sweets.” So it wasn’t cake but the boys were equally excited.

 “How about presents? Do we give presents to him?”

The grandma replied by saying “Yes, we will give him flowers, fruits, and make his favorite dish called Modak, which is a sweet dumpling filled with coconut and brown sugar.”

The boys were now even more curious and asked their grandma why Ganeshji had the head of an elephant. Seeing the boys’ interest, the grandma replied by saying, “Tonight I will tell you some stories about Ganesha himself and then you too will know about him.” Karan and Arjun were extremely happy as they loved when their grandma told them stories.

Night could not have come faster for the boys. They had waited impatiently all day when they heard their grandma calling for them. “Karan! Arjun!” she called out to them. “Come sit next to me and I will tell you the tales of Lord Ganesha.”