Yesterday, a friend and me got into an animated discussion on the on going Ganpati Visarjan celebrations. He was disappointed with the revelry that Mumbaikars indulged in as they headed to bid their favourite deity goodbye. How can we forget the Delhi blasts so soon, he rued. Shouldn’t there be some sensitivity shown to those who had died just 24 hours ago?
While I respect his views, I beg to differ. Don’t get me wrong…I too grieve for those who suffered in a heinous crime committed against our country. But how can we ignore the faith involved in Ganpati send off?
Ganeshotsav is one of the few festivals left untouched by commercialisation.
The reason Tilak started this festival for continues to remain the same till date- inter-religious bonding and brotherhood. The festival celebrates life and togetherness. At a sarvajanik pandal, it doesn’t matter what religion or faith you belong to. You are one in front of the God.
Also, you can’t ignore what Ganpati symbolizes for us, Mumbaikars. He is our Vignaharta- the one who will solve all our troubles. He is the first person we call on before we start any new venture or business and the person we thank when everything goes off smoothly.
In this day and age, when even stepping out of the house for work is dangerous, people have learnt to turn to faith. Yesterday, all woke up with a sense of fear…will we be targeted today? Will terrorists bomb us again? But then everyone thought… as long as our Vignaharta watches over us, why should we fear? Our faith was rewarded. He watched over the celebrations and kept his devotees out of harms way.
So all I say is, sorry if anyone was offended by the revelry. It wasn’t meant to hurt anyone rather it was a celebration of everyone’s faith.
I
