the daily shock

These days, the whole city of Hyderabad is vibrating from the drumming, dancing and singing from masses of people worshipping Lord Ganesha.

Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati is widely worshipped as the munificent god of wisdom. Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival in his honour and is celebrated in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Elaborate arrangements are made for lighting and decoration and Ganesha is fervently worshipped for about 7-10 days.

In Hyderabad, the artists who make the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and more magnificent and elegant idols. Every year, the largest Ganesh idol is installed at Khairatabad in Hyderabad, which is more than 30 ft tall. On the 11th day, on Ananta Chaturdashi, processions of Ganesh, amidst roaring music converge at the Hussain Sagar - the lake that connects Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Idols are decorated with flowers, pearls and coins. A few of them are also made up of dryfruits like almonds, cashew nuts and raisins. Devotees wearing saffron caps accompany the idols and sprinkle gulal (a pink powder), while dancing to the tune of drums. With the immersion of the idol amidst the chanting of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" and "Ganpati bappa morya" the festival ends with pleas to Ganesha to return the next year.

It is a real pleasure to see people all around the city singing, dancing, inviting to participate and celebrate in the festival. The streets around the lake are crowded with people, who can't wait to lift ther idols with cranes into the lake. After some time, the idols, made of clay, dissolve and disappear in the water, leaving behind a lot of paint chemicals on the lake's surface. I strongly doubt that the Hussain Sagar can ever be reanimated to life...

Legends about Ganesha:
Ganesha is the god of wisdom and prosperity and is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious work by the Hindus. According to mythology he is the son of Shiva and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya - the general of the gods, Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and Saraswati-the goddess of learning. This elephant-headed god, whose vehicle is the Mooshak or rat and who loves Modaks (round sweets) is associated with several humourous tales and lores.

Legend has it that Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough that she used for her bath and breathed life into him. Letting him stand guard at the door she went to have her bath. When her husband, Shiva returned, the child who had never seen him stopped him. Shiva severed the head of the child and entered his house. Parvati, learning that her son was dead, was distraught and asked Shiva to revive him. Shiva cut off the head of an elephant and fixed it on the body of Ganesha.

Another story says that the Gods decided to choose their leader and a race was to be held between the brothers' Kartikeya and Ganesh. Whoever took three rounds of the earth first would be made the Ganaadhipati or the leader. Kartikeya seated on a peacock, his vahanam (vehicle), started off for the test. Vinayak or Ganesh was given a rat, which moves swiftly. Vinayak realised that the test was not easy, but he could not disobey his father. He reverently paid obeisance to his parents and went around them three times and completed the test before Kumarswami (Kartikeya). According to him, " my parents pervade the whole universe and going around them, is more than going round the earth." Everybody was pleasantly surprised to hear Vinayak's logic and intelligence. Meanwhile, Kartik was amazed to see Ganesh completing the holy bath at each river that he reached at and ready for another round of the universe.