Why Lord Ganesh is big business for some?

It’s that time of the year when the remover of obstacles comes to every nook and corner of the city. The majestic Lord Ganesh is now safely seated in hundreds of pandals across the twin cities. For ten days, there is an air of festivity surrounding a God who is more seen everywhere from car dashboards to drawing room paintings. But that is the good part of it, there is a dark side too.

The Vinayaka Chathurthi festival is time that most honest citizens dread. From the ‘normal’ household to the Kirana shop owner, it’s the time to pay up to the pandals that seem to be ‘run’ by the local goons. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak must be ruing the present day concept of the festival, which he had helped popularise. What started out in the pre-independence days as a festival that would help create a sense of national pride and drive the British out, has today become an extortion racket. Money is demanded not just in hundreds, but in thousands. The bigger the house, the more you pay. The bigger you shop, the more you shell out. From local street urchins to big time mafia, everyone is out to make a neat pile in the name of the Lord.

Go to any of the street pandals and you would see what the Festival is not about. First is the size of the idol of the Lord Ganesha. Every street in the colony wants an idol bigger than what his neighbor has. The settings and decoration has to be more garish than the one in his next lane. Music blares out, and devotees are implored to visit the ek danta lord. Except for a handful of pandals, where prayer and devotion seems to abound, there is just tamasha all around in the rest.

There is no account of how much money came into the pool and how much was spent. For hundreds of unemployed young men this is the time to make a good amount of money which will last them for the next few months. They put up hoardings which look like rouges gallery. The local politicians also vie for attention and make it a point to visit the pandal and make it look like an election meeting.

The scene gets worse when the time comes to bid adieu to the Lord. The procession to immerse the Lord is akin to a wedding baraat. Which is worse is the case. Bands play out loud music and the cavalcade stops every few feet to allow drunken youngsters to dance to frenzied music. There is no devotion is here. The idea is to create as much nuisance as possible in the name of the Lord. There is no sense of decorum and devotion in the festival anymore.

Let me clarify, I am not an atheist. Nor am I am a national element. I am a law abiding citizen who appreciates modesty in action. I am a devout Hindu who goes to a temple regularly. But I don’t show off my power and presence in the temple by demanding attention. The lord resides in our heart. Let us celebrate the festival in a solemn and devotional manner. Let us not make a song and dance about it.