Ganesha Chaturthi

India is a land of festivals and colourful celebrations continue the whole year round. There is never a month in the Hindu calendar that goes by without having a ‘Holy’ day marked on it. Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayagar Chaturthi in Pondicherry (Tamil Nadu) is a very popular festival. Generally it is held late August or early September, depending on the cycle of the moon. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati and the festival is celebrated on his Birthday, the god of wisdom and prosperity. It is also believed that on this day Shiva declared his son to be superior to all Gods.

The celebration here is spread over three to four days. The markets all over Pondicherry are filled with colourful Ganesha deities and small colourful umbrellas. One can also find huge Ganesha deities almost in every corner of the street, which is being worshipped by small communities. Each locality will have its small mandapam, where the ceremonies will be held.

N.Singaram residing in Pondicherry explains that on the first day after the deity is installed, the priest starts off by chanting the shlokas and commencing the puja(ceremony). The chantings are also performed in the evening. “All of us gather in the evening for a big feast” says Singaram. Special  food is cooked for the entire community and this marks the end of the first day. The other two days, Aarti (a ritualistic puja with hymns) is performed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. 

Not everyone does the daily rituals in the community puja nor do they do small pujas at home. So families go out to different localities to see different deities, the beach is always an option. Celebration is in the air for these two or three days.

Finally after the three days the Ganesha deities are taken to the sea visarjan, or immersion. The streets of Pondy are packed with multitudes as each locality comes out on the streets with its Ganesha.  Firecrackers announce the arrival of the procession that halts every now and then for people to get a last glimpse of their favourite God and seek his blessings, for he is the remover of all obstacles. Finally the big ceremony comes to an end with the hope that Ganesha will be back soon next year!