The Irony of Ganesh Chaturthi

The Majestic Ganpati Himself


Ganesha or Gajanan or Ganpati or Vinayak- The Lord o’ beginnings, is a pivotal figure in Hindu mythology, the God with the head of an elephant is perhaps the most worshipped God across the length and breadth of India and enjoys a special place in the hearts of Indians. Ganesha attracts one and all irrespective of being a believer or non-believer by his sheer charm and beauty.


Ganesh chaturthi or the birthday of Ganpati is celebrated all over the India with much ado. Idols of Ganpati in various shapes, styles and rainbow colors are bought home or kept in decorated pandals and worshipped with great pomp and show, In some states these festivities continue for a week or 10 days, followed by “Visarjan” or drowning of the Idols in water bodies (for the environment lovers who are already doing eeshh..Yeah it does create a mess, but of late bio-degradable Idols are gaining popularity)

But, this post is not about the religious significance of Ganesh Chaturthi, rather it’s about the socio-economic aspects. This thought crossed my mind as I saw a photo assay on “artisans working on Ganpati idols across India” on the website of The Hindu, a prominent Indian newspaper( http://bit.ly/FfHqG ) . Every year countless Ganpati idols are made all over India by unknown artisans. Some of these artisans come from skilled families present in this trade since years, some semi-skilled or even unskilled working for a source of livelihood. These Idols made in the obscure nooks and corners of India are bought and worshipped by devotes all over the country….but no one gives a thought about who created these idols?, how they were transported?, through which and how many hands did these idols pass before you lovingly and with all pious devotion gave them the hot seat in your celebrations and served them with devotion for a week or so?…………..

What I want to say here is…. Does the petty thought of caste, religion, and region of all those hands through which your precious idol passed, ever come to your minds…When you’re dancing with joy shouting “ Ganpati bappa morya” “Jai dev Jai dev” or “Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh deva” or When you look at the awesome face of Ganpati and your heart fills with peace and joy! No, it Doesn’t…or When you are line up together drawn simply by the grandeur and love for the deity for Visarjan .The only thing that fills your mind then, is the beauty of the effort that makes the Idol look as beautiful as it does and you Judge it simply by that.. Don’t you??...you don’ give a damn about whether the sculptor or decorators were from a low caste or whether they were from Bihar, UP or Maharashtra or where ever….

You might even be feeling repulsed right now thinking..that I could I think of something like this…..I can think like this, because, I can also see people fighting with each other in the name of caste, region and religion every other day. ‘Cuz I can see discrimination being done in the name of caste, religion and region every where I turn around and see. We meet out inhuman treatment to some of these very people whose creations we worship and carry on our heads……….Then ….WHY??..Why do we have these double standards??...Why can’t we remember the very same thing when we are being rude or discriminating some one??, that the only thing that matters in the world is “How good you are at what you do”