Ganpati Bappa Morya!!

This Ganesh Chaturthi, as we welcome the Lord into our homes, bleat drums, make Modaks, light lamps and sing hymns, I look up towards the pink hued, calm and enduring deity, the familiarity of the face as striking as the personal connect I feel with Him. He is with me all throughout my days and nights, in mu curses when things go wrong, in my thanksgivings when things are right, in my bribes when I expect Him to turn things my way, in my pain when I am sick, in my joy when I am joyful.

I grew up with Him in my coloring books, my first memory of Him clad in a red Dhoti and golden crown still vividly etched in my mind. He was the logo on the mustard oil tins which Ma would use, and I hated discarding Him away after the oil was used up. In my drawing classes, He was the easiest being I could draw and sketch with my pencil, always eager to give his belly that extra bulge, and his ears the fanning shape. He is still the most lovable part of my Durga Pujo memories at Dadabhai’s place, where, the moment we set our foot in the house, we cousins would rush to Durgamondir get a glimpse of which color costume He is wearing. A favorite amongst us, we would love to hear his stories over and over again, how He took a full circle around His Mother and declared that He has traversed the whole universe, how He came to have an elephant’s head, how He has ‘Kola Bou’ as a wife.

As I moved into adulthood, He accompanied me, a constant companion. Any kind of trouble, it does not last forever. Days go by and aches heal themselves. But I love to think He is out there somewhere, holding that invisible thread for me, so that I tip over so low that I smell the earth, yet suddenly I bounce back, steady on my feet again. With Him, I am confident that no matter what comes, He will pull me out and I will sail through. Now a mother, He is the best bedtime story I tell my daughter. To her, He is ‘Gampta Papa’, the hero on Cartoon Network who can kill ‘Rakshasas’ with a single blow, his mouse equally important with its red jacket and golden trims.

As I pray to Him, a part of this huge crowd of worshipers and devotees, in a Sarvajanik Puja Mandap, not even for once do I feel that I share Him with others. My Ganpati Bappa is so distinctly individual to me, to my world. I seek his blessings and turn to leave, when I notice the other fellow worshipers standing in the queue. The same gleam in their eyes, the same emotion in their folded hands, the same respect in their demeanor. I realize, to each one of us, Lord Ganesha is our own, the very lovable companion who knows exactly what we are going through. Each one of us look up to him, and He assures us, our troubles will pass away.

This Ganesh Chaturthi, I bow my head to this divine being who is mine and our at the same time. Ganpati Bappa Morya!!