Re-visiting SFV Ganesh Chaturti celebration

In the good old days, Rexona soap carried an ad something like this: “Lovelier day by day”. No expression could convey better our SFV celebrations, year after year. Be it Ekatva, Rajyotsava, Onam or Ganesh Chaturti, each event has a knack to set a new standard to excel the next year. And so far it has been achieved.

This year’s Ganesh Chaturti celebrations were innovative: increased participation from residents; more volunteers, enthusiastic response to door-to-door collection (nearly Rs 60,000/-?), spontaneous sponsors for prasadam… Even the programme-presentation acquired a new dimension. SFV Theatre Group took charge of event-presentation that enabled audience watch a different game play.

A makeshift mini Ganesha temple facing East had been created on the steps of amphitheatre. It looked no less than the small deities that we see residing on both sides of a regular temple as you circumambulate it. A real Panditji (?) attired in panchagaccham was busy performing the traditional puja swinging the puja bell rhythmically, shifting gear as the occasion demanded - fast, medium or slow.

Now Narada Muni appears on stage. Yes he transcends on earth to have a dekho of the goings-on in earth. He chances upon to land in Turahalli forest. To forestall audience disappointment to see him holding a guitar instead of the inseparable Veena hanging around his neck, he hastens to clarify that his iconic Veena and cymbal were among the first things that he was robbed on landing. Luckily he managed to get hold of a guitar.

He found many rats roaming around the forest, as also a few peacocks. They were fighting it out as to who should become the vehicle for Lord Ganesha. “We eat a lot pizza, leftovers, and are strong. We can carry Lord Ganesha on our back,” the mice clan shouted staking claim, ably enacted by some of our SFVian friends. The three ladies – all of whom we see in morning walks, marathon running, or at the Gym, played peacocks. They put forward their own arguments to claim the honour.

Seeing Narada Muni pass by, they ask him to intervene. Very democratic in his approach, he asks each side to present their cases for the audience to evaluate, in a scale of 1 to 100. Then followed scintillating Bharata Natyam, enchanting Kathak, pleasing sloka recitals by children, songs by the younger generation followed by the not so young ones, and Veena-Violin jugal bandhi. All the events were ek se badkar ek, and the audience too lost no time in according each of them 100 marks, no less.

Finally Narada Muni granted the privilege to the Mice group to be Ganesha’s vehicle. To be equal to the occasion he blessed the peacocks to be the vehicle of the slim Subramania. Both the parties accepted the verdict with folded hands.

Then came the surprise item. Lord Ganesha personally condescends to appear in the stage to give darshan to devotees; yes fully masked. He went about enthralling and greeting the audience. Could one say he walked away with the cake?

It was time for Aarti and prasad distribution. Many residents had brought prasad to cater to 50 persons. Thus there were quite a few items lined up, and it was a matter of luck which item would land on your lap. Luckily, Tirupathi-like ladoo was being distributed when I was close to the distribution table. Just when my turn came, the senior lady in the distribution centre handed another utensil and asked the volunteer to distribute that. I was the first recipient of that. Yes, it was an item that Aunty prepared at least twice a week at home. So near ladoo yet so far, I cursed my fate. Anyway it was not the first time this had happened to me. In the milk-booth in Delhi when my turn came, quite often the milk stock exhausted or, at the railway booking counter the last ticket for my date got booked just before my turn.

A lively bhajan by an outside party followed. Too bad it was planned after prasad. The attendance suddenly thinned. Anyway those missed were the losers. It was enchanting. The organizers should have planned it for earlier in the evening.

Many felt the going around the complex with the idol before Visarjan may not attract many participants, more so after prasadam. But they were mistaken. Residents participated in large numbers. Finally the Visarjan was performed with thunderous roar from one and all, Ganapathi Bappa Moria, giving fitting farewell to Lord Ganesha – till next year, that is.