Ever since he got married, Anmol and you have been taking Bappa home during the festival. Who takes the initiative in preparing the festival and planning the rest of the details?
Even before we got married, we would talk about bringing Ganesha home. It was a mutual wish that came true in 2016 and since then it has been a few and a half days of celebration that we look forward to every year. Between the two of them, I am the one who organizes the decorations and the practice. Anmol makes his grain of sand by getting fresh flowers early in the morning, preparing the diya baatis for aarti thali and doing all the climbing rituals with me.
This was your son Veer’s first Ganpati celebration. How did you react to the festive atmosphere at home?
This year we were very excited to introduce Veer to Ganu Bappa. Her little eyes were very excited looking at all the decorative distractions around the idol. Veer already knew the concept of praying, as we took him to the altar every morning and evening to turn on the light and say a small prayer.
Tell us more about how the holidays unfolded at home.
Like any other holiday, I consider it a reason to express one’s gratitude to the Lord and to celebrate not only the divine, but also food, gathering, and a general bonhomie in society. I like to spend time in the kitchen, busy preparing myself. I make gajar ka halwa and sheera for sweets. But the ukadiche modak my mother cooks makes every Ganesh Chaturthi special. When we take Bappa home, we enter the house with the high-energy song Deva Shree Ganesha (Agneepath, 2012) playing in the background. Then we take him to the boarding hall and start the climb with my parents and relatives assisted, followed by a homemade lunch. Everything we eat, including tea and snacks, is offered at Ganpati Bappa. Farewell is the most emotional part of the celebrations. This year I prayed to God to get rid of the pandemic and the freedom to live normally again. The times of COVID have taught us the importance of good health and valuing the family like never before.
What are your childhood memories of Ganpati celebrations? Have you ever gone through pandals jumping around Bombay?
I have very special childhood memories of celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at my grandparents ’house. Alongside the community hikes, the community center used to organize a variety of entertainment programs and we were actively involved in performing dance performances, dramas and even costume contests. Go visit the
The GSB Pandal community in Matunga has been a continuing children’s tradition. I am very proud that the murti is eco-friendly.
You have always had the voice of celebrating the festival in an ecological way. Personally, what steps do you and your family take during these days?
For starters, we keep the decorations simple and organic, mostly just flowers, fruits and climbing items. Our idol Ganpati is a silver murti that we have used every year. The idol was a gift to me from the owners of a school I visited in Delhi. What makes it special is the time of year I received it, coinciding with the year of my marriage and our first ascent of Ganpati. We make the visarjan in a bucket of water in our house and the water is offered to the plants. The statue is dry cleaned and kept in an area away from the altar to go out next year.
I am a person who keeps celebrating festivals in an ecological way. In 2019 I worked on an initiative, Eco Bappa Morya. I made a five-minute awareness film, in which I interacted with murtikars, beach activists, and an oceanography scientist to understand the reverse of some negligence observed during the celebration. I think festivals need to be sensitive and kind to babies, the elderly, animals, birds and the environment in general. I hope to continue with all possible efforts in the future to promote an ecological celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi.