Bringing home the Ganesha

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A little girl is putting finishing touches to the Ganesha that she is hoping to sell from the streets of Malleshwaram, Bangalore. I love the festival but the loudness is a bit jarring to the ears. Please celebrate Ganesha with a little concern to the environment also.

Come September

Come September and the seasons change in most parts of the world. And loads of destinations come into the �season � phase as well. The monsoons will soon get over in most parts of India but it has left behind a lush green country. Readers of this blog are in for a lot of stories this month . We will visit Valparai again and I will publish stories from Naanjil Naadu. In the international scenario, we will visit Asia and Europe . Local festivals and memes like Skywatch and India through my eyes series will continue as well.
The furore around Ganesha festival has already hit the streets of Bangalore and I see large idols of the deity all over the place. While I do soak in the energy here, I feel the idols should not be dumped anywhere and everywhere on the streets and pavements . We should ideally have a designated place � maybe a playground in each area where stalls can be set up . The streets have become a mess with garbage and Ganeshas both sharing the same space unfortunately.
Meanwhile , August was a great month on Backpacker and I thank you readers for visiting my blog. Stories on Madras did extremely well as the city celebrated its birthday. Its been three years since my last visit to Singapore, but many of you are still interested in my post on the country. Dussera may be a couple of months away, but a lot of you search for golu bommai and land on my post on Navratri. In fact I just picked up a few kondapalli bommais (dolls)for the coming festival. And finally, I always see Chola trail being very popular. I wonder which of these posts will continue to be on the top of the charts in September . So look forward to more of your visits this month. Happy reading, sharing and commenting ! Would love to hear from you.

And yes, I may be travelling too if all goes well..Fingers crossed !

The Ganesha comes home - India celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi

Frenzied drum beats as towering Ganeshas are paraded in autos ,crowds beating the rains and shopping for their puja paraphernalia , chaos wearing the cloak of a celebration - this is Ganesh Chaturthi , according to me the most frenzied festival . 

And this is just the beginning as the loud pandals, the processions and the immersions are yet to happen. Today however Bangaloreans forgot the slush and the rains and flooded the market, looking for their Gowri and Ganesha.I was in Malleswaram, where the action happens . A  newly constructed building was rented to house the ganeshas that had arrived from Bombay and they landed in hundreds , some of them as tall as 8-10 feet. As mayhem set in, I walked down the market, where the finishing touches were given to some clay ganeshas . 

 

I love festivals in general, as there is so much of energy and colour around. But with all due reverence given to Gods , I am not very excited with the chaos this festival begins. At home in Madras, we used to buy a small clay Ganesha and once we finish with the festivities , the Ganesha is left under a tree and slowly the clay blends with the environment. 

But many others immerse their  Ganeshas - some in buckets and wells in their houses, while many in the seas and lakes around . unfortunately unmindful of the damage they bring to their own habitat.