In the tradition that I have been brought up in, Ganpati is a nitya bhramachari (an eternal celibate). His brother Kartikeya has two wives. Legend has it that he is cursed by his mother to wander the shores till he finds a mate.

My father, ever the soft hearted, refused to perform visarjan of Ganpati, and thereby condemn him to walk the shores of the sea for ever. So in 45 years of marriage - my folks collected a fair number of Ganpati idols in every shape and size.

If you keep the idol at home, you have to follow due process in taking care of it. It’s not a show piece. It goes into the prayer room and gets taken care of with the remaining Gods.

A few years ago ( it could even be a decade ago) my mother threw a fit. No more ganpati’s - there was no room in the prayer room for any more. And, when mom throws a fit, we all tend to listen. it can be fairly harmful to health if we don’t. She decided to make her own every year - that would be dunked in Ganga jaal post the pooja and given to the tulsi plant….

So for the last 10 years or so — mom makes these lovely ganpatis’ made of haldi and chandan. Installs it in her pooja — and the following day dissolves it in Ganga jal.

(amidst all the flowers is a ganapati made of haldi and chandan)

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