Yesterday, was the day when most of Mumbai was out saying bye bye to Ganpati. The little home Ganpati’s had their joyous send offs. 
Accompanied by band baja, and scores of bad dancers, the Ganpati’s wove their way through the streets of Mumbai to the sea, where they will be immersed. 
Families, devotees, and just fun loving citizens turned up to have fun, mauj and masti.. on a day that has come to taken on carnival like proportions. 
And what is amazing about this festival, more than any other religious festival ….. is the tenderness and absolute love with which people observe it. IT has gone beyond rituals and rites…. and into something where ‘God’ has become a personal friend, child, ….someone for whom people have affection and fondness, not fear and compulsion. 
A word of praise for the Mumbai Traffic Police …. once again the men in Khaki, kept the traffic unjammed, ensured that no one got stuck…. and all in all the good humour and cheer was maintained. Yesterday, I was in the area between Khar & Juhu - attending a baithak ….. it took me all of 40 minutes…. that is despite seeing 52 large Ganpati’s going for immersion. Pudcha Varshi… Laukar Ya…. you are already being missed
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Posted by: gargi in India
Mumbai gets geared to welcome its favorite deity. Over the decades it has moved from being a Maharashtrian festival to something lots of others follow. This Ganpati is made almost in the style of Srinivasa of Tirupati - check out the tilak on the forehead, and the adornment at the back. This time last year, I took possession of the Lonavala house. This time two years ago, I was in hospital being operated for a gallstone. And the year before that SR, SK and I were running helter skelter trying to put on air our first show as a production house.
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