Festivities have their own
sweet, calm and soothing air.
People are almost always,
fed up of fighting poverty, ignorance and disease, battling social prejudices,
living with inadequate infrastructure, and the biggest of all, the dealing with
corruption and bad governance.
On a psychological level,
we, the people, want a reassuring feeling of 'some power/ some god' is there to
guide and protect us.
So when there are festivals,
people try to enjoy fully. And we have as many as 34 major festivals.
Now it is this time of
year, you will hear Ganpati Bappa Morya for at least ten days, continuously.
This is Ganesh Utsav.
With rich historical
traditions and foundations, Ganesh Utsav, is revered and enjoyed, especially in
Maharashtra .
Way back in 1883, Lokmany
Tilakji, literally converted this festival into a large, well-organized public
event.
Reason? - his intention
was to bridge the gap that existed in the minds of Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' of
that time. This was done to find a platform to bring about unity among people
of all strata of society.
Those years, the festival
would see cultural programs and events that would enlighten and entertain.
With the technological advent
and IT, this year, you can actually purchase an application, that prompts you
to perform the puja.
On the flip side, the most
serious impact of the festival on the environment is because of the immersion
of idols made of mostly, Plaster of Paris.
Off late, there have been
efforts of promoting use of 'eco-friendly' idols.
However, these days, the
idea of celebration has changed and changed for shoddier methods.
There are huge, some times
so gigantic, processions that they create problems of traffic, especially in
the areas where there are hospitals and 'silence zones'.
The noise pollution is
another worrisome factor. So much so that, Association of Medical Consultants raised the awareness about noise-pollution.
Doctors, in Pune, say that
noise levels during Ganesh festival are often much higher. Frankly we all know
this very well.
What more? Every year,
cases of people in distress because of what doctors call 'noise induced
deafness', or even the ringing sensation in ear and prolonged pain are
increasing.
Lets
celebrate Ganesh Utsav with more and more prayers and sweets and less noise and
damage to environment, not creating trouble for others.
Postscript:
There is strong speculation, that on the day of Visarjan 29 Sept. 2012, there
is possibility of bomb blasts in Pune. In the areas like 'Alaka Talkies square
and Lakshmi Road
Lets
pray and hope, Ganapati, whose other name is 'vighnharta' (meaning 'calamity
and disaster' destroyer), will 'not let
this happen'!
