On Behalf of Bappa !!

While I sat at a lovely corner with a my sweet bag Swa urf Swati,I was very happy in my mind with the breeze feeling my cheek, water drops trickling off the coconut tree and playing slide on my scalp. I saw a very painful sight which I tried ignoring but I couldn’t. A sweet family was taking our sweet lord Ganesha to their abode on a handcart and that cart took a jump because of a pot hole which wasn’t seen to them in all the excitement they were in having Ganesha home. I couldn’t gulp the lump in my throat when I saw the Ganesha fallen of the cart on the road because of the ugly pot hole. I lost all the spirit of festive which I had pumped in by seeing crowded markets, beautiful flowers and decoration. People dressed in the most colorful clothes, kids chanting “Morya Morya” when a truck passes by. This is one celebration where I feel safe to walk amongst strangers also because everyone is carrying a smile in their heart and exchange smiles. All these little were killed when I saw this incident and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the broken idol. Aren’t we taking our gods for granted its we the humans who built and mold the idol with lovely colors, glittery dhoti, modak, undir mama and off all we mould a “SMILE” on his face. Have we ever considered the emotion he must be carrying within him when he is watching the plight through the year? I hear boys who get big idols in the trucks and scream Ganpati Baapa Morya and on the other hand tease girls and pass cheesy comments on girls. Am in middle of so many thoughts that I don’t feel like celebrating this time. If I would want to be standing in front of him I would want to give him the love and RESPECT that he today deserves. Today rituals have become more important than gods. This is the period of great unrest, Social change as you could say. Cities are growing, generating wealth and spiritual hunger. I had read this somewhere “oceans have dried up, mountains have crumbled, pole star is shaking, the earth founders, The GODS have perished” Just like you go to a new place for a while and wish to go back to your house because you aren’t treated well at the new place. That’s the way even Ganeshji must be feeling when he comes to us today. We just expect him to kill our sadness but what about the pain that we give him by not respecting the nature. If I think of it the root cause is that no one cares for the nature today. All I can see Ganeshji doing today is while we sing, dance and pray in front of him he must be weeping inside or prolly he has not even come to us.
People usually turn to God when they are empty stomach but with me I turned my back when I was empty stomach and promised to work hard for myself and earn the name and respect. But still I don’t insolence him as am an nonbeliever. But I feel am a better person being agnostic since I don’t expect anything from him and don’t treat him well once in a blue moon.
We ask for so much from him but have we ever thought what he must be expecting from us and do we do a little to give what he expects from us?

If one really loves him, then take care of mother earth by taking little things like cleanliness, making people around you aware about not throwing Kachra on roads and off the windows on the track. It hurts me when I see people spitting on roads while they are carrying the Ganpati, it hurts when I see people throwing plastic bags of flowers and sweet wrapper,. Did he ask you to do this? I can see Ganesha pinching his nose while he crosses open bins and we proudly sing to him at that point expecting him to be fine. We clean houses for him but make him walk through pot holes and garbage bins why cant all be responsible and spread a word of cleanliness. This holds no offense to anyone, if you feel you are not of the ones who do this, there are many who do it, don’t ignore when you see some ignorant person next time. And let’s hope Ganesha will be received in a better way next year.
He doesn’t need loud music or expensive decorations all he needs is that you worship and keep him in your heart always and he will kill your agony. Treating him well for one day and not caring for him rest of the year is not what he wants you to do. I speak on this festival specifically coz I don’t believe in any religion other than ART hence I say “ART IS MY RELIGION”. As a kid i have always heard of him as"KALECHA GURU” (GOD OF ART). Its coz of this is have a corner for him. And if through him I can spread a word for making this place a better place to live I ll take his help instead of chanting “time being” prayers to him for selfish reasons.