Ganesh pooja festival has begun, the festivities will continue for upto ten days. what began as lokmanya tilaks effort to bring people together through sarvajanik ganeshotsav has become a circus of money + power + noise + commuters nightmare…
money has become important since the media started reporting collections of the large mandals , the same lord presides in every devotees heart yet the clamour to have darshan of the largest and most wealthy persists. I do not seek to belittle the festivities , just that as an observer i feel that the time has come to reign in the runaway festivities.. yes a lot has been done in terms of curbing the noise pollution and the water pollution at the time of immersion , there is still room for improvement. as we thank the lord for all that he has given us let us refrain from destroying the very gifts that are given to us.
The money collected is used for the welfare of the people , this is not in doubt. in hindu tradition no person would touch the wealth of the lord. except for distribution to his devotees in various forms.
The commuting nightmare begins a week before the start of the festival with roadside pandals occupying as much space as possible, making vehicle and people movement restricted.
No wonder the vehicle of the lord is futuristic , envisioning the current state of roads and the traffic , he chose the smallest possible vehicle….. the mouse.
wish i could get a mouse as a vehicle … on second thought i do have it on my computer.