Mumbai Ganapati Visarjan

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A Hindu festival that was once only limited to people's homes was transformed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak to bring people together and spread awareness and the result was Grand scale celebrations of Ganeshotsav/Ganapati Festival; which with time, has grown larger than life! Ganapati Visarjan is the perfect time to witness the scale of this Mega-festival of Maharashtra.

For 10 days Lord Gananapati is celebrated  with great devotion and Zeal. Huge Pandals decorated like palaces witness cultural programs including Bhajan recitals and Dance performances.

Devotees stand in long ques for hours to get a glimpse of their beloved deity, for Darshan/sight that inspires a spiritual connection with the divine. Its not uncommon to find tears trickle down someone's cheeks at such a time and place. 

At some places, even fairs are held. Usually such big Pandals celebrate the festival for 11 days, some for even 21 days! The city immerses itself in excitement and exhilaration of the festival.

Letting go someone you love is difficult, yetnecessary...for how will we meet again, if we never part ways? One may argue, If according to Hinduism, God resides within us how can we ever part ways? The answer is simple - a drop though is one with Ocean when in ocean, alone it travels the world to finally again be one with the Ocean. In body, we too are just a drop, a part but apart. 

Towards the end of the festival, Mumbaikars prepare to bid adieu to their beloved Ganesha, with a hope to see him soon the next year. With Dance and Music, with Drums and firecrackers, huge processions accompany Ganapati to bid farewell. 

Ganpati images from homes are brought out with cries of "Ganapati Bappa morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya". The latter half translates as "come back soon again the next year", while the former half goes much deeper. 

Morya Gosavi was a famous devotee of Lord Ganesh in 14th century. The words 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' depict the inseparable relationship between a Devotee and God. Today, all Devotees of Lord Ganesh are called Morya.
while the smaller Images are carried by people in their hands, the bigger ones ride on Trucks and other vehicles.

The procession is no less than a King's Parade. The carnival travels slowly, inching its way towards the Sea, where the Lord's images are  immersed. People dance all the way on the beats of drums (with changing times, on DJ's music too) 

 

One of the best spots to be at during Ganesh Visarjan is near Versova Beach. The number of different Ganesha images one gets to see here in a small interval of time is mind blowing! With camera in my hands, I was at the perfect spot at perfect time...until it started to drizzle. It was time to cover the Images to protect them. Oh wait! weren't these people taking the Ganesha images to be immersed in water afterall? Yes, but you don't just push your guests out of your house and get rid of them; you lovingly see them off, atleast the ones you are so fond of.

Its a sea of People out there on the night of Ganpati Visarjan, literally!Thanks to Mumbai Police, BMC staff and volunteers of various NGOs, this Mega-event goes smoothly. People travel with Ganesha Images on trucks as well as walk behind the trucks. This goes on till late night. The energy of this city on this day is amazing!

I remained there as long as I could, finally to return home totally drained of all my energy but drenched in the an exhilarating experience! 

|| Ganpati Bappa Morya ||

Mumbai Ganapati Darshan

||श्री||

A few days back, while reading an article, two sentences caught my attention - 

 "The Sanskrit term “darshan,” means sight. It is often used to describe an immediate spiritual connection that can occur while looking upon a representation of a Hindu deity."

Right from the beginning of Ganesotsav/Ganapati Festival, one of my childhood friend, Aniruddha Sukhatankar, has been, on Facebook, regularly updating photographs of different Ganpati pandals that he visited each day. While chatting with him I asked, "how about we share these photographs with a wider audience, helping them get Darshan of the beautiful Deities." He enthusiastically e-mailed me his collection along with the details of their location in Mumbai. The Photographs are many, and time to edit and upload is limited, So more will be added later. All the credits go to Aniruddha Sukhatankar for bringing us these beautiful photographs. May Lord Ganapati bless us all. 

||Ganapati Bappa Moriya ||

Lalbaugcha Raja

Ganesh Gully, Lalbaug

Santacruzcha Raja 

A huge Ganpati idol made of 32,000 pencils in Malad, Mumbai.

GSB Seva Mandal, Wadala 

Dadar, Near Podar College

Manish Nagar, Andheri (w) 

Malad

Santacruz

Vile Parle (East)

Andheri Station (East)

Chikhalwadicha Ganpati, Grant Road

Akhil Chandanwadi, Marine Lines

Chirabazaarcha Raja, Marine Lines

Nikadwari Lane, Charni Road

Grant Road 

Onam Sadya in Mumbai - tasting God's own Food

||श्री||

While standing outside this restaurant, On Onam evening, salivating due to the aroma  emanating from its Kitchen, I looked back at the day and the events that led me here. No, nothing dramatic - just a phone call from my friend late afternoon. I stood in the jam-packed waiting area for atleast half an hour, looking around at the elite crowd, knowing that inside they were all salivating, same as me, and trying hard not to let the foodie  inside take over, not ateast yet. It was like standing at the start line of a marathon race, waiting for the signal. I even saw a kid shout "yes!" with excitement, as his father's name was called from the list. 

Oh by the way, did I mention that I spotted Kalki Koechlin sitting inside? Sorry, no photographs, I'm no Paparazzi!

Soon we were sitting at our table with  Banana leaf in front of us and thus began our feast at the restaurant Banana Leaf, Versova, Mumbai.

While waiting for the food to arrive, I started reading the menu stand.

It somehow reminded me of my school. Legend of King Mahabali, Snake boat race, OnaSadya and Kaikottikali dance are the things about Onam I've only read in books and watched on TV till now. Today, Thanks to my friend, Vaishali Bharadwaj, for the 1st time, I was about to taste Onasadya - atleast one thing checked off the list!

  

Number of delicacies to be served - 14! The food Connoisseur in me jumped with joy! Actually, these 14 were the main items, excluding chutney, pickle and such. If these too were included, the total number would rise beyond 20!

before we move ahead, Let me tell you what I learnt about Sadya:

Sadya Means banquet in Malayalam. It is a typical feast of the people of Kerala that is traditionally a vegetarian meal served on a Banana Leaf. A Sadya can have about 24-28 dishes served as a single course.

The meal started with Pazam Pori - for rest of India, Banana Pakoda. Since I was totally unfamiliar with the dishes and their names, I requested the staff to acquaint us with them while serving, to which they pleasantly obliged. It was difficult to keep up, but I tried...and the ones that I couldn't remember, I tried asking for another serving with North Indian equivalent terms.

I was pleasantly surprised when one of the staff requested us to call them whenever we need another serving of any of the dishes, if they are not able to attend to us in time due to the huge number of customers to be attended - Honesty, Politeness and Decorum, keeping in touch with the traditional Indianness. The staff was really well mannered and pleasant, even after serving hordes of Foodies for the whole day. I wondered, how could they maintain the standards and etiquette after serving wave after wave of Food enthusiasts! Right from top to bottom levels of staff, each member served with a smile, a genuine one.

Soon my Banana Leaf was full with mouth watering delicacies, while few yet remained to arrive! Time to get to work, Foodie.

Of all the delicacies, I couldn't stop myself from asking for a few more servings of Pazam Pori, Appam, Banana Halwa and the two different types of Payasam. Also, the Mix Veg. Soup served in the beginning was amazing - loaded with spices with a dominant taste of Garlic. The Traditional Kerala motifs used for interiors along with Traditional music in the background (at comfortably low volume) created a relaxing ambiance. Lost in the aroma, taste and sound, for a while I was in a state of Nirvana. With my belly stretched beyond its limits, I cleaned my Leaf. The meal ended with Elaichi Banana and Paan (Betel Leaf).

Just the Perfect end!

I've been to Banana Leaf before, a few times and loved the food and service here; but Onam was a totally divine experience! The Food, the Ambiance and the Staff - all make you want to come here again. Also, the prices here are light on your pocket. For all Mumbaikars my advice - mark the date for next year's Onam in your calendars so that you don't miss out on this ambrosial experience. Never the less, If you are in Mumbai, Banana Leaf is a place a true foodie must check out. 

Banana Leaf, Versova, Mumbai - 

Food Connoisseur's Heaven...

Vegetarians' Pride! 

Bringing Ganpati Home

||श्री||

|| अतिथि देवो भव || -  Atithi Devo Bhava 

- We extend our hospitality to our guests as we would to our Gods...

and when the Lord himself is about to grace your humble abode in guise of  a guest, 

what would you do?

The most awaited festival of Mumbai (and Maharashtra) is here! The entire city is Euphoric on arrival of the Lord loved by one and all - Ganpati/Ganesh. The sound of Nashik Dhol with the cries of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' pervades each and every street. 

Preparations of Ganeshotsav or Ganpati festival begins well before the arrival of the Lord. Ganesh Chaturthi (4th day) of Bhadrapad month of Hindu calender (09 September 2013) marks the beginning of this 11 days long festival. While larger deities adorn big pandals, many people also bring smaller deities of Ganesh to their homes for 1 1/2, 3, 5, 7 0r 11 days. 

Bringing Ganpati home for a few days provides an outlet for an individual's love and devotion for the Lord. It is an opportunity to connect with the divine on a personal level. 

Markets are full of beautiful Ganesh idols before the beginning of the festival. 

This year 'Eco-friendly' Ganpati made up of clay have been in more demand, as opposed to the ones made with Plaster of Paris which do not disintegrate easily. Seems like the Lord of Knowledge has finally blessed people with wisdom to protect and conserve nature. 

Imagine a Heart's joys when the creator of the Universe in guise of a little Idol allows itself to be carried by it devotees. The Divine in the mortal form becomes vulnerable; the protector of the world is now protected by his devotees and the one who feeds every living organism is fed little modaks. 

Faces of Ganesha Idols, are covered with a cloth while bringing them home, to protect them from people's evil eyes. The Almighty, for the love of his devotees, accepts to be vulnerable.

The Ganesha Idols vary in size from a few inches to about 20 feet! people carry them in their hands, on push carts, cars and Trucks, depending on the size. 

with the beats of Nashik Dhol, Lord Ganpati with his devotees cheerfully dancing and chanting his name, travels towards pandals and homes.

In Bhagvad Gita (9.26) Krishna says to Arjun -

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." 

The meaning is what, and deeper than what, it appears. No matter how humble the offering is, the Lord will accept anything offered with love and devotion. 

The offerings are in order of one's spiritual evolution 

- a leaf represents the mere physical action,

- a flower is a devoted mind, a higher level of spiritual connection,

- a Fruit is even higher state of spiritual evolution, where the mind yet recognises itself with

the body. 

- Water is the highest level of spiritual evolution - Transparent and pure, a drop does not differentiate itself with the other, takes the shape of whatever container it is stored in, and continuously travels towards the Sea. 

For the next 11 days Ganesha blesses his devotees with his presence and accepts their humble offerings full of love and devotion. 

Visit the City once during this Festival, and you'll never forget the experience!

|| Ganpati Bappa Morya ||

Gokulashtami - attending Krishna's Birthday party in Mumbai

                                                                                                        || श्री ||
Every year Lord Krishna's birth anniversary is celebrated across the world by his devotees as Gokulashtami, also known as Shri Krishna Janamashtami or simply Janamashtami. This year's Janamashtami proved to be quite exiting for me. An unsuspecting individual receives an invitation to a celebrity's birthday party, the celebrity being Krishna and the individual being your's truly. No, I'm not exaggerating! I had absolutely no plans to even step outside my home and yet ended up being present at 3 different celebrations! 

Every year I'd sit at home fasting and would end my fast after Aarti at midnight. Boring, right?
The day had almost passed pretty much the same way this time too. At dusk while fidgeting with my phone, I started sending messages to close friends, wishing them 'happy gokulashtami'. One of them replied asking if I'd be interested in visiting the ISKCON temple at Juhu, Mumbai. Within next few minutes we were standing in a long Que outside the temple premises, inching our way towards the inside. Smiles are infectious, especially in a crowd soaked in devotion and the place seemed to be struck by an epidemic of it! Its difficult to explain the magic of collective consciousness; you have to be there to experience it. All I can say is that for me It was difficult not to smile. 

The decorations inside were breathtaking - the lights, the Flowers, the Colours and the Music! The sight of Hare Krishnas dancing with joy never fails to fill beholders' hearts with bliss. With hands joined together, I stood in front of the Deity of Radha-Krishna, mesmerised. BUMP! and I was back to reality. For a moment I had forgotten that I was standing in a huge crowd eager to catch a glimpse of  the Deities. 

Standing in Que again for Prashad, I received a call from my Guru, who is a student of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, inviting me to the puja at the Gurukul. I jumped with joy - I was invited to the puja at Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia's Vrindavan Gurukul! 

Next stop - Vrindavan Gurukul, JVPD, Mumbai.

At the Gurukul, it wasnt just puja, but a series of mesmerising performances by few of the best classical music talents in the country! As I stood in a crowd of highly talented individuals, I felt pleasantly lost. Just when I was wondering how under qualified I was as compared to the crowd around me, I saw Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma entering the gates! soon he was seated next to Pt. Chaurasia. These are the personalities I've grown up watching on TV - the Living Legends of Indian Classical Music! (I know,Too many exclamation marks in one small paraghaph.)

It was yet to be 12 am - when I'd break my fast and I was lost in the music when I spotted actor Kanwaljit Singh, dressed in a simple white Kurta-payjama, listening to the music recital, standing spellbound near the gate. Such humility!

Right at 12 am, we joyfully made noise - Krishna was born. 

The next morning is celebrated as Gopal Kala or Dahi Handi in Mumbai. All day long Bands of Govindas in truck fulls rally around the city making human pyramids to reach and break Dahi handi tied so high that a fall from this height could kill a man! Its a lot like an extreme version of Pinata, No? 

Again, I had no plans to visit any place where I'd be able to witness these feats! Late afternoon I realised that I needed to buy a few things from market. The nearest was Irla. On my way, I encountered kids from nearby slums dancing. Their Dahi Handi was tied just a little more than a floor high - comparatively safe. The smiles on their faces were just priceless. 

Moving ahead, I was soon caught in Traffic Jam; but right then I saw one of the most beautiful sights ever! The Kid climbed up his Father's shoulders with giggles.

Soon I was at Irla Market, Andheri (west) Mumbai and discovered that the Dahi Handi here was 3 floors high! It would take a human pyramid of atleast 7 to 8 layers to reach this height. Time to stand in the crowd and enjoy!

Every troop gets only one chance to break the Dahi Handi. They practice Hard for this day. The highest prize money this year in Mumbai Dahi Handi was Rs 2 crore! Here, It was 2 lakhs. 

It is an amazing sight to see these Govindas try to reach the Dahi Handi. They try, they fall and again they try, without a bit loss in their enthusiasm. We can all learn a thing or two from this challenging endeavor. 

I have a lot more photographs and experiences of Dahi Handi to share but I limit myself for now with a promise to post them in the next blog. 

All in all this year Gokulastami proved to be my best ever. If you are in Mumbai around this time of the year (Aug end - Sept), It will be a good idea to stick around for a while, for this is the time when Festive season actually begins here. 
                                                        || Hare Krishna ||