MUMBAI: The lockdown separation appears to have fuelled a deep joy of reunion between god and devotee at Ganeshotsav 2022. After two years of a bereft Bhadrapad, streets and bazaars were filled with worshipers eager to welcome the elephant god on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi on Tuesday.
Lakhs of beauteous Ganpati idols with big ears, smiling eyes and long trunks were led to homes and sarvajanik pandals, one hand raised in blessing the other bearing the gift of a modak.
Early birds have been camping outside the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal since four days, placing children and luggage to secure their spot in the queue.
Astrologer Jayendra Salgaonkar, director of the 50-year-old Kalnirnay almanac, said, “Midnoon time is important for the Ganesh Puja on Ganesh Chaturthi. This year the time spans 11.25am to 1.55pm. Performing puja in this span would be more appropriate. But if it is not possible to do so, then one can do so anytime during the day. If finding a priest is difficult then one can perform the ritual oneself. Doing it with full dedication is more important.” Kalnirnay has devised a puja app in Marathi in audio format with a checklist of items required, aartis to be sung, and instructions for Sthapna and Uttar puja.
Festive sales picked up robustly. In Dadar, idol vendors ran out of Pen moortis over the weekend and said they had ordered fresh stocks that would arrive on the eve of the festival. Tuesday morning, modaks were over at sweetmeat shops like Gaurishankar. Flower sellers like Pravin Phodse in Dadar Market were busy emptying sacks of marigold into cane baskets, and red cloth used for puja was not available in areas of Dadar-Lalbaug-Parel. The state government has encouraged a full fledged celebration after two pandemic-ridden years, waived the mandal fee of Rs 100, and a feeling of freedom is palpable in the air.
In Prabhadevi, the owner of Modakam Restaurant Pushkaraj Gaikar said, “People are celebrating three times more than before. Earlier they would purchase our ‘ukdiche modak’ only for personal consumption but now they are also buying to offer to the deity at Siddhivinayak temple next door.”
Ganesh Vadvel of the Mumbaicha Maharaja mandal of 11th Lane Khetwadi said, “Ganeshotsav is the biggest street shopping festival, more than Diwali. Migrant moortikars from Kolkata, UP and Bihar, mandap workers from Konkan, decorators, sound and light professionals, balloon sellers, garment shops, down to those who prepare ‘pattis’ (strips) with Lord Ganesh’s name, and vada pao sellers, all say this is the greatest annual income earner for them.”
Lakhs of beauteous Ganpati idols with big ears, smiling eyes and long trunks were led to homes and sarvajanik pandals, one hand raised in blessing the other bearing the gift of a modak.
Early birds have been camping outside the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal since four days, placing children and luggage to secure their spot in the queue.
Astrologer Jayendra Salgaonkar, director of the 50-year-old Kalnirnay almanac, said, “Midnoon time is important for the Ganesh Puja on Ganesh Chaturthi. This year the time spans 11.25am to 1.55pm. Performing puja in this span would be more appropriate. But if it is not possible to do so, then one can do so anytime during the day. If finding a priest is difficult then one can perform the ritual oneself. Doing it with full dedication is more important.” Kalnirnay has devised a puja app in Marathi in audio format with a checklist of items required, aartis to be sung, and instructions for Sthapna and Uttar puja.
Festive sales picked up robustly. In Dadar, idol vendors ran out of Pen moortis over the weekend and said they had ordered fresh stocks that would arrive on the eve of the festival. Tuesday morning, modaks were over at sweetmeat shops like Gaurishankar. Flower sellers like Pravin Phodse in Dadar Market were busy emptying sacks of marigold into cane baskets, and red cloth used for puja was not available in areas of Dadar-Lalbaug-Parel. The state government has encouraged a full fledged celebration after two pandemic-ridden years, waived the mandal fee of Rs 100, and a feeling of freedom is palpable in the air.
In Prabhadevi, the owner of Modakam Restaurant Pushkaraj Gaikar said, “People are celebrating three times more than before. Earlier they would purchase our ‘ukdiche modak’ only for personal consumption but now they are also buying to offer to the deity at Siddhivinayak temple next door.”
Ganesh Vadvel of the Mumbaicha Maharaja mandal of 11th Lane Khetwadi said, “Ganeshotsav is the biggest street shopping festival, more than Diwali. Migrant moortikars from Kolkata, UP and Bihar, mandap workers from Konkan, decorators, sound and light professionals, balloon sellers, garment shops, down to those who prepare ‘pattis’ (strips) with Lord Ganesh’s name, and vada pao sellers, all say this is the greatest annual income earner for them.”