GANPATI BAPPA MORYA

“Ganpati Bappa Morya! Phudchya Varshi Lavkar Ya!”- DHAN TE NAN…..
MUSIC! FIRE CRACKERS! DANCING! CHANTING! GULAAL! EVE TEASING! DRINKING! FIGHTING! And of course… the lord!!
They were all out on the streets to bid adieu to their beloved Bappa. Dancing and singing while he headed to his final abode! Music was playing –LOUD AND CLEAR. Old couples cringed, babies cried, others yelled in their houses to speak to each other. For instance, “Dinner is served” became “DINNER IS SERVED! DID YOU HEAR? DINNER IS…” But that’s the price they got to pay for having a low religious quotient! What were they doing inside anyways???
It is because of such people that a little movement of traffic was possible! Had they too been as religious and pious as their fellowmen then the roads would have been barred of any moment or activity but for the roaring processions. Bappa Morya!
What a holy evening that was when no one was allowed to have any emergency or work of any kind… each and everyone had to surrender to the mighty Ganesha. Bappa Morya!
Of course everyone knew when Anant Chaturdashi was and thus everyone had enough time to prepare themselves for this occasion. Either you make noise or disappear. Also how religious and devoted we have become over the years was proclaimed by every political hoardings that illegally hung from between trees and lamp posts…one above the other…one behind the other… with the beaming faces of our do gooders!
Devotion was in full display and could have been measured that evening in decibels and generator capacities. Nothing was going to be held back for the love of the lord and even if it needed gulping down the forbidden liquid to show him our limitless supply of energy and stamina- it was going to be done! Bappa Morya!
The songs played made no reference to the lord but they gyrated the beats that were essential to keep the feet moving and the eyes exchanging naughty glances! The air was thick…with prayers of the sufferers and smoke of the pious. Security was provided to make sure that nobody caused any disturbances to the hordes of devotees who danced in the middle of the streets, yelled at motorists who were not as devoted as them and made cat calls to girls who simply stood by to watch and did not dance with them- atheist girls!

God looked over all of this and smiled. After all it was done to please him. It was all done only for him… and will be done year after year until of course he wishes otherwise! Bappa Morya!

Religion is the biggest scam of the human race!!

This might shock a few, infuriate many and scandalize some. However the fact that this will happen is proof enough for my above statement!! ‘Coz the moment any other person begins to dictate my religious beliefs or notions to me they loose their most primary attribute- that of being my very personal and intimate belief system. Is it not that what religion or god is supposed to be? It is only between you and the power above. No one is meant to be concerned or bothered about it.

However keeping with our nature to complicate all things simple- for the sake of vested interest sometimes and at times out of stupidity- we have made religion into an all encompassing charade of hate, politics and hypocrisy! And how well have we used it to manipulate society! The brilliance of man!

Consider this- Hindu scriptures state that god is omnipresent and has no shape or form. Giving any shape and form to this power is demeaning and degrading the very stature of this power. Now this not only makes sense spiritually but also socially for most of the problems we face today are because someone said this is how Ganpati looks and any disrespect to that shape calls for protests. One breaks a coconut and finds a Ganesha like shape inside it- even an eye straining one- the coconut is worshipped and revered. Does that mean there is no god in the rest of the coconuts that satisfy your needs? I say how do you decide this is how he looks and this is the only shape he has??? Who gives you the right to tell me that this is how my god looks???

Most ancient religious practices are governed by nothing but a science of convenience and brilliance I may add. Like fasting was introduced so that one could ration the food intake and give a break to the digestive system. It never was meant to be your barometer of devotion. Today however it is. Chips are allowed and so are fruit juices. You can lie, cheat and steal all through the day but you are pious because you missed your meal!

Last night I was informed of another such anecdote of our beloved Ganesha. It turns out that many centuries ago the soldiers wore masks to cover their face and because the elephant was the symbol of strength and might, the masks were designed to look like the mammoth animal. They had the large ears to protect the soldier’s sides and a trunk to protect his throat and chest. The Ganesh Chaturthi was far from beginning till then! Does that give some reasoning with reference to the look of our beloved sweet toothed Bappa? Further on a group of these soldiers were referred as ‘gan’ meaning group and their head became the ‘gan-pati’!!!!! Now, tell me about the mysterious aura of devotion and its shapes!!

The problem is never with who believes what, the problem begins when you begin to influence each others beliefs. If nothing else I can state one thing for sure! Religion can only be personal. It can only be formless and mysterious. We are not meant to know too much about it except that being truthful and sincere and peaceful is all that we are supposed to be.