ganpati (part 2: the deities)

while the first day was busy with the bustle of the home puja, the next few days out and about were full of their own kind of craziness (and this is most decidedly not the craziest part of this festival, mind you).

i was eager to get out and see these ganpatis that were supposed to be lining the streets. i joined a friend and we wandered through the streets, annoyed by the vague advice we were given, when asked where to look: 'they're everywhere'. well it turns out this advice was spot on. they are indeed everywhere. we didn't get more than 50 meters past the train station (ville parle, in case you're keeping track) when we approached our first ganpati, housed in a tent of tarps, as they usually seem to be. we approached each one, removed our shoes, folded our hands respectfully, gave some coins as offerings, (my friend paused as i took the requisite picture(s), and we received prasad on our way out - usually nuts and little sugared balls, although the fancier places gave out modak. within the first half hour we must have seen at least half a dozen ganpatis, which is pretty good since my friend was told one should aim to see about seven (though i later heard nine as well). we must have at least doubled that by the end of our two-hour excursion.

the next day i had a similar encounter in a different part of town (farther south, near grant road) with a different friend. she must have gotten the inside scoop, because we saw some fantastic specimens - and some of the bigger ones i've seen, or even heard about.

the murti themselves are so varied i'm sure i won't be able to do them justice, so i'll let these pictures do the talking for me..

one of the first we saw.. i was interested in the environment they had created (and the changing lights were a nice touch as well.)

while most have that typically white/shiny appearance (which incidentally is generally plaster of paris) there was some nice variety. i appreciated the differences in color and shape this one used.

why is this ganesh so shiny? it's covered in buttons! over 80,000 of them. in past years the same idol has been made using chocolate, garam masala (spices), dried fruit, and stationery. resourceful indeed!

note the smaller deity image, which typically is placed before the main image. this is so that devotees can come up to take darshan and give offerings. also of interest - while most of the ganpatis we saw were in tents, some (like the ones in this village we wandered into) are simply placed in alleyways.

..and then others are housed in incredibly elaborate pandals like this one. we spent quite a while marveling and taking pictures of this fantastic setting. it's so nice that taking pictures is allowed (and that people do it so widely.. making me feel slightly less awkward about the process) though at this particular one the pandit was getting a little annoyed - too much clicking not enough darshan.

  

i thought this one deserved another shot, magnificent as it was. you don't quite get a sense of the size here, but it's about 14 feet tall. it's one of the 'big 5' ganpatis in mumbai. the biggest of these can draw lines that take hours, literally, (the average wait is about five) to reach the deity. if this sounds crazy, now imagine these same 10-20 foot deities being carried on canopies and paraded through streets teeming with masses of people. that's what's going to happen on the 10th day.

these few shots just scratch the surface - i must have seen over 25 ganpatis (well over the quota, whew) and that was only covering two very small areas. just thinking about the number there must be in this city is mind-boggling.

jackpot

a team of govindas greet their fans

so, as i mentioned, yesterday was krishna's birthday, a holiday known as janmashtani or locally as dahi handi. basically the story goes that as a boy krishna was very mischievous and was well-known for stealing butter. but since the pots were up on high shelves, he needed his friends' help to reach the delicious buttery goodness. so in his honor, teams of kids (boys and girls, respectively - called govindas) get together and make human pyramids to try to reach the clay pots strung up high (which now also come with a healthy monetary sum). so i guess the idea is to encourage friendship and teamwork (with the ultimate goal of doing something you're not supposed to do..)

the teammates themselves are known as 'govindas' and they seem to cruise around the city all day in their trucks and matching shirts, waving and gesticulating to any and all onlookers. these clay pots are strung up all over the city and it's not clear to me whether teams travel around to attempt more than one pot-break or if it's more of a one-and-done type of situation.

scrambling up the pyramid

in any case, the spectacle that we witnessed on our street all happened quite quickly. which perhaps was why people started gathering so early to grab a good spot. i mean, you wouldn't want to miss the action. the team assembles and before you even realize they've started, the boys (or girls) have already formed the base and are well on their way to the second tier. we watched them form a pyramid, determine it wasn't tall enough, and sort of collapse in on themselves. luckily, no injuries. though - side note - the smallest one does wear a helmet. though it looks like it's probably made of foam.

by the time they started their second attempt i was able to grab my video recorder, which (unfortunately) does a better job of explaining this than i do. i'm not sure whether they reconfigured or just grabbed another kid in a yellow shirt, but whatever they did, it must have worked. the pyramid rose up high enough, and as the smallest boy was lifted up on to his friend's shoulders the crowd started to cheer. this all reached its climax when the helmeted boy reached up to the clay pot and broke it (word to the wise: don't use your head, like john abraham, or you may injure your face. go figure), thus releasing some kind of muddy orangey liquid (not butter) which spilled down onto the group below.

said sea of yellow

this is followed by much jubilation as the team comes down, returns to the streets, and the cheering crowds part for the victors. they seem beside themselves. a sea of yellow drifts by, all smiles and waves to their adoring fans. i guess it's not often you have the undivided attention of your whole town at the age of 12.

i should add that i discovered that these events (or the cash prizes, anyway) are largely sponsored by political parties and/or celebrities. this would seems to tinge the event's otherwise innocent origins. what would krishna say..