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Ganesha has PM, Musharraf for company : The Times of India
In keeping with the times, Lord Ganesha will sport his `socio-political` credentials at pandals across the city this year. If he will decry the desecration of Buddha idols by the Taliban at one pandal, at another, he will hold fort with Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in the backdrop of the Taj.
In keeping with the times, Lord Ganesha will sport his ‘socio-political’ credentials at pandals across the city this year. If he will decry the desecration of Buddha idols by the Taliban at one pandal, at another, he will hold fort with Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in the backdrop of the Taj.
In other words, it’s back to socially relevant themes at the Ganpati pandals in the city. More than a century after Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the movement of sarvajanik Ganpati celebrations to create a feeling of ‘national and religious unity’ among Maharashtrians, it will once again be fashionable to speak about social and contemporary issues. Like, the devastating quake that struck Gujarat on January 26. Leading the pack of New Age Ganpati pandals will be the one organised by Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam. Here, Ganesha will be placed in a mammoth set depicting a Buddha idol - a replica of the AD 5th century one at Bamiyan - situated in a valley between Kuh-i-Baba peaks, west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The only difference between these two Buddhas is that the original idol at Bamiyan was 175-ft high, while its replica at Marol, Andheri, is just 24-ft high. As Shalini Bharat, a psychologist at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, puts it: ‘‘It’s becoming a trend to pick up socially relevant themes for Ganpati pandals.’’ She traces the emergence of the new socially active Ganesha to the emotional outpour after Mother Teresa’s death. ‘‘The movement gained momentum after the Kargil war in 1999,’’ she says. There could be several reasons for the emergence of the theme-based Ganpatis. ‘‘It is perhaps the pandal organisers’ way of showing that they are socially aware. It could also be a way of expressing their solidarity or resentment or anger for a cause,’’ says Bharat.
There is also the larger-than-life spirit of competition. ‘‘Each pandal wants to show how contemporary or innovative their theme is. They also want to showcase their craftsmanship or the cost incurred,’’ she adds.
Bureau Report
In other words, it’s back to socially relevant themes at the Ganpati pandals in the city. More than a century after Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the movement of sarvajanik Ganpati celebrations to create a feeling of ‘national and religious unity’ among Maharashtrians, it will once again be fashionable to speak about social and contemporary issues. Like, the devastating quake that struck Gujarat on January 26. Leading the pack of New Age Ganpati pandals will be the one organised by Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam. Here, Ganesha will be placed in a mammoth set depicting a Buddha idol - a replica of the AD 5th century one at Bamiyan - situated in a valley between Kuh-i-Baba peaks, west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The only difference between these two Buddhas is that the original idol at Bamiyan was 175-ft high, while its replica at Marol, Andheri, is just 24-ft high. As Shalini Bharat, a psychologist at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, puts it: ‘‘It’s becoming a trend to pick up socially relevant themes for Ganpati pandals.’’ She traces the emergence of the new socially active Ganesha to the emotional outpour after Mother Teresa’s death. ‘‘The movement gained momentum after the Kargil war in 1999,’’ she says. There could be several reasons for the emergence of the theme-based Ganpatis. ‘‘It is perhaps the pandal organisers’ way of showing that they are socially aware. It could also be a way of expressing their solidarity or resentment or anger for a cause,’’ says Bharat.
There is also the larger-than-life spirit of competition. ‘‘Each pandal wants to show how contemporary or innovative their theme is. They also want to showcase their craftsmanship or the cost incurred,’’ she adds.
Bureau Report