Ganeshutsav: Societal Consequences

By Hrishikesh Utpat

India is a land of one God and many gods – 33 crore at last count. One of the most popular figures in this overwhelming pantheon is Lord Ganpati, also known as Ganesh. Easily identified by his elephant-head and protruding belly, Lord Ganpati – in his role as ?????????? (vighnaharta) – is the remover of obstacles. The patron of arts, knowledge and learning, one of His lesser-known accomplishments is writing the Mahabharat; according to most narratives, the Sage Vyas recited the Mahabharat, while Ganpati wrote it down.

The festival traditionally associated with Lord Ganpati is the Ganeshutsav, which celebrates his birth. It commences on Shukla Chaturthi (fourth day of the waning moon) during the month of Bhaadrapat as per the Shaka calendar. In the Gregorian paradigm, this date usually falls between 19th August and 20th September. The festival lasts until Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period) – a period of 10 days. During this period, Lord Ganpati is supposed to bless the Earth with His presence.

Maharashtra – specifically the cities of Mumbai and Pune – is a focal point of these celebrations. In 2013, the Ganeshutsav was celebrated from the 9^th to the 18^th of September.

Origins of Ganeshutsav

Ganpati emerges as a popular figure by the Gupta age (4^th and 5^th century CE). Subsequent inroads into South East Asia by Indian civilization during the Gupta (320-550 CE) and Chola (1000-1200 CE) empires has made Ganpati a celebrated deity in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma as well.

It was by the initiative of Lokmanya Tilak that the celebration of Ganeshutsav was transformed from a private affair to a social event. Realizing the enormous potential of mass-based celebrations in achieving the twin aims of social reform and mobilizing national sentiment against British imperialism, Lokmanya Tilak started community-based celebration of Ganeshutsav in 1893.

Under the Lokmanya’s leadership, the Ganeshutsav celebrations transcended the otherwise ritualistic and stagnant God-worship prevalent in India. It became a platform for educating the masses about the excesses of British rule in India as well as addressing social evils such as the caste system. People attended the festivities irrespective of their caste or religion – an otherwise unseen phenomenon. It is this legacy that endures till date.

Present day celebrations

Today, if one were to walk in the midst of Ganeshutsav celebrations – and such celebrations are always flamboyantly public – one would see a multi-coloured tribute to the diverse fabric of Indian civilization. People of all religions, castes, ethnicity and languages come together to worship this calm, benevolent God.

This is also a period of hitherto unseen social cohesion. People are seen to be more cooperative, more tolerant and more patient. Traffic jams are greeted with indulgent smiles, while jostling crowds freely apologize with humility. Eve-teaser – those perennial pariah plaguing every mass gathering – are ever-wary, least their acts are caught by mobs and subsequently punished by those multitudes who seek to protect women. Every aarti is followed by public distribution of Prasad – strangers momentarily bond over fistfuls of sugar, jaggery and coconut. This rare display of camaraderie is unique.

The public celebration of Ganeshutsav is channelized through the organization of “mandals” or groups. Using community contributions termed “vargani”, these mandals put up colourful displays showcasing various events from mythology. Many mandals also use this opportunity to create public awareness on issues of social significance, such as environmental concerns or HIV/AIDs. The end of the Ganeshutsav is marked by long processions and the ??????? (visarjan) – submergence – of the Ganesh idol into rivers or lakes. Taking note of the threat of environmental damage caused by these idols, people take necessary precautions. The idols are made of natural clay, which dissolves rapidly into the water and the colours used for making the idol are natural. Quite often, there are separate water tanks provided for submerging the idols, so that the main water body is not polluted.

The procession preceding the submergence of the idol is an important event. Most mandals have troupes of dhol-taasha (a type of traditional percussion instrument) to accompany the idol. These troupes play a variety of complex percussion sequences and are often accompanied by traditional dancers. The sight of highly-disciplined, artistically competent and uniformed youth celebrating whilst maintaining decorum and without any untoward incident is reassuring.

Much Left Wanting

And yet, to present Ganeshutsav celebrations as a perfect, utopian instance of social behaviour would be stretching the truth by quite a margin. Objectively speaking, in purely numerical terms, the number of anti-social elements fostered by the Ganeshutsav is far more than the constructive ones.

Ganeshutsav mandals are dominated by local politicians and small-time goons. The collection of contribution is sometimes done by coercion; a recent ruling by the Bombay High Court had termed it as such. An unfortunate common occurrence during Ganeshutsav is eve-teasing. Despite steps taken by the police, mandals and vigilant citizens, there are still enough instances for women to feel unsafe.

Another major issue is that of pollution. Many mandals put up loud speakers in their displays whose volume levels are often much beyond the prescribed limit of 65 decibels, causing sound pollution. The submergence of the idols made of plaster of Paris (which is insoluble) and synthetic colour damages the river eco-system. The Ganeshutsav also compounds traffic problems in cities which are already over-burdened. Displays are built on roadsides, and often encroach onto streets. The processions also create bottlenecks. This is the source of great inconvenience to commuters.

Conclusion

In many ways, the Ganeshutsav represents both the best and the worst society has to offer. On one hand, we have rare instances of societal cooperation; on the other, we have an excellent platform where the worst in people is expressed.

The vision of the Lokmanya is pertinent here. Few would disagree that Indian society is in the midst of an existentialist crisis; public life seems to be almost complete devoid of morality and social behaviour. There is need to create awareness and instil consciousness in the mob. Infant steps are being taken in this direction; but these are clearly not enough. 120 years on, the Ganeshutsav is still an excellent – and under-utilized – platform for addressing this issue.