In my home there is a tradition of bringing Ganapati to worship, for ages together ,[ precisely for more then 100 may be 125 years]. In olden days, some great, great ancestor, brought the image and we started performing his pooja ,piously every year.The rituals have definitely changed, so have the other things but as the sentiments are firmly etched, they are mostly the same.
Entire Ganesh Puja ,that the priest renders, has evolved, [gone from bad to worse] considerably over the past few years, may be decades. Especially in Cities.Young generation does not understand Sanskrut', it's literally alpha beta kappa for them So when the priest recites 'स्नानार्थंम उदकम समर्पयामि' every half baked pious feels , 'He has done a great job'. which in fact if said in any vernac language, will lose its entire pious religious fervor. It means 'Offer, water to the God for bath !' This is just a tip of the ice berg. On every psalm [ Shlok] rendered in that peculiar tone, the disciple gets the divine feeling[ but mundane ] In fact all these simple verses in Sanskrut are nothing but as if instructions given to a KG pupil to recite, 1.Pour water, 2.Anoint the Idol with perfume, 3.Decorate with flowers, 4.Present more that 80 types of tree twigs 5. Offer cloth to wear....oh so many things !
The Ganesh Pooja if has to be performed in most traditional way, then all the recitals and rituals those are mandatory, must be stuck to. They should be performed with utmost precision as told by the priest but it is losing the very essence of the festival. 1st casualty on the altar is duration.Totally engulfed by the 'vittesse' of the city life, it's done in a jiffy. On the said day as the priests are in huge demand [ which we have created ] they would hardly cover, not more than 5 houses,if done with precision.And at times they are through it as if they are being chased by the most ferocious tiger. So alternative is to resort to electronic media, our new era gadget, 'The Sound System.' And thus the first casualty is the Essence !
The entire festival which Lok. Tilak started, around 1 and 1/2 century ago was totally different than the way it is celebraed today. . It was not as if, the Ganapati was not worshiped in the yester years ,but it was restricted to the households and was individualistic.So no social interaction on the mass scale. So the step one was, 'To erect a common platform for people to fight against British.' He made the common people to come out in such a large numbers, that the British rule felt feel the pressure, in the long run. There were many different reasons to give it a "Public Platform ". Take Patriotism for example.It was cultivated to ingrain cleverly, 'The need for freedom' in the common man on the street ! To inculcate the patriotic ferver, many groups comprising both boys and girls were formed those filled the roads,up the to brim with overflowing enthusiasm. Girls wore petticoat and blouse and Boys in traditional dhoti with Puneri Pagadi, and Sherwani shirt. All the Marathi's from different castes and creed came forward as volunteers for the entire procession with innumerable ballads of bravery and patriotic songs playing on their lips.They performed on the stage in groups called as Me'le' .They staged skits, with messages for social reforms, religion and health. Podium was erected specifically to reach out to the people in large numbers,for the mass education and to flair up the hatred against the British empire.The ultimate and the most important goal was to unite different people and societies,to form a cohesive Indian society that would resist the British as one united front ! Over the years, say Today, it has changed so drastically, that if some one from that era, lands in the present,will definitely get the shock of his life ! Maybe, he would lose the marbles too ! Today's Festival is full with corruption and has become money laundering kiosk, with big players, 'La King makers', on the board belonging to the political party that does not go beyond the interests of Baramati! Thus making the entire festival, carcass of old glory, of good values, talents, political acumen and sheer wisdom !The noise, if at all, allowed, must be restricted only to 'Arati and while rendering some Religious psalms, [with fervour, for only recital purpose]. It would be really good and also to a certain extent, understandable and pardonable if played with due understanding. God too would have loved, these lyrical soul-stirring renditions in a soft melodious tone. Alas.......! Addition of the instruments, most glaringly creating the worst cacophony, with some obscene songs having "below the belt double en-tenders'', [meaning,], is just horrible and unpardonable! The entire scenario has become absolutely obscene and lewd! It is abhorring and annoying.to every right-thinking citizen. And THE god? Does he reside in that idol where his [so called ] disciples beat the drums in the unending ear-splitting marathon which may deafen everybody or is it, that the GOD himself is deaf and unless you shout, it does not reach him or he can not hear any sound below the decibels of the beating of drums! Where is that soothing solace, that one gets from within which makes one experience oneness with him?
And to cap the gaudy and vulgar display of wealth every idol is being embellished with gold in tonnes. It's as if, there is a competition between idols at different places, 'Who is the richest one ?' And would the disciples lag behind? These idols are getting Gold in kilos in a donation! A young social worker from Beed whom I know is fighting a losing battle to raise money for the orphanage he is running for destitute children, especially daughters of the farmers who have committed suicide. Where do these Gold hearted disciples vanish when it comes to donating the money to these 'Really' needy ones?
Perhaps our priorities are going haywire. With the dawn of the 21st century, the society which should have embraced Science with open arms is perhaps going backwards and has started taking pride in an obsolete concept that is God and it's paraphernalia 'Religion.' In Indian context 'Caste' taking the crown!
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