Does size really matter?
Lokmanya Tilak, the great Indian leader generated a nationalistic fervour and a sense of bonhomie among the people of Maharashtra in pre-independent India and started the tradition of installing large public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging the idols in rivers, sea, or other water bodies on the eleventh day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
The motive was to bring people together and instill a sense of oneness but over the years, the installations of Ganesh idols have taken newer forms. In the last few decades a new trend emerged: The bigger the size of the idol, the better it seems is the motto. This trend is not just confined in Maharashtra where it all began but has spread to other states, especially to the city of minarets.
With time the meaning of the festival has changed. Earlier people used to focus on prayers, devotional songs and family get-togethers, today, they have been replaced with blaring music, (raunchy numbers), outlandish idols (Ganesha with a cap, six pack and even riding a bike) and showmanship. Colonies are in a bitter battle to install huge idols. Residents take pride in the size of the Ganesha in their locality.
Huge amount is spent in lighting up streets, decorating pandals (people from Bengal are specially brought to the city to decorate pandals) and abominable amount is spent in decoration. In a rare exception there are few who still believe in austerity, Abhishek Roy, student of St Mary’s College, Secunderabad says “The idol that we have chosen is 6 feet tall. I think more than height the devotion and the feeling that we have for the deity is what matters. Bigger idols are mostly meant for show off. It has become a sort of a competition these days to install a taller Ganesh. We choose to get 6 feet idol as it’s enough for our apartment.”
There are a few sane voices in the cacophony, Manasa, a corporate employee says “People look at festivals as a mere celebration nowadays. Being a Hyderabadi the very first thing people talk about during Ganesh Chathurthi is about height of the idol. It is given so much importance that it has become a status symbol or a prestige to host a taller Ganesh than your neighbourhood. Keeping environment in mind, I feel entertainment is good but there is no harm in having a smaller Ganesha which causes less pollution to the water bodies at the end of the festivities”
Even as Raju a member of the organising committee of Khairtabad Ganesh goes ecstatic as he proudly talks about the 58 feet idol that cost Rs 3 lakh to make, one tends wonder if Lokmanya Tilak would have approved of such extravagance.
The changing trends in devotion
Lokmanya Tilak, the great Indian leader generated a nationalistic fervour and a sense of bonhomie among the people of Maharashtra in pre-independent India and started the tradition of installing large public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging the idols in rivers, sea, or other water bodies on the eleventh day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
The motive was to bring people together and instill a sense of oneness but over the years, the installations of Ganesh idols have taken newer forms. In the last few decades a new trend emerged: The bigger the size of the idol, the better it seems is the motto. This trend is not just confined in Maharashtra where it all began but has spread to other states, especially to the city of minarets.
With time the meaning of the festival has changed. Earlier people used to focus on prayers, devotional songs and family get-togethers, today, they have been replaced with blaring music, (raunchy numbers), outlandish idols (Ganesha with a cap, six pack and even riding a bike) and showmanship. Colonies are in a bitter battle to install huge idols. Residents take pride in the size of the Ganesha in their locality.
Huge amount is spent in lighting up streets, decorating pandals (people from Bengal are specially brought to the city to decorate pandals) and abominable amount is spent in decoration. In a rare exception there are few who still believe in austerity, Abhishek Roy, student of St Mary’s College, Secunderabad says “The idol that we have chosen is 6 feet tall. I think more than height the devotion and the feeling that we have for the deity is what matters. Bigger idols are mostly meant for show off. It has become a sort of a competition these days to install a taller Ganesh. We choose to get 6 feet idol as it’s enough for our apartment.”
There are a few sane voices in the cacophony, Manasa, a corporate employee says “People look at festivals as a mere celebration nowadays. Being a Hyderabadi the very first thing people talk about during Ganesh Chathurthi is about height of the idol. It is given so much importance that it has become a status symbol or a prestige to host a taller Ganesh than your neighbourhood. Keeping environment in mind, I feel entertainment is good but there is no harm in having a smaller Ganesha which causes less pollution to the water bodies at the end of the festivities”
Even as Raju a member of the organising committee of Khairtabad Ganesh goes ecstatic as he proudly talks about the 58 feet idol that cost Rs 3 lakh to make, one tends wonder if Lokmanya Tilak would have approved of such extravagance.
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