How rational are we as Hindus when we engage day after day in worship as though the world is coming to an end? Are we using our time wisely to get the maximum output or are we putting too many of our eggs in one basket?
Ganesh Utsav is upon us and there are celebrations across the country. No other festival has generated so much devotion and growth in the history of Hinduism in the country in so few years.
Ganesh is the remover of obstacles and he is invoked in the beginning of every religious activity. His physical features are attractive and unique -pot-belly and elephant face.
Until 2000 I hardly knew of Ganesh as a major God. I knew that he was a son of Mother Parvati and Lord Shiva and he was created from the mock of her skin to keep her company while Siva was away from home for long periods.
A story is told of Ganesh and his brother Kartika engaging in a race to circumambulate the universe. While Kartika took off in a flash, Ganesh chose to circle his mother and father and he was declared victorious much to the hurt and disappointment of Kartika.
Puzzle Island in Debe is celebrating its108 Ganesh Utsav, making it the longest celebration of the festival in the country. Why this celebration was so popular in Puzzle Island and other parts of Debe and not in Central or North Trinidad?
It is possible that indentured servants from the Maharashtra region of India first brought the festival. More so, low lying Debe offered a geography with water for the immersion of the murti after the final day of worship. In fact, at Puzzle Island there is a huge pond where the immersion or visijarjann done with swimmers present to take the murti to the middle of the pond.
Maharashtra has historically celebrated Ganesh Festval in huge street processions carrying large decorated murtis of Ganesh. Pioneered in the 1870s, these celebration were used to bring out thousands into the street to protest British rule which had outlawed political gatherings. The great leader pioneering this festival was Bal Gangadhar Tilak who was a freedom fighter before the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi.
Swami Vivekananda has said that Hindus are mobilized through spirituality and that has proven true for Trinidad and the diaspora. Throughout the year there are festivals and with globalization all these festivals are viewed in social media.
More so, the Ganesh Utsav celebrations across the country have been pioneered by youths. The opening day is a grand procession along the street to the yagyashala. In Bamboo No 1 this was done with the accompaniment of tassa and scores of devotees following on foot and vehicle.
I had the pleasure of joining with Pandit Yankatesu and devotees at the Hanuman Darshan Mandir in celebrating this festival. In addition to the enlightening discourse by Panditji there was the rendition of bhajans dedicated to Lord Ganesh.
At the Orange Valley Vishnu Mandir devotees joined with Pandit Satish in nightly worship of Lord Ganesh.
In Felicity, Ganesh Utsav is observed at the many mandirs including the Sri Krishen Mandir and at the home of Ganesh Raghunanan where reading from the Ganesh Puran is done by several pandits including Pandit Abhedanand and Pandit Vishnu of Whiteland.
Trinidad being an island with many beaches and rivers makes it an ideal venue for the immersion or visarjan ceremony which is not only devotional but also social and recreational with devotees also bathing and enjoying the fun.
Do Hindus have to observe all the festivals in the calendar? Cost and time need to be managed and fanfare and pageantry must be toned down in the interest of devotion and continuity. The reality is that society is dynamic and the mandirs must adjust to the to the availability of devotees. May be, the changes in cricket from five day Test Cricket to One Day International to T20 should be applied to Hindu worship in Trinidad. Can we truly afford eleven nights of celebration when our children and grand children have home work and school to attend on mornings? We no longer living in the Caroni Ltd era when cane cutting was a career option but must educate ourselves to meet the rapidly changing technologies.
I welcome the celebration of Ganesh Utsav but a T20 version of it must be considered as better suited for today. The eleven night celebration must be directed to devotion at home and include reading on the life of Lord Ganesh and supervising your children’s education.