Today student attendance was low. Some students wrote to me saying that they could/would not come to college as they were busy with the Gauri Awahan. Possible! Mostly, however, the truth could be that the college has declared tomorrow as a holiday as it is Gauri Bhojan tomorrow. Students are in the holiday and festive mood!
Well, here in Maharashtra, and especially in Pune (the cultural capital!), Gauri Poojan is a part of the Ganesh festival that is a huge celebration in its own way. The poojan is in two modes. Whichever could be the family tradition, across Maharashtra, and especially in Pune (the refrain continues!), there is a very happy, joyous feel .
Personally, I love the poetry underlying the very concept. Ganapati, Aai-Papa used to say, would be here at our home accompanying his mother, Gauri, who would visit our home as 'her' parental home!
What a feel! A huge thrill! Real rich! Our home as the goddess' parental home!Aai-Papa would thus be the maternal uncle and aunt of the Lord! For three days of the Gauri Poojan, hence the household wears the warmth and joyous hospitality of a parental home that celebrates the daughter's restful return home with her child. Well, hence, in our family, as in many households, Gajanana is bid farewell with his mother, the day of Gauri Visarjan/immersion.
I absolutely adore this concept as it makes the rituals very personalised, highly relatable, genuinely 'relative'. Indirectly it nurtures in us the feel to be good, honest, sincere, the best versions of ourselves, right? I suppose, that is, and should be, the real meaning of a celebration, a ritual that makes us righteous!
Pratima@ Religion as the art of life!
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