Festive Feel

 Every festival is special and unique. Padwa( the beginning of the lunar new year), Dasara (the ten days long celebration of the Devi), Diwali (the festival of festivals), each one of these is unique. Every festival is much loved.

Yet the festive feel of the Ganeshotsav is indeed absolutely unique. There is a happy freshness in the very air when the Ganeshotsav begins. May be, that is because it is simultaneously celebrated both in the personal space (individual homes) and in the public space. Hence, may be, there is a really charged, enthusiastic, energetic and happy feel during this festival. May be, Bengal and Gujarat would have that double dose of the festive feel during the Navratri, too.

Here in Maharashtra, and especially in Pune, the charged feel is quite ecstatic. May be, the unique beat of the dhol-n-tasha adds up to the atmosphere. Sure, there are objections to the practice of the dhol-n-tasha pathak's/groups leading to their at times hour-long sessions per chowk/crossroad. Yet any day any time, they are better than the "walls" used by other social celebrations. 

Right now, the roads have that decked up look, what with the pandals, the colourful pennants, the works, in brief. Well, none seems to mind the traffic snarls, the diversions the pandals and processions cause. 

That is it. Constant complaints about billboards, grumbles about advertising that 'cheap'en the cityscape, the irritation about the snail slow traffic, nothing seems to matter. Instead there is a happy, joyous feel in the very air.

Once the pandals are decorated fully, the Pune night life for some six to seven days is super charged. The PMT, may be, the metro, too, have special runs. The whole of Pune does not seem to doze off for a week or so, charged with this unique festive feel. Long live Ganeshotsav!

Pratima@May be, another special aspect of the Ganesh festival is that each one, the poor and the rich, each social group of every vatiety celebrates it in their own unique way, and, yet, there is a festive commonality to this unique festival. About how far the festival has wandered away from Lokmanya's vision or about the economic vistas underlying this festival, some other time!