Bappa Moraya Re!!!

I'm not a very religious person and certainly not a superstitious person. But where Ganeshji or as I like to call him, Siddhi Vinayak is concerned, all this comes to the forefront. He has been a very strong presence in my life since I have known about the gazillion gods that Hindi mythology has enumerated. Sounding suprstitious? Wait and read on a bit...

Incident 1 : Bad 10 std. results inspite of studying hard. I go to Siddhi Vinayak's temple and dont pray in the conventional sense bt instead demand that I'm asking nothing more than what I worked hard for. I want to study science with Computer Science and that only!!! To Royal College, Mira Road then where a neighbour says I have the best chance of getting CS and a long queue awaits me. Standing there I wonder whether i'll ever make it to the front and its the last day of filling forms. Surprise! a girl walks to me and hands me a form, says she has one extra...suspicious person tht I am, I carefully look it over and satisfied that its genuine I pay her for it. On impulse I ask her name..."Gauri"...Ganeshji's mom as per our mythology!! needless to say i got Cs in Royal and completed my jr. college there.

Incident 2 : Not enough PCM marks in 12th. Dont want a management seat anywhere...its CAP seat or no engineering for me. Again a demand to Siddhi Vinayak. Guess where I got thru CAP?? Atharva College. That's one of the myriad aliases that Ganeshji has.

These were jus 2 major incidents bt there hav been so many such smaller ones that I've connected with this God like none other. The personality that I've conjured for him may not be what mythology preaches bt it helps bring me closer to him. The Siddhi Vinayak i kno is someone who does not grant wishes for material bribes like coconuts and pedhas. He must be given a real sacrifice, a most cherished thing must be given up for sumthing in return for theres always an equilibrium in his world. So my offers mostly are a day without laughter for i cherish laughter, hard work and many more such things. My god knows everything, I need not speak anything out loud and I cannot...must not lie to him. Apart from that he understands Engineering...afterall he did write the longest assignment!! (for the clueless...Ganeshji wrote out the Mahabharata for Vyas Muni!)

The reason I write this post on my religiousness is because I'll miss the Ganeshutsav, an integral part of my years at Atharva. The highlight of this for me being the aarti that happens every noon while Ganeshji graces the college with his presence. i consider it an honour to hold the aarti thali and to get it without asking for it is even more a pleasure for me. The significant thing about this is the thali is never kept down during the hour long aarti for which the entire college gathers. Its instead passed from one person to another like a well co-ordinated relay race.

Every of those who take the thali for the aarti move it differently. They have their own style, beliefs, viewpoints and ideals. But we all gather there for a common purpose, to say thanks to Ganeshji (ofcourse some do gather bcos they get to bunk lectures and others for the delicious prasad after the aarti!). So then join me and chant as loudly as u can... "Ganpati Bappa Moraya!!!"