It's the first of September, 2011 and most of India, most specifically Pune, is beginning the 10 day revelry that is Ganeshotsav. A tradition started by Lokmanya Tilak (the celebration; Ganpati has existed since well, Parvati and Shiva :D) in Pune, it has now found a place in the heart of every Indian. And I found a funkier way to experience this, in Allentown, PA where my sister lives. On Sunday, my sister and her fiance decided to have a small Ganpati Pooja at their house. An email in Marathi was sent out. Potatoes and tomatoes were boiled, kurtas were ironed. My sister even wore a saree! :) The menu was extremely simple and marathi- batatyachi bhaaji, usal, masaale bhaat and saar. And a whole lot of sweets from different parts of India (those Tai and I didn't make).
There was something wonderful in the way these young adults (I don't know what the word for 20 somethings is) got together, and established their own Ganpati routine. Only three of us were Maharashtrian, none of us knew the proper order of ritual, yet everyone's devotion was sincere. So what if the aartis were read out(from Devnagiri as well as english script) more than memorized? We sang not only the aartis of Ganpati, but quite a few others from other parts of India. I'm sure Ganpati wouldn't mind. After all, he was the coolest one- lived well, ate a lot, and was quite smart (remember the race?). Anyway, I'd say it was more devotion to their culture, to their motherland that saw about 15 people come together and celebrate today.
Tilak must be happy. :)
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