Ganesh Chaturthi finds way into Punjabi hearts

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 2

Ganesh Chaturthi, which is the most popular in Maharashtra, is making inroads in the Punjabi heartland as is evident from a large number of idols of Ganesh put up on roadsides for sale. Thanks to popular Hindi television soaps, artisans from Rajasthan have found a new market.

Old timers in the city claim that only a decade ago, the festival was not celebrated on such a large scale as it was being done in the past two-three years. “For the past two-three years, Ganesh Chaturthi has caught the fancy of Punjabis. And the craze seems to be increasing with each passing year,” said Ranjit Aggarwal, a senior citizen.

Residents say Cable TV serials seem to have popularised the festival in this part as most of soap operas dedicate special episodes to Ganesh Chaturthi. “The old Punjabi festivals like Saraad and Guga Pooja have taken a backseat these days. On the other hand, festivals like Holi, Dasehra, Shivratri and others, which are part of popular culture as depicted by television, are celebrated with pomp and show,” said Jatin Sehdev, a social media analyst.

A city-based veteran journalist said, “Until 2010, city residents looked with amusement when Maharashtrians took out processions with the Ganesh idol before its immersion. But in the past few years, the festival has attracted many people who celebrate it in groups and individually.”

These days, a visit to most of the city roads reveals that colourful idols of different sizes of Ganesha are up for sale on roadsides. Sanjay, an artisan from Rajasthan, said, “The rates of idols start from a minimum of Rs 500.” He said most residents here preferred medium-sized idols in the price range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.

Most of these roadside stalls are selling idols made of plaster of Paris (PoP) as these are easy to make and are very economical. As the immersion of Ganesh idols in rivers is having an adverse impact on many forms of aquatic life, the government and environmentalists are asking people to use idols made of clay only, but the PoP idols are gaining popularity due to cost factor.