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For Mumbaikar Leons Joseph, Ganesh Chaturthi is more than just a festival. “It`s a celebration of community, tradition, and nostalgia,” he shares. Growing up in an East Indian village in Andheri, one of his earliest memories of the city-based lawyer was experiencing the magic of Ganeshotsav through his grandmother`s enthusiasm. “I`d join her on early morning visits to the local Ganpati mandal, taking sweets and coconuts, and together we would sing during the aarti with the Maharashtrian neighbours. The open-door policy in our chawl meant everyone was welcome to join in, making it a truly inclusive celebration. I cherish the memories of participating in dance competitions and cultural activities with friends.”
With an early exposure to the festival that celebrates Lord Ganesha, Leons says it seeped into their lives almost seamlessly even later in life. “Although we are Catholics, my father`s office employees would organise Ganpati celebration in our office, and we would participate in that. Mummy and Dada used to organise all the snacks and everything else. We would go to Dada`s office also for the celebration so that has stayed with us over the years,” adds the 30-year-old, who is one of many Mumbaikars from other communities to celebrate the festival over the years.
Celebration of community and tradition
The beauty of Mumbai is that it is a cosmopolitan and breathes secularism when it comes to festivals, as everybody comes together with their neighbours to join in the celebrations, and this year is going to be no different. Every year, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated during this time of the year. This year, the festival, which is synonymous with the city, is set to be celebrated on August 27 and will continue for the next 10 days in the city, and many different neighbourhoods including Lalbaug and Girgaum are going to come alive apart from other parts of the city, and Leons is going to soak in every bit of it. Being a Catholic content creator, apart from a lawyer by day, he also brings out these unique cross-cultural elements into his reels to showcase Mumbai’s uniqueness, that make it very relatable for many Mumbaikars.
All of the sketches are inspired not only from his experiences in Andheri but also from school in Thane, where he lives now. “While in school my friends (all Catholic altar servers in church) would visit all the mandals in the area to taste the prasad and see decorations especially the ones focussing on social issues. It used to be so much fun. At that time Ganesh Chaturti wasn`t so commercialised.” Even as a lot has changed over the years, Leons says the festival highlights so much. “It reminds me of the joy of community, Mumbai as a melting pot of cultures and the beauty of tradition, and the warmth of shared experiences that are beyond religious boundaries.”
First ever Ganesh Chaturthi celebration
Elsewhere in Mumbai, Violet D’souza is going to be celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time ever, and her excitement is at its peak because of so many different reasons. She shares, “My Nani is getting Ganpati home for one and a half day. It`s going to be a lot of preparations still, and I`m super excited to be honest because I have never done this before, even though my mom`s side of the family is Gujarati, and I’ve always been very close to them. I think it`s going to be great, and I honestly can`t wait for it.”
There`s more to the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi this year in the Dsouza home. It`s because a miracle took place for them. “It`s happening this year because my Nani had taken a mannat for my Mom`s good health, my mom was suffering from Cancer last year it was a really tough time for my family. It was good that we detected it early so we started the treatment immediately and by God`s grace we got through it and my mom`s totally cancer-free now.” It is also going to be the reason that they continue to celebrate the festival. “Nani has decided that we`ll get Ganpati Bappa home every year and celebrate it well, that`s her way of saying thank you and expressing her love for Bappa and for her daughter, and we`re always here to help her out and celebrate with her.”
Beyond this medical miracle, just like Leons, Ganeshotsav has also been special for the 21-year-old because she has so many fond memories associated with it throughout her childhood. She reminisces, “When I was younger, my Nani and Masi used to take me to different Ganpati pandals in our area, and this one time I was told, “If you want to have the modak, tell Ganpati Bappa, I want a baby brother,” and I, like a fool, said it, and even got a brother. He`s kind of annoying, but I love him. Visiting all the different Ganpati pandals in our locality was a ritual for me and my family.”
While she hasn’t gone pandal-hopping in a long time now, Violet says she was thinking about asking her Nani if she wants to go do this again with me but as the universe would have it, she was in for a surprise. “I guess it`s a far better experience if Bappa comes to your home, right? Also, who would want to miss out on going to all these different pandals and getting to have a variety of all the yummy prasad.”
At a time when many social media trolls and people online may criticise people for celebrating other festivals beyond their religion, Catholics often get termed `rice bags` owing to the history of conversion that has been passed down. However, Violet believes if you`re secure in your faith, nothing in this world can break you.
She shares, “I`ve been a Catholic all my life, I`m a baptised and a confirmed catholic in Christ, and I love my God. There is nothing more important than my Lord for me, and yet I`ve been to temples and celebrate these festivals with my mom`s side of the family.” The city-based teacher says she used to go to Siddhivinayak temple, the Mahalaxmi temple, and has been to all the eight Ashtvinayak temples of Lord Ganesha. “Though I don`t worship him, I do have a lot of respect for him and towards people`s faith in him, more importantly, my family`s faith in him.”
For the Mumbaikar, this feeling has been instilled into her as a child. “It`s not just me, my Nani`s and Masi also have a deep love and respect for Mother Mary, they`ve come so many times to church with me to attend the Nativity Novenas or the weekly Novenas. They offer candles, flowers, and garlands too. Does that mean they don`t trust their Gods enough to solve their problems? Or do they not love their God enough? No, absolutely not. It`s just a way of showing respect and, most importantly, a way of loving your family and accepting them. That`s the unconditional love I`ve experienced from my family cause even though I`ve been to all these temples, and we`ve had poojas at Nani`s place. She has never forced us to do the aarti or bow down and worship, she`s always considered our faith and our opinion over people`s weird stares and comments.” It is not only Ganesh Chaturthi for Violet, the Mumbaikar also celebrates Raksha Bandhan, Diwali and Bhai Dooj, and is looking forward to celebrating Navratri too this year.
The celebrations in the Dsouza home are even going to see the extended Catholic side of the family come together including Violet`s brother Shawn Dsouza, who will also be joining in the celebrations, for the very first time. The 18-year-old says it represents unity and respect for all cultures, what better way than with immersing in Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai.
Shawn will be joined by his friend Jadyn Fernandes, who has also never celebrated the festival before. Being one to grow up in Mumbai, Jadyn believes there`s more to celebrating festivals than simply defining it by religion. “It brings about a cause for change with the mindset of segregation based on religion. India in itself is one of the more diverse countries in the world with a multitude of cultures and traditions. I feel like it would really add to the wholeness of our nation and better develop our nation`s identity,” he shares.
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