Will 2020's Ganesh Chaturthi be a game changer?

Will 2020's Ganesh Chaturthi be a game changer? 

Amid the coronavirus and lockdown, the prayers of 2020's Ganesh Chaturthi will help sustain the virus?

     

During the ongoing effect and lockdown due to the global pandemic, the coronavirus, the excitement to establish a Ganesh in one's home has been decreased, when compared to the past years' statistics. As the coronavirus has become air-borne, many are hesitated to go out and pick a beautiful and sole considering Ganesh idol to make Vinayaka Chavithi pooja in their homes. This fear of the virus can affect the ethical background. So, to continue the Ganesh idol establishment, the Telangana government has permitted on some compulsory and to-do conditions.

The conditions that the Telangana government prescribed are as shown below:

1. The idol of Ganesh should not exceed 3 feet.

2. There must be significant sanitation near the mandapas constructed to place the Ganesh idol.

3. Not more than 50 people shouldn't gather at the mandapas during the Navratri.

Ganesh Chaturthi is also known and called as Vinayaka Chavithi. The name Vinayaka Chavithi itself implies that the festival is celebrated on Chavithi of the festival month. And Vinayaka Chavithi is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Lord Ganesha, son of Lord Maha Shiva and Parvathi Devi.

Importance of celebrating Vinayaka Chavithi in 2020:

As every year, Vinayaka Chavithi is celebrated on 22nd August of 2020. The birthday of Vigneshwara this year will be a different one. Not only because of the pandemic named the coronavirus, but due to the ongoing floods, disasters, fire accidents, and what not in 2020. As till date 2020 turned out to be a disastrous year, considering not only the Covid-19, including all the accidents and disasters such as locust invasions, Amphan cyclone, Oil and gas leak in Assam, Railway disturbance in Aurangabad, Chemical plant explosion in Gujarat, Alcohol poisoning in Punjab, Vijayawada fire and Vishakapatnam's gas leak incident.

So in this devastating and heart-wrenching year, Celebrating Ganesh Chathurthi helps overcome the pandemic and the same grade disasters that are taking place in 2020. Celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in 2020 may help us encounter all the disasters and the pandemic the coronavirus that originated and still originating in this historical 2020. In the case of celebrating Vinayaka Chavithi, one should not forget to maintain social distance and sanitation between the devotees and the surroundings respectively.

A glance of Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chavithi:

Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chavithi is a Hindu festival, celebrated in Telugu states and all over India on a very large scale, with a duration of 3 to 10 days. Vinayaka Chavithi is celebrated to memorialize the birth of Lord Vigneshwara. Lord Ganesha was born to Lord Shiva and his spouse Parvati Devi. Vinayaka Chavithi is celebrated by installing idols of Lord Vigneshwara, which are made of clay and mud. The idles of Lord Lambodara which are made out of clay and mud are installed in homes and public mandapas with utmost devotion. The installation of Lord Ganeshas' idol involves some process including poojas. And after the installation is done, the worship begins with poojas, Vedic offerings, fastings of devotees, and offering Lord Ganesha with homemade sacred food. The offerings of food and gifts are done every day until the Lord Ganesha is installed in homes or mandapas. The duration of Lord Ganeshas' presence in one's home and mandapas is dependent on the interest of the devotees who serve.

During the worship days, the people of the locality where the Ganesh mandap is located, serve the god with poojas, prasadams, and that day's activities. After the 10th day, Ganesha's idol is to be immersed in the nearby water body and have to call a send-off to Lord Vigneshwara. The send-off is done with a classical band or with the bass-boosted music.

As modaka and sweets are believed as the favorite for Ganesha, these are served as offered as primary prasadams. 

Lord Ganesh is believed as a Lord of new beginnings, So, every Indian prayer or pooja is started by worshipping Lord Vigneshwara. Not only that Lord Ganesh is worshipped to remove the obstacles, to improve intelligence and wisdom. 

Not only in India, but Lord Vinayaka is also worshipped all across the world, the country's which worship Lord Lambodara in country such as Newzealand, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Trinidad, and Tobago, Suriname, etc. 

When did the celebration of Vinayaka Chavithi was started?

The celebration of this festival was started by the great Indian freedom fighter, Lokmanya Tilak. He thought of bringing the Hindus under one roof, to stand against the British rule. So the idea of uniting Hindus with the help of a festival stood remarkable. 

In India, usually, the festival date is selected based on Thithi. The birth of Lord Ganesha is considered to be on Bhadrapadha Shudda Chavithi. And based on this Thithi, the festival is declared for the celebration. 

Ganesha's other names:

If we consider Lord Ganesha's names, we should consider almost 108 names. These 108 names of Lord Ganesha are also suggested to name newborn babies so that the baby's future would be good.

Some of the familiar names with their meanings are listed below:

Avighna; The remover of hindrances.

Bhupathi; The lord of rulers.

Durja; The unconquerable.

Kiriti; The ruler of music.

Vigneshwara; The remover of obstacles.

Ethics to be learned during Vinayaka Chavthi:

Once, when Ganesh Chaturthi started, the idols that were made of clay and mud only were installed in homes and public places. But gradually the ancestral way of worshipping Lord Ganesha changed, the change was not in the way of doing pooja, but it was the idol itself, which has changed.

In the early 1890s, the idol of Lord Ganesha was only made out of clay, but this way of making idols changed, because of many factors. Gradually the idols were made of Plaster of Paris, the idols made out of Plaster of Paris looked way beautiful than that of the idols that were made out of clay and mud. So in the desire of beauty and fame, people started to install idols of greater heights. 

And this matter of desire became a problem for the water bodies because the Plaster of Paris and iron used in the making of idols were not easily degradable in water as that of the idols that were made up clay. There was not only a degradation problem but the chemicals used to decorate the idols became a poison to the aquatic life of the water in which the idols were immersed. If the immersion is on a small scale, then the effect of toxicity can be neglected but whereas in Tier-1 cities, the number of idols in total is a large value. Reducing the number of Plaster of Paris idols make the water bodies to reduce their levels of toxicity.

SO I PRAISE EVERY TO PLACE A CLAY/MUD GANESHA IN YOUR HOUSE/LOCALITY RATHER THAN THE HARMFUL PLASTER OF PARIS MADE IDOL, TO ENCOUNTER THE POLLUTION OF OUR WATER BODIES.