Festivals are a great reason to come together as a family, as a community and to meet up with friends and relatives.

For movie producer KCN Mohan and his family, Ganesha Chaturthi is a huge celebration.”The first day is dedicated to Gowri and the second to Ganesha. A large idol is brought home, everyone gets involved in the decorations, making sweets which are Ganesha’s favourite and the puja. After two days of celebrations, the idol of Ganesha is immersed into Sankey Tank,” says Mohan.

 “Ganesha is a God that is versatile and full of fun. His multifaceted personality makes this celebration one of the most popular and well-loved feasts of the Hindu calendar,’’ say Lalitha and Ramesh Kadam, Maharashtrians settled in Bangalore. ”We first have a day for Gowri and it is customary to offer her simple food, mainly akki roti and a green vegetable. Ganesha, however, is pampered every day that he is kept at home with sweets and delicacies that he is especially fond of, like kanaula made from boiled rice and jaggery, and modhak, which is a savoury. Friends and family come over, especially the women for haldi and kumkum, and after a few days we immerse the idol.”

Chitra Shanmugam has been celebrating Ganesha since she was a young bride. The family has had the same idol-maker too for decades, who makes a special one for them each year. The day starts with an aarti which is performed by a purohit before the start of rahukalam and culminates with an aarti in the evening in the presence of family and friends. Special sweets like Kozhakatai, murukus and vada payasam are made in the morning and offered to Ganesha and shared with the guests in the evening. “It is a wonderful time for the family to meet together in the spirit of a festival,” she says.

Ganesha Chaturthi used to be an exciting affair when Vani and Rajaram Reddy’s children were growing up. The idol would be brought home on a large plate covered with a white cloth and rice, kept in a beautifully decorated space with flowers, fruits and sweets offered  to him for five days. “We still celebrate the feast every year, make all the goodies like til ladoos, Kurumulu, Vada Kheer and boiled chana but the children have grown up so the scale has somewhat toned down, but not the spirit of the festival,” she says. ”Eco-consciously I immerse the idol in a large bucket kept for this purpose and once it is completely dissolved, we pour it into the garden,” she adds.
 “The high point of our festivities is the story of Ganesha which my mother used to narrate. We now listen to it on tape and it  is still as enjoyable as ever. We also decorate the Ganesha, have lots of sweets and visit friends in the evening admiring the different ways each one decorates their idol,’’ says Shashikant, whose family of three generations lives together and celebrates the festival with a lot of enthusiasm following the old traditions and rituals.