Why We All Love Bappa?

We are fascinated by his grandeur, wisdom and the power to clear obstacles. Ganpati a.k.a Vinayak or Lord Ganesha is indeed the most popular deity. As kids we all adored his curved trunk, big ears and pot-bellied body, for he is the cheerful god who blesses you with wisdom and destroys all difficulties. Remember carrying Bappa’s photo to school before every exam or sharing homemade modaks with your friends? Each one of us has a special connection with Bappa.
Often our elders would tell us the significance of praying to Lord Ganesha; for e.g. the laddoos he holds near his trunk mean one must add sweetness to their soul, his large ears tell us that he hears our problems patiently, and despite his grandness, the Lord is down to earth to ride a small creature like mouse. And of course, we all know the famous story of how Bappa got the elephant head when he stopped Lord Shiva from entering mom Parvati’s home. What’s your favourite memory related to Bappa? For me it’s my grandmother making modaks in kitchen on Ganesh Chaturthi and relatives visiting us to take blessings from the newly arrived Ganesha at our home. The whiff of delicious modaks stuffed with coconut and jaggery would surround our home and all kids in the family would participate in elaborate decorations beautified with marigolds and roses. The entire week we’d visit Ganesh pandals for evening aarti and savor the sweet modaks. Thanks to the growing awareness about eco-friendly Ganesha idols, it’s now possible to immerse idols which do not release any toxic materials in water bodies.

Ganpati’s charm transcends beyond the traditional. There are so many gift essentials that draw inspiration from the Elephant God. Look around and you’d always find a Ganpati motif whether it’s a beautiful painting or a small Ganpati idol in your car. Think about the last time you went shopping, you must have spotted many t-shirts with Ganpati pictures in myriad colours, a home decor store with tons of Ganpati idols and plaques with ‘Vaktratunda Mahakaya  Suryakoti Samaprabha (Oh Lord Ganesha, of curved trunk, large body, and with the brilliance of a million suns). There’s a bit of cool quotient attached to Bappa; browse through gift stores, and you’d find Ganesha idols dressed in modern attire playing a guitar, working on a laptop, dressed as a batsman and more. Ganpati motifs on pendants and coins crafted in gold and silver continue to be a favourite during festivals.

He’s truly a global deity, inspiring even international fashion designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Prabal Gurung, Manish Arora to weave designs and colourful motifs based on him. The elephant deity strings a multitude of cultures in India during Ganesh Chaturthi; he even has a Wikipedia page dedication! Not to forget the blockbuster songs in Hindi movies which has seen many leading Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan crooning about Bappa’s glory. So bring on the festivities and get ready to hail Ganpati Bappa Morya this month!