Ganesh Chaturthi Mumbai Pandal Hopping: Day 5 | Eco Friendly Ganesha From the Mother's Kitchen!

The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never violated, except by those whose feelings are withered by vitiated society.

Holy, simple, and beautiful in its construction,

it is the emblem of all we can imagine of fidelity and truth;

is the blessed tie whose value we feel in the cradle,

and whose loss we lament on the verge of the very grave,

where our mother moulders in dust and ashes.

In all our trials, amid all our afflictions, she is still by our side:

if we sin, she reproves more in sorrow than in anger;

nor can she tear us from her bosom, nor forget we are her child.

~ Washington Irving.

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Lord Ganesha is an out and out Mama’s boy! Though I doubt the same can be said for His brother Kartikeya. Delve deep into this family of the Hindu God Shiva and Mother Goddess Parvati and we see tender bonds that bind Mother Parvati - the epithet of womanhood and all that is powerful and feminine in nature - and Her son - the highly intellectual, wise and thoughtful Ganesha - together in a single affectionate filament of that thing we call love.

Read the various legends and stories from the sacred Hindu Scriptures and Puranas, and you see this unspoken bond of love that exists between the mother-son duo; the most famous among them being the birth of Ganesha Himself.

The story goes that once when Mother Parvati wanted to take a bath and there was no attendant to keep a watch outside, she created an idol from her own body cleansing turmeric paste and infused life into it. This is when our Gajanana was born: this was the Birth of the Ganesha!

She then handed her son the task of guarding the entrance while she took a bath and instructed him not to let anyone in. Ganesha being the dutiful obedient son he refused Shiva, his father entry in his own home, come what may! This enraged Mahadev, who was unaware of the fact that this young fellow was none other than his own son birthed by Mother Parvati. He then decided to wage a battle with this bratty boy ultimately resulting in baby Ganesha’s head being chopped off.

When Mother learnt of the incidents that had transpired in her absence, she was distraught with shock and grief. Her heart broke in a million pieces on hearing the news of her son. She forced Lord Shiva to bring her little boy back to life that very instant. It was then that an elephant’s head was fixed on Bappa’s body and that’s the image we worship till date. Mother’s love for his son was so much that she also demanded that his son be worshipped before any other God. Ganesha in his cuteness credit gracefully accepted the new face - he was happy being called the 'elephant lord' — something which melted even Lord Shiva’s heart endearing him to his bright son.

This is one and there are many other episodes depicting the love that Ganesha had for His parents. There is a lot we can learn from these tales around Ganesha that our ancestors have passed down to us since generations. So strong was Ganesha’s love for His mother that He didn’t think twice before fighting His own father and sacrificing his life in the honour of His beloved mother. No wonder Ganesha is such a happy happy God for His faith in His mother is unchallenged and unrivalled  not only by the mortal man but also by the most powerful of Hindu Gods.

The Ganesha we are visiting today inspired me to share his loving relationship that he shared with his mother. There is a reason for it. The same being that today's Ganesha of ours comes clothed up entirely in Indian spices that our mothers use in the kitchen. Come with me, have a look!

He’s the Ganesha straight out of the heart of a Mother’s Kitchen!

The hard work by the artists and the people behind the making of the idol is apparent in the massive beauty and elegance that the deity radiates to the hundreds who visit Him in Malad west area in Mumbai every day. The unmistakable scent of a host of Indian spices like lavang, dalchini, safed mirch, elaichi, chakra phool, javitri phool, etc. penetrates the senses as soon as you enter. But it’s when you stay in a little longer, close your eyes, shut that camera, stare at His face for a few seconds and bow your head down in prayer...

those rare moments of peace and calm,

of your one to one with your Bappa,

that is when magic happens…

You can hear this your friend Ganesha echoing something

It seems like the sound comes from his heart

and it goes straight into yours.

'I love my Ma', He says.

And then...

there is something more He asks:

When was the last time you expressed this to your Ma?

|| GANPATI BAPPA MORYA ||

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P.S.: This year, come along with me for meeting our very own neighbourhood friendly Ganesha on My Yatra Diary... peeping into one pandal each day.

You can also visit 2015's posts here --> Ganesh Pandal hopping from Mumbai.