Ganpati Bappa Morya!!!

I am little to late to write on Ganpati Bappa but i got down to it as soon as i could find sometime. Having lived in mumbai i have always enjoyed Ganesh chaturthi. In Mumbai, it is always celebrated in a lot of pomp and style. I remember on the last day of immersion we used to stay up late in the night, in wait of a huge 30 ft ganpati idol sponsored by Bhagwan cutpiece. This procession was a grand affair. It used to start with elehants, camels and horses, then there used to be a dancing troupe folowed by continuos lighting of firecrackers( to signal one and all the "we are on our way!"). Next came few truckloads of people showering flowers all over the road and finally on a huge truck (those 18 wheels one) was the fabulous orange Idol lit up by tens of floodlights. We used to rush into the crowd to touch the idols feet for our share of blessings. Then retreat back to a safe place and watch the procession to the horizon.
In pune many immersion processes last for more then 30 hours(36 hours is the record). Mandals have to book timeslots for immersion and adhere to it. Of course "manache ganpati" get first priorities over the immersiosn schedule. Like all festivals Ganesh chaturthi also, in many cases cuts across the religious lines. I know of a group in mumbai with majority christian members celebrating Ganpati as well as anybody else. Muslims, sikhs and in many cases parsis also pay thier devotion to Ganpati. All in all, its safe to say that this is the most popular festival in Maharastra even ahead of Diwali and Holi.
So why is it that Ganpati bappa is so popular????
One reason is that, most of these mandals which host ganpati bappa are politically backed to the hilt. Many of them are sponsored by individual politicians or by parties. With loudspeakers blaring the party lines and party posters on big display, its a big advertisement vehicle that they cannot jsut afford to miss. Also by involving many party memebers into all the fun and games its a great event for them to socialise with each other.
A second reason is that its also a sheer money making machine. The top mandals in mumbai get something like 1-2 lakh vistors on average daily and many more on important days. Even if each of them on average puts in 1 rupee you can do the maths yourself. Plus many charge extra if you want to do special aarti or do the immersion. Also there is the money coming in from business sponsorers. Phew!!! No wonder the government has finally asked IT dept to look into many of the big mandals in mumbai.
But these 2 reasons alone cannot account for the immense popularity enjoyed by Ganpati Bappa. I think the main reason is that, of all the Gods we worship today, Ganpati is one of the most lovable and affable God. He is the one for the masses. How many different shapes of Ganpati have you seen?? A place in mumbai stocks 1000 different shapes of Ganpati and thier collection is not even close to exhuastive. People create Ganpati from everything.. so we have a Ganpati made up of 1000 coconuts, or a million rice grains,i even saw a ganpati which was made from only the moon and star symbols. And in all forms he is the most beautifull God i have ever seen. Many times when i go to see some ganpati i am so mesmerized by the idol itself that i forgrt to pray, stupidly standing and admiring him from top to bottom. What instantly hits you abt him are his eyes, there is humility and nobelity mixed with mischief. If you miss that in his eyes you know that the idol is not made well. But that apart people are also very fnd of him because he was sort of the underdog. Not only did he stand up to Lord Shiva (losig his head in the bargain) but also to Valmiki(ths time losing one of his tooth). And on both counts he came up on top. For the ladies he is thier protector, for the men he is thier idol, for the elders he is thier son and for the little ones he is a hero!!! Ganpati Bappa Morya.. pudhcha varsi lavkar ya!!!!!