India seems to be the country of festivals. Ever since my first celebration of Diwali during grad school, I have been intrigued by all the lights, colors, and music that come together to create such memorable celebrations.
This year, I am lucky enough to be in India to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesha - god of wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune. The festival lasts for 10 days and ends with the submerging of Ganesha icons in the water.
The celebrations started when I was in Chennai...
I joined the local staff for the start of the festival, where the hotel dressed up an elephant statue that sits permanently in a lilly pond located in the courtyard.
As you can see, it's a pretty stylish ganesha - complete with sunglasses and very seductive pose:
After a series of speeches (none of which I understood because they were in the local language), the owner of the building passed around a dessert made of shredded carrots that are formed into a ball of sweetness.
Without thinking, I took the dessert with my dominant (left) hand. Immediately, the Director of Finance told me that it's offensive to receive gifts with your left hand in India. (Oops!)
Fast forward to my arrival in Mumbai the next weekend. My colleague from Chicago was excited about a festival and my first thought was: "Another festival??"
I didn't realize that this was just the continuation of the same festival that I witnessed in Chennai. We were both curious to learn more, so we took a taxi to downtown Mumbai for some exploring.
Throughout the city, there were so many colorful structures set up for the sole purpose of housing a statue of Lord Ganesha. It almost seemed like the Indian equivalent of neighborhood street festivals - complete with lights strung up along the street, drummers, music, and dancing. Definitely a cool atmosphere!
We were told that the biggest spectacle of the night would happen along Marina Drive at sunset, where people bring their statues to be submerged in the water. As we approached the beach, we passed yet another pandal:
This year, I am lucky enough to be in India to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesha - god of wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune. The festival lasts for 10 days and ends with the submerging of Ganesha icons in the water.
The celebrations started when I was in Chennai...
I joined the local staff for the start of the festival, where the hotel dressed up an elephant statue that sits permanently in a lilly pond located in the courtyard.
As you can see, it's a pretty stylish ganesha - complete with sunglasses and very seductive pose:
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| Ganesha gets all dressed up for the festivities... |
After a series of speeches (none of which I understood because they were in the local language), the owner of the building passed around a dessert made of shredded carrots that are formed into a ball of sweetness.
Without thinking, I took the dessert with my dominant (left) hand. Immediately, the Director of Finance told me that it's offensive to receive gifts with your left hand in India. (Oops!)
Fast forward to my arrival in Mumbai the next weekend. My colleague from Chicago was excited about a festival and my first thought was: "Another festival??"
I didn't realize that this was just the continuation of the same festival that I witnessed in Chennai. We were both curious to learn more, so we took a taxi to downtown Mumbai for some exploring.
Throughout the city, there were so many colorful structures set up for the sole purpose of housing a statue of Lord Ganesha. It almost seemed like the Indian equivalent of neighborhood street festivals - complete with lights strung up along the street, drummers, music, and dancing. Definitely a cool atmosphere!
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| This pandal was set up near the Gate of India |
As we walked through a random residential area in South Mumbai, one of the locals even waved at us and invited us to come inside the pandal that was set up in front of his building. Inside, they were burning incense and, again, there was a large statue of Lord Ganesh, surrounded by colorful and elaborate walls:
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| Ganesh #2 in South Bombay |
We were told that the biggest spectacle of the night would happen along Marina Drive at sunset, where people bring their statues to be submerged in the water. As we approached the beach, we passed yet another pandal:
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| This was my favorite of the day - probably because of all the lights. |
The scene at the beach was almost indescribable. Large groups of people would arrive with their statue on a small trailer behind the cars. They would then assemble on the beach - chanting, burning incense, and using colorful paint on themselves.
Then, one person would carry the statue into the water - either to be immersed individually or to be transported into deeper water on a raft with others. My colleague and I literally just watched all of the activity in awe - having never experienced anything like it before.
Pictures barely do it justice, but here's a taste of the things we witnessed:
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| This guy is bringing Ganesh towards the water |
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| Here are a bunch of statues, preparing for their immersion |
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| This one gets a private dunk... |
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| And one more, preparing for the immersion |
On the way back to the hotel that evening, we passed countless celebrations along the streets - even in the pouring rain!
The biggest night of the festival was actually on Wednesday (the 10th day of the festival), when the majority of the statues are submerged and partying continues throughout the night. I was half-tempted to go back downtown for the occasion, but we were told that the traffic would be insane and that it would be almost impossible to move.
Even though we missed the end of the festival and all of the neighborhood celebrations, it is still a fun time to be in India. The country is always filled with so many sights and sounds, but festivals like this just add to the sensory overload!
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