U.S. Hindus Honor Ganesh

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Hindus honor a revered deity

Home News Tribune Online 09/14/07

New Jersey, U.S.

 

By RAVI YANDE

ravindrayande

 

Homes and temples are decorated with special ghee

(clarified butter) lamps, strands of marigolds are placed

in the doorways and in-house shrines have been washed,

painted and decorated for the 10-day celebration to

glorify the birth of the Hindu god Lord Ganesh.

 

The festival, known as Ganesh Chaturthi, is celebrated

in honor of the Hindu god known as the remover of

obstacles and the god of wisdom, good fortune and

prosperity.

 

The half man, half elephant is worshipped in millions of

homes in India and in thousands of Hindu homes across

the United States during the festival. In India in cities

such as Bombay and Pune, where Ganesh Chaturthi is

celebrated on a much larger scale, hundreds of idols in

different shapes and sizes - some as tall as 6 feet high

- are paraded down the streets on chariots decorated

with flowers and faux jewels in front of millions.

 

Preparations and planning for the festival start months in

advance as idols are specially made for the religious

holiday. The festival ends with a ceremony known as

Visarjan, when the Ganesh idol is immersed in water

and quickly dissolves, symbolizing that Ganesh has

gone away in bliss.

 

Nitin Vyas, Edison resident and a longtime devotee of

Lord Ganesh, said that his family has been planning for

the Hindu holiday for weeks.

 

" We decorate the temple, make special Indian sweets

called ladoos and welcome Ganeshji into our homes

with great pomp and circumstance. We wouldn't have it

any other way, " said the owner of Masala Bollywood, a

popular and trendy Indian movie-themed restaurant in

New York City. Vyas, along with his wife Nina and

daughter Sonalee, will rise early on Saturday for the

special morning prayers, or puja. Afterward, the family

will head to the local Hindu temple to complete their

prayer service and offerings.

 

" We have been living in America for many years now.

This is our home but we still carry on the values and the

traditions with us that we used to practice in India, "

Vyas said.

 

How Ganesh was born

Pandit Ram Sharma, head priest at the Durga Temple in

South Brunswick, said the story of Ganesh's birth is

indeed a powerful one that many worshippers enjoy

hearing during the holiday.

 

" I tell the story to many worshippers and feel that it

rejuvenates and strengthens their faith in the power of

Lord Ganesh, " said the priest.

 

Sharma relates how when Lord Ganesh's mother,

Goddess Parvati, was about to bathe herself, she created

out of her mystical powers a beautiful boy to stand

guard. She instructed the boy to make sure no one

entered the home. A few moments later, Lord Shiva,

Parvati's husband and Lord of Destruction, wanted to

enter the home but was denied access by the boy. This

angered Lord Shiva and in retaliation, he severed the

head of the boy and proceeded to enter the home.

 

Once Parvati discovered what Lord Shiva had done, she

explained that he had in fact unknowingly severed his

own son's head. Upon realizing this, Lord Shiva ordered

his guards to go out and find the first living creature and

sever its head and bring it to Lord Shiva. The first

creature the guards encountered was an elephant and as

instructed, detached the animal's head and gave it to

Lord Shiva. He then attached the head to the boy and

Lord Ganesh came into being.

 

Sharma said the temple is planning at 4 p.m. to recite the

1,000 names by which Lord Ganesh is known, a ritual

that the temple has been doing yearly in honor of the

god. The other idols have been decorated especially for

the holiday.

 

A bit of nostalgia

Vyas and his family have for the past two decades

celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi in their home. The festival

is nostalgic for him, he said.

 

" My family and I used to celebrate the festival at home

and decorate our temple with family and friends. It

reminds me of my youth, " he said.

 

Vyas also said that Hindus believe that whenever you

start anything new in your life - whether it be a job, a

marriage or purchasing a new home or property - you

should begin with prayers to Lord Ganesh.

 

Many also come together and have kirtan, religious

singing sessions, as part of the celebrations.

 

Edison resident Prashant Shah said he is blessed in

many ways regarding the festival. He just returned from

Mumbai and saw first-hand the preparations and

installations of idols.

 

" It was amazing I tell you, " he said. " The life-sized

idols, the excitement, the colors, it's all pretty exciting, "

said the producer, director and Indian film distributor of

www.bollyoodhollywood.com.

 

Shah, his wife and parents will pray to the family shrine

on Saturday and will spend the day with friends and

family before heading to the temple.

 

Shah has been a long-time devotee of Lord Ganesh and

is often surprised at the popularity of the deity among

non-Indians.

 

" I was at production meeting in Miami not to long ago

and in a Jewish lady's office was a Lord Ganesh idol

sitting on her desk, " he said. " I asked if she knew what

the meaning of Lord Ganesh was and she knew all about

the powers and significance of the idol. "

 

Shah and his family will eat specially made sweets on

the holiday and will recite religious scriptures and

perform aarti, a Hindu ritual that is the offering of lights

handmade from soaked wicks in ghee.

 

Hundreds of South Asians will flock to Edison and

Woodbridge [NJ] this weekend to purchase their Ganesh

idols for the celebration. The Indian storefronts on Oak

Tree Road in Iselin have special idols placed for the

public to view and purchase. Many of the idols come in

different shapes, sizes, colors and forms.

 

Offering to the gods

Special Indian desserts, known as modaks - fried

dumplings made out of rice flour, sugar and coconut -

are considered to be Lord Ganesh's favorite food and are

made especially for the first day of the celebration.

 

The offering of food to Hindu gods is known as prasad

and is an essential part of the ceremony. Once the food

is offered to Ganesh, then it is distributed to the

devotees attending the puja.

 

The celebration is to glorify the birth of Lord Ganesh,

but it also represents other elements.

 

" We invite people over and it's a time to see old friends

and make new ones, " Vyas said. " It's really a very

friend- and family-oriented holiday. "

 

[see original article for dates and times of local (NJ)

temple celebrations]

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