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Special home for Lord Ganesh in every community’s heart in Pune

Hindustan Times, Pune | ByAnanya Barua and Prachi Bari
Sep 21, 2018 04:57 PM IST

Back in West Bengal, we mostly celebrate Durga Puja and we wanted to merge our culture with this. We serve Lord Ganesh, not only traditional modaks, but also our Bengali­ style Sandesh modaks, says Shubha Banerjee

The Malayali families settled in Pune, have been carrying out the rituals in their homes. One among them is the Nair family, settled in Rasta Peth. Amidst the eco-friendly and traditional Kerala decorations with Banana leaves and strings, they have been celebrating the puja for the past 8 years now.

Their Kerala-style Ganesh Puja begins sharp at 6 o’clock in the morning with the Suprabhatam (morning) Puja, and eventually rolls down till the afternoon with the traditional Maharashtrian rituals.

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The Kerala-feast however, is one of the prominent highlights of the celebration. From Keralastyle modaks made of rice flour,coconut and jaggery, to the full-fledged lunch served on Banana leaves, the spread is full of delicacies on all the 10 days of the festival. Speaking about the extravaganza, Vijay Nair said, “Food is an integral part of the celebrations and we make sure it is grand. We serve an array of items including Malayali delicacies like Unni Appam (round snack made from rice, jaggery, banana, roasted coconut pieces), Avial(mix veg curry with coconut), Erisheri (beans and pumpkin curry), Olan (dish made of white gourd, coconut milk and ginger), Pal payasam (milk pudding) and much more. Each day we try and serve a new dish to the Lord Ganesha

BENGALI TRADITIONS

The Banerjee family has merged Bengali and Maharashtrian cultures to create a unique Ganeshotsav celebration at their residence. (HT PHOTO)

The Banerjee family now settled in Balewadi has been welcoming the Hindu deity, Ganesha to their home, for the past 6 years now. The Bengali family has been living in the city for the past 10 years, and began the ritualistic celebrations, after the elder daughter insisted upon welcoming the divine guest.

“For me Lord Ganesha has always been the most adorable god and the festival has such a positive vibe. Having spent so many years here, we were always visiting our friends during the festival. But, 6 years ago, my eldest, Sharanya insisted that we practice the Ganesh Puja at our home as well, and that’s how we started,” said Shubha Banerjee.

Ilora Chanda, another Bengali in the city, who has been celebrating the festival at her residence, for the past 5 years, said, “What makes this puja so beautiful and positive is its simplicity. Unlike many of our religious festivals back in West Bengal, where we need a proper purohit or priest to do the rituals and complete the puja, Ganesh puja on the other hand does not need all that. The lord is easily content with simple love and care from his devotees, thus making this puja so popular each year.”

But, the celebrations, they said always have a slight Bengali touch to it. “Back in West Bengal, we mostly celebrate the Durga Puja with much gusto. And we wanted to merge our culture with this. So, we serve him, not only with the traditional modak and dry fruits, but also our special Bengali-style Sandesh modak, Khichudi (rise and lentils), Labra (mixed vegetables curry) , Payesh (rice pudding),” added Banerjee.

RECALLING KASHMIRI ROOTS

Away from their homeland, Kashmiri Pandits, like the Wakhlu family, continue to carry on the traditional Ganesh puja at their home. (HT PHOTO)

Kashmiri Pandits settled in the city, however celebrate a unique version of Ganeshotsav with Pann Puja. Dedicated to their local Goddess, Beeb Garab Maej, the Vinayak (Ganesh) Chaturthi is a traditional celebration in the area, dating back to 5th century, AD.

Away from homeland, Kashmiri Pandits in the city continue to carry on the tradition.

Pune residents, Bharat Wakhlu is one of them, who with his family practices the Pann puja and makes the special Roth prashad (offering) to the Elephant god, Ganesha.

Made of wheat flour, sugar and wheet, Roth is a special delicacy which resembles community bonding, as it is consumed through exchange with family and friends. Explaining the concept, Wakhlu said, “Each family makes their special kind of Roth and gifts them to the neighbours, friends and family, and they give their’s in return. Its more of an exchange of prashad which

enhances people to people bonding. Ganesha has always been a very lovable and apporachable god in all parts of the country. Also, most Kashmiris were originally Shaivites and Ganesha being Shiva’s son, was a common god for us.”

As the celebrations falls during the time of harvest of apples, in the area, the puja, majorly commemorated as an agrarian festival also involves worshiping twin agricultural local goddesses, Vibha and Garbha, who are also offered roths as prashad.

Speaking about carrying on the tradition through generations Wakhlu said, “Its a symbolic reminder of new beginnings and our beautiful past, something which most Kashmiri Pandits, where ever in the world they are, celebrate with much gusto. Our kids have grown up watching us celebrate it, and we hope they carry it forward for the next generations.”

GUJARATI FLAVOUR

Shah family, who came to Pune from Ahmedabad, with their Ganpati. (HT PHOTO)

Alpesh Shah, came to Pune from Ahmedabad in 2005 and lives in a cosmopolitan area in NIBM. It was seven years ago, that Shah was enamoured with belief and the atmosphere in Pune during Ganesh festival that he began installing Ganesh at his home.

“We didn’t know much about Ganesh before coming here, for us Navratri is important, hence we visited our friends and then learnt more about the importance of Ganesh, then thought of installing it in our home,” said Alpesh Shah.

The Prasad that they offer Ganesh showcases their culture and strictly follow no garlic, no onion recipes in their home during Lord’s stay. They also make Patra, Khaman, Dhudhpak (sweet with milk) and Sukhdi ( sweet made out of flour, jaggery and desi ghee) for prasad.

SPECIAL PARSI PRASAD

Meherzan Pardiwalla is a Parsi living in Modi Colony, Camp. “I always wanted to keep a Ganpati and I t was a reoccurring dream hence I told my grandmother and then we started installing ganpati at home. This was six years ago,’ said Meherzan.

Accordingly, the Prasad offered to the Lord also has an element of their parsi culture. “We make normal prasad on the first day like Ukadiche modak, Varan bhat, potato bhaji but we also serve Veg dhansak, Isto bhendu (bhendi) and paris special potato vegetable in tomato gravy,” adds Pardiwalla.

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