HVK Archives: Observer: "They also serve ..."
Observer: "They also serve ..." - The Observer
Deepali Nandwani
()
22 September 1996
Title : They also serve...
Author : Deepali Nandwani
Publication : The Observer
Date : September 22, 1996
This article is from an earlier data. It is being sent to
indicate the thinking of the author at that time.
Over a hundred years ago, Bal Gangadhar Tilak took Lord
Ganesh out of the confines of the home, exhorting believ-
ers to join him in public veneration and worship of the
god. For Tilak, it was a means of mobilising people to
fight British domination.
Today, the elephant-headed god has transcended religious
barrier. In keeping with the cosmopolitan character of
Mumbai, ganeshotsav has gone secular. Many non-Hindus
participate in the ten-day pageant.
For 31-year-old Sebastina Fernandes, a Roman Catholic and
a staunch devotee of Ganpati, the festival is a harbinger
of faith and hope. She recalls, "I have two children, My
elder son, born in 1984, was afflicted with jaundice from
his birth. He suffered relapses quite often. Doctors had
given up hope of his survival." Fernandes' Hindu neigh-
bours egged her on to pray to Lord Ganesh, "the most
powerful Hindu God."
"They said that Ganpati is considered very auspicious and
is worshipped during every festival. His statue is found
in almost every temple in India. I vowed that if my son
survives, I would bring Ganpati home every year," she
recalls. Her son recovered and Fernandes named him Ga-
nesh. For the last 12 years she has been celebrating
Ganeshotsav.
Fernandes appearance reinforces the image of the stereo-
type middle-aged Christian woman - clad in severe frock,
cross tattooed on her right hand. However, during the
Ganesh festival, Fernandes takes to wearing sarees and
mangalsutra in deference to Hindu tradition. The ebulli-
ent lady says, "We observe every ritual attached to the
festival. I fast during the eleven-day period. On the
last day, the family takes the Ganesh idol for immersion
to the sea at Chimbai village in Bandra." But this year,
due to a death having occurred in the family, the idol
will be kept home only for a day-and-a-half, adds Fer-
nandes regretfully. her superstitious comment: "Since the
day I began worshipping Ganesh, no evil has befallen the
family" - conjures up images of an orthodox Hindu.
Like Fernandes, Maggi Frank, also a Roman Catholic was
introduced to Lord Ganesh by circumstance. The catalyst
for her devotion was stark poverty and homelessness. "My
husband, Dominic, worked part-time at a club. Though I
taken a degree in nursing, things were so bad that I
accepted a job at a private hospital where I was paid a
mere Rs 150. We did not have a roof over our heads, my
family was scattered all over the city, we could afford
only one meal a day..." she pauses mid-sentence.
Frank-'s pleasantly plump face perks up as she continues,
"Tired of poverty, Dominic took me to Ganeshpuri, the
pilgrimage centre close to Mumbai - Since I did not
believe in Hindu deities, I wandered in the jungle sur-
rounding the temple. " Suddenly, a vision of Lord Ganesh
flashed before her eyes' The apparition promised Frank
that from that moment onward, her life would change for
the better. She giver out an embarrassed laugh. "I know
it is hard to believe, but I did hear that voice within
me, I did see that vision. I vowed that I would make my
home a mini-Ganeshpuri."
The next day was Ganesh Chaturthi and Frank installed an
idol of the god in her home. Her husband Dominic butts
in. "We did not know how to Perform aarti. Our Hindu
neighbours helped us. We have been doing it for the last
25 years. This is the twenty-sixth year of Ganeshotsav
celebrations in our home." The entire family joins in the
month-long fast during the month of Shravan. Non-vege-
tarian food is banned during that period. Dominic's four
sisters fast on the day that the idol is brought home.
Today, the Franks have moved out of their small, one-room
tenement and transformed it into a marble temple where
idols of Hindu deities jostle for space with statues of
the Sacred Heart. Even the house the couple lives in has
photographs of Jesus Christ and Lord Ganesh rubbing
frames.
Noted sarod player Zarine Daruwala-Sharma is a Parsi
married into the family of the music legend Pandit Husn-
lal Bhagatram. "I have been associated with Hindustani
classical music right from my childhood. Saraswati, the
goddess of ail and Lord Ganpati are worshipped by every
artist. I do not begin any performance before an invoca-
tion to Lord Ganesh. And once you start playing, you
forget what religion your audience belongs to. Music is a
divine art," she says. Her father, S D Daruwala. incul-
cated in her a respect for all religions. For the fami-
ly, no important work began without worshipping Ganpati.
the symbol of intelligence and strength.
Slightly similar for Parveen Shaikh Ganguly. "We had a
Maharashtrian driver and every year on Ganeshotsav, my
mummy and I would go to his house for pooja - We took
offerings for the god in a thali and participated in the
immersion procession too. I was fascinated by the ele-
phant-headed god," she smiles. This fascination in-
creased and now, Parveen aapa as she is known, has tied
her first rakhi upon the wrist of the Ganpati statue at
Siddhivinayak temple. She is married to a Hindu and
Parveen continues to visit the dargah as well. "I had a
nikah and a Hindu wedding. There are no compulsions from
my husband as far as religion is concerned. I am free to
do what I want," she emphasizes.
Parveen aapa feels that after the riots, inter-community
participation in each other's festivals was essential to
defuse communal tension. "Indians are very religious and
religion can only unite us."
Abdul Nandedwala, a Khoja Muslim concurs. "People come up
with absolutely stupid theories about my dedication to
Lord Ganesh. Insecurity is one of them. Why should I be
insecure? I am an Indian and proud to be one. I feel that
more inter-religious mingling, especially during festi-
vals, will do us a lot of good. Especially the Muslims.
It will help us integrate with the national mainstream
and do away with several harmful myths about Muslims
being bigots. This kind of image ends up harming the
community's cause."
Nandedwala was attracted by the Ganpati festival in Gorai
village where he resides. "I find their way of celebrat-
ing Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav unique and interesting," he
enthuses. Men belonging to all religions gather and
worship Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh and Nandi. Women are not
allowed on the first day. "It is believed that Shiva and
Ganesh's concentration would be disturbed by the presence
of women and deny others the benefit of their darshan.
The villagers claim that Lord Shiva enters the being of
one of the devotees after pooja. The man, whose body
Lord Shiva has entered, rushes to the idol and begins
dancing. The man's claim is tested by the villagers. He
is made to dip his hand in a pot of boiling tea. If it
is unscathed, Lord Shiva is deemed to have entered his
body. From the next day, women are allowed to partici-
pate." Nandedwala recounts, his heavy frame shifting in
tile chair. the old fan whirring incessantly next to the
chair.
Nandedwala shatters the myth that Muslims are fanatics.
"Islam does not permit idol worship. But then, we are
living in India and are Indians first. You cannot over-
look or ridicule the form of worship that 80 per cent of
India follows," he asserts. Parveen adds that several
Muslims visit temples but are scared to say so. "Do You
know that there are several Muslims who walk all the way
from Bhayander and Borivli, the distant suburbs of Mum-
bai, to the Siddhivinayak temple at Dadar, a distance of
several hundred kilometers? They begin walking at one
o'clock at night and reach the temple as dawn breaks.
Those who are afflicted, by chicken pox offer dahi at
Sitladevi temple. In every Muslim home, incense sticks,
dhoop and the oil lamp are lighted twice a day, in the
morning and evening," she gesticulates. Parveen visits
Siddhivinayak temple every Wednesday.
Almost everybody agree that community and religious
leaders frown upon this assimilation, which they term
"deviant behaviour and a betrayal of their religion."
Parveen objects. "My family did not place any restric-
tions on us. Even today, my mother gives donations to
Ganpati mandals. But the neighbours object. The maulanas
disapprove. But I don't give a damn." For Frank, initial
opposition came from her husband. "He was afraid that we
would be socially ostracised. Visiting temples is fine,
but keeping Ganpati at home amounted to sacrilege! He
feared that nobody in the community would many our child-
ren. But since I had taken an oath, I refused to
listen." Her perseverance and dedication paid off, and
now her entire family joins in the revelry. "Roman
Catholic priests also come home during Ganpati. It's
triumph of faith over intolerance." she states.'
Back
Top
|
