Ganpati Bappa Morya, Purcha Varshi Laukarya

Being in Mumbai for Ganpati Visarjan is a completely wow experience. One must be here at this time of the year atleast once in your lifetime. The traffic is most well managed today better than when the President is visiting. All is happy colourful and Bappa is ready to take his voyage into the sea. devika was crying at Visarjan on watching immersions. I told her even Ganpati wants to go back to his parents Shiva Parvati after ten days of festivity so he leaves. She seemed pretty satisfied.Though the fear of loud drums, lots of people and crackers is there. Jaideep and me love it completely. Some societies give free water and biscuits to people who are going for immersion. The vada pav walas do max business. The politicians put up stages, hoardings and help desks everywhere. All big Murtis after Lal Baghcha Raja in Parel come to Shivaji Park for visarjan. Near my house is a small bridge/ flyover above the railway tracks. This bridge ends into a turnabout. The main road leads to the sea. The best place to watch the visarjan is near the turn about at Ganga Vihar hotel. One can see the idols coming from high above the bridge towards you.Quite a sight. The sea of people has never been scary. All are happy with their family and friends. No drunkenness, no rash driving , no eve teasing! Delhi , are you listening?
Nana Patekar s Ganpati is four bulidings away. The visarjan has a sea of humanity wanting to see Nana. He runs an open kitchen for ten days. This time Kunal Vijaykar covered it in NDTV good times.They have the band and guys carrying kersosene lamps.
Near my building three societies had Ganpatis for one and half days. Each one had a Nasik Dhol band with lezims and the works. All three building Ganpatis left for Visarjan together. The guys in one building were in white Lucknowi kurtas and the other building were wearing white traditional topis guys and girls. Really cool Bappa.Then saw a group of women with lezim for the visarjan and they were not professionals but the sound was good. Some just go with their building people with every ones' Ganpati on one cart and only Manjiras or cymbals for music.
I am very cryu on our Ganpati visarjan. Post lunch Jaideep and my mood starts sinking. When he picks up the idol and we shout Ganpati bappa Morya it is really tearful. The Arti on the beach in the sand trying to keep the kapur burning against the sea breeze is heart breaking. It is like your child going abroad for work or studies. You know he will come back next year but the sadness lingers. The guys who take the idol into the water goes quite deep and then turns around to show you God. He takes three dips in the water while i watch unblinkingly at Ganpati Bappa and then he immerses it. He comes back with little sand from the sea and your Paat- the wooden seat on which I had kept the idol. The family is waiting little high up on the beach, they had not come into the water. We eat the coconut and do darshans of all the Ganpati ready for visarjan with artis going on.
As soon as we come home, there is relief and happiness that all went well. Tea snacks start all over again.Dinner menu is being decided. Rabinder my friend offers to cook and she is an amazing cook. The dhols in the neighbouring buildings have started playing. They are getting ready for visarjan. It is time to go down and bid adieu to the lord again. Purcha Varshi laukarya