September 9, 2013

  

Wish you a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi and Ganesh festivities!!! 

 

Hello everybody.  

 

Wishing you happiness as big as Ganesh’s appetite;

Life as long as his trunk;

Troubles as small as his mouse;

And Moments as sweet as his Laddus

Sending you wishes on Ganesh Chaturthi!!!

 

Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival celebrated with lot of pomp and show on the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the sone of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

 

It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the day when Ganesha was born. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel.  The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).

 

As we know, Ganesha is one of the most beloved of Gods and seems to reside in every Hindu home regardless of sect or region and it’s his birthday today! The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi stretches over ten or eleven days starting today.  However, preparations have already been under way for weeks. People are busy creating new Ganesha statues from clay and on the last day of the festival, they will be carried to rivers and submerged. This symbolizes Ganesha returning home and carrying your troubles away with him.

 

Ways To Celebrate

* Craft your own Ganesha. Make it environmentally friendly by using a biodegradable clay (or make your own with the recipe below). This is a wonderful festival to celebrate with children, as they can create their own Ganeshas.

* Today is the day to install these new Ganesha murtis in your home mandir. Offer pujas to Ganesha every day between September 9th and September 18th. Decorate more elaborately than usual, maybe with fresh flowers and strings of lights

* Find a nearby river or lake to take your statue to (you could also use a bucket of water, but it’s more dramatic and fun when you use a real river) for the last day. Make sure to whisper your wishes and hopes into his ear before he goes!

* Bake lots of sweets! Ganesha loves sweets, particularly modak (which, as I learned the first year I did this, is tricky to make!)

 

Environmental Impacts:

'The most serious impact of the festival on the environment is due to the immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris  into lakes, rivers and the sea. Traditionally, the idol was sculpted out of mud taken from nearby one’s home. After the festival, it was returned to the Earth by immersing it in a nearby water body. This cycle was meant to represent the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature.  

On the final day of the Ganesh festival thousands of plaster idols are immersed into water bodies by devotees. These increase the level of acidity in the water and the content of heavy metals.   Some of the things that will help us to protect the environment are-

• Return to the traditional use of natural clay idols and immerse the icon in a bucket of water at home.

• Use of a permanent icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.

• Recycling of plaster idols to repaint them and use them again the following year.

• Creative use of other biodegradable materials to create Ganesh idols.

• Encouraging people to immerse the idols in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies.

 

On this auspicious day, I would also like to commend efforts of all the participating clubs of Zone 7 for their active participation in CEP workshop and making it a huge success.  Now, we have October Service week ahead of us and I wish you resounding success in all your endeavors and make the service projects with a vision to mark an impact that it larger than life. 

 

Once again, welcome and best wishes for a successful celebration!  May Lord Ganesha Shower you with Success and fortune in all your endeavors!

 

WE SERVE.  

 

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all.

 

Best,

H L Sharma

Zone Chairman

Zone 7 | Region 3 | District 323 A-3 | Lions Clubs International