20 Aug 2017  |   03:25am IST

Idol minds are God’s workshop

Amongst all the fervent build-up to Ganesh Chaturthi, Café takes a look at one place where the people have been doing their bit to do things a little differently at the time of the celebrations

Fernando Monte da Silva

Margao’s Latin Quarter, from the church square around Holy Spirit Church right up to iconic roads of Abade Faria and Padre Miranda, has always been a neighbourhood that has served as the epitome of secularity. For centuries, there has been an open participation in festivities across religions, and during Ganesh Chaturthi – one of the big festivals in the state – much of this comes to the fore. Within the triangulation of these aforementioned neighbourhoods, there is a cluster of a few temples of noteworthy mention, such as Damodar Sal, Ram Mandir and Vitthal Mandir. In fact, Damodar Sal is where Swami Vivekananda lived briefly, on a visit to Goa in 1898. However, that is not the place in immediate focus; that place of importance is Vitthal Mandir, which at the time of Ganesh Chaturthi, always comes into special focus.

For years on end (until 2015), every year, along the crossroads at Gajanan Gaundalkar Marg, right outside the home of the Hede family, a pandal (canopy) would be erected, and in it would be a larger-than-life-size idol of Lord Ganesh, made entirely of uniquely-selected material. One year, the members of Comba Sarvajanik Shree Ganeshotsav Samiti (the organising committee of the festivities) took it upon themselves to use only coconut shells, yet another year – jute, and so on. The most remarkable endeavour though, was a couple of years ago, where the idol was made purely out of silver-coloured crown caps.

Sharmad Raiturkar served as the President of Comba Sarvajanik Shree Ganeshotsav Samiti for four years, at the time that many of these innovative initiatives were undertaken. Speaking on the reasoning behind why they stepped up to do something different, he says, “There are many places of celebration, and as a result, something had to be done to stand out, a purpose for attraction, you could call it. That something extra turned out to be the innovative idols that we initiated, all of which were well received.”

However, over the years, one issue that became evident to the committee was the destruction of the idol. Speaking on these observations, Sharmad points out, “The first year, which is when we had utilised coconut shells, we gave the idol to Kala Academy, after the celebrations. However, being biodegradable matter, the shells began to lose their shape and changed as per the elements of the weather, making it look a little shabby over time. We felt that through the years, an idol that represents God needs to be disposed of in a proper manner, and since we couldn’t seem to do that in an appropriate fashion, it was better to stop making the idols altogether.”

Innovative idols aside, another reason that keeps Vitthal Mandir in focus during the festive celebrations is the attention that is paid, in particular, to the environmental impact that the area’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations have. By and large, there is a large amount of waste that is generated by the non-biodegradable accessories used during worship. Noise and air pollution are highly prevailing factors as well. However, there is a huge step taken to avoid these various detriments.

“We noticed that it was common practice to use a lot of hazardous material during the celebration. Sometimes it was impossible to even breathe through the thick clouds of smoke that were being generated by the fireworks that were used. Hence we decided to go the other way and use nothing that was commonplace. We don’t use a single firework, and are eco-friendly in that sense,” Sharmad points out, adding, “There is also a social aspect to our decision to do this. As Comba is a residential neighbourhood, and there are many ageing members in the community, some of whom suffer from various illnesses, the last thing we want to do is startle or frighten them with the noise of sudden explosions.”

However, this does not mean that the celebrations at hand are silent in nature, as there is much merriment to be had. The procession for the immersion of the idol is accompanied by music from the Nasik Dhol, with a band of almost 40 people, who play for the duration of the procession, which starts at Vitthal Mandir and goes up to the lake opposite the Damodar Ling in Fatorda. Furthermore, Comba is devoid of speeches that often tend to happen on the last day of the celebrations, but instead puts a lot of focus on people coming to its celebrations to be entertainment, and there is always room for felicitation for achievers across fields from the area, and taking cognisance of their achievements.

So whether you come to Comba this year for the celebrations or for the novelty of it, you can be assured one thing, that there will be much camaraderie across cultures, and it will be a spectacle to remember.