The sounds of the ghumot, the rhythm of the devotional songs and the occasional fireworks, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in ancestral homes in the villages of Goa. With the hustle and bustle to get the important lunch ready and to keep the place clean for Lord Ganesh, there is a lot of responsibility given to different members of the family. The bigger the family, the more bonding and unity is displayed.
The Suryarao Sardesai family at Savoi Verem which consists of nearly 25-30 families has greatly contributed to the literature and music of the State with family members like Shambarao Sardesai, Manohar Rai Sardesai, Laxman Rao Sardesai, Suhas Sardesai, Hema Sardesai and Vijay Sardesai. The family unites every year at their over 300 year old ancestral house to celebrate the festival, as it is prohibited to have their own individual celebrations, in their homes. Interestingly, the Ganesh idol at the ancestral home of the Suryarao Sardesai family is red in colour. Sanjeev Sardesai, one of the family members, explains, “There are different versions of Lord Ganesh in Goa. Our family was called warrior Brahmins as we were entrusted with the duty to look after the properties of Adil Shah. When other people started creating problems pertaining to property matters and to keep the records, we were given permission to wield the sword and draw blood. This is one version of the traditional red Ganesh idol.”
The Shenvi Khandeparkar family in Khandepar has more than 70 members from India and other parts of the world who come together to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. Their family deity is Lord Ganesh and the family has a unique way of celebrating his festival. They venerate a paper mache idol specially created by Umesh Natekar and his family from Usgao. The house was built between 1928 and 1942 and has more than 50 rooms with two raj angans. Originally from Divar, the family has run RBS Candiaparcar, an engineering firm right from the Portuguese times. The story told by Mandar Khandeparkar, a family member, on how the family landed in Khandepar from Divar, is quite fascinating.
“During the Portuguese regime, idol worship was banned in territories which were under their control. When they raided the village of Divar, my ancestor and a member of the Navelkar family crossed the river in a canoe and reached the banks of the river at Khandola. They named the place Ganesh Mol and now our kuldev is at Shri Mahaganapati Temple. We continue with the tradition of venerating a paper mache idol every year,” says Mandar, who also informs that their joint family has 35 members living under the same roof throughout the year.
One of the oldest known joint families in India, the Nadkarni Sawardekar family, has over 300 members all over Goa, India and even abroad. The descendants of Vithoji Sardar, the family’s ancestral heritage house, ‘Sawardekar Wada’ in Sanvordem comes to life for Ganesh Chaturthi. Adv Pranav Sanvordekar, a ninth generation member of the family says, “We have only one Ganesh idol in our home and it is currently worshipped right from the seventh to the eleventh generation of the family under one roof. The house is over 300 years old and legend has it, that once during a gunshot battle between the dacoits who came to loot the wada, the family Goddess Shree Shantadurga appeared on the second step (from the top) and scared off the dacoits. Since then, it is considered as sacred, so much so, that the family members skip the step while entering and exiting the house.” The Sanvordekar family includes members like Paresh Sawardekar, Shailesh Sawardekar, Dr Vinay Sawardekar, Asha Sawardekar and Adv Yogesh Nadkarni.
The visarjan in Adpai, Ponda, unlike the rest of Goa, is held in the afternoon. The village consists of 17 family Ganesh idols and each family creates unique tableaux with a theme and the entire family follows a colour scheme and dress code as they head out with the idol for immersion on the fifth day of the festival. This year, it will be held on September 4, from 2 pm onwards. The idols are placed at Datta Mandap and after prayers, the idols are carried in canoes into the Zuari River for immersion.
Artist Sagar Naik Mule belongs to the Mule family in Adpai which has nearly 150 members. His main duty is the department of art for the decorations of the house as well as the float. “This year, we have dedicated the theme of the tableaux to the 75th Independence Day of India. Our house is nearly 300 years old and any occasion in the family is first celebrated in our raj angan. No matter how modern we become, the rituals and traditions have to be followed. These celebrations for visarjan have been followed even before Shigmo could start with tableaux. This year, we even have announced an All Goa Photography Competition 2022 ‘Glimpses of Adpai Ganesh Visarjan’. The competition is open to all,” says Sagar Naik Mule.
