Happy Birthday to Ganesh!

Today is Vinayagar Chaturthi, the day that Lord Ganesha (a.k.a. Vinayagar [in Tamil], Pillaiyar [also Tamil], Ganapati, etc.), son of Shiva and Parvati, bestows his blessings on devotees. It is also apparently his birthday. And who doesn't love Ganesh? He has an elephant head after all. On the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi people either buy Ganesh statues made out of clay, or themselves make them from clay, and worship them before submerging them in water the next day and letting them melt back into the sea, river, etc. This re-enacts Ganesh's birth in which his mother Parvati actually made him from clay and breathed life into him. Because Parvati made Ganesh all on her own, Shiva actually didn't even know who Ganesh was the first time he set eyes on him and he ended up chopping his head off. Then, depending on which version of the story you read, he realized his folly in killing his wife's son and agreed to take the head of the first being he saw to replace Ganesh's. An elephant walked past, and there you have it.

Vinayagar Chaturthi is really a quite enjoyable holiday, and begins with loudspeakers blaring films songs at 5:30 AM to get the jolly mood started off just right. Fortunately for me, the loudspeakers are situated about 10 feet from my front door, right near the small Vinayagar temple next to the medical stall. With each beat of the bass, the lights in my house go dim and the ceiling fans slow. The vibrations of the cement walls afforded by the latest Tamil cinema hits being blared at ear-splitting volumes really got me into a meditative frame of mind this morning.

Once Chellapandi arrived she expressed a bit of frustration at the decibel level, and the fact that one simply cannot even speak to another person and be heard. I think this mirrors the sentiments of just about everyone else around here, perhaps even the DJs themselves, but as I have mentioned before people seem to look at it as a necessary evil. Everyone seems to hate it, but no one will rush up to the speakers and turn them off or, better yet, smash them. Chellapandi explained that the month of Avani (the current Tamil lunar month) is a very auspicious month in which everyone should be happy and should necessarily rise very early, smiling all the while. Apparently the loudspeakers are designed to help members of the community reach this beatific state.

I rather feel like Miss Havisham or Mr. Scrouge when I pray to the gods for a power cut during these community loudspeaker binges. But today I got my prayers answered when the music miraculously cut off around 10AM due to a sudden power cut. Perhaps they actually blew out an entire transformer, the way they are sucking power from all the houses to run these speakers. Needless to say, the only time I get excited about a power cut is during a holiday, as one certainly doesn't want to do without a fan when it's 100F. Suddenly Meeambalpuram was plunged into silence. Well, not really because you've still got horns blaring non-stop, and drums and firecrackers up the road, etc. etc. But as a community we managed to have a very nice puja right there in front of the little Ganesh temple because our ears weren't bleeding as we prayed. It was really quite nice, and not just because the speakers were dead for a few blessed hours. It was nice to get to take part in this with the neighbors. I was especially interested to see that the young priest officiating the puja has "VIJAY" tattooed across his forearm. Turns out he is a big Vijay fan.

After the puja I made my way downtown for the day. It was such a tiring day, and as a result I am going to bed at 9:15PM. Fortunately the current came back on, as did the speakers. So I will be rocked to sleep tonight by the film songs. Earlier I had to cook dinner by candlelight because all the power is being sapped by the speakers and as a result the tube light in the kitchen doesn't function.


Kan Drishti Ganapati : This relatively new-fangled representation of Ganesh is a favorite for warding the evil eye off of homes and businesses. Note the accentuated eyes.

Pillaiyarpatti Ganesh: This Ganesh is famous for having only two arms. Apparently the only other two-armed Ganesh (besides this one in Tamil Nadu) can be found in Afghanistan!