Ganpati Bappa Morya

 

Nationalist and freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the man who turned the private Ganapati Festival into Public festival. Basically, he found the need to bridge the beliefs between people and there could have been no better options than Ganpati Bappa and Shivaji Maharaj. He started celebrating Shivajayanti and Ganesh Utsav. We all know Ganesh Utsav is a ten-day-long festival celebrated in Maharashtra. Now as people travelled in different states and countries they carried their celebrations and beliefs with them. Tilak choose Ganesh festival as Ganpati was “The God for every man” and “Common Man,” this helped him getting people of all upper and lower caste, Brahmins and non-Brahmins together and fight against the British who did not allow public gatherings in those days.

Ganesh Utsav then and now

Earlier idols were made up of clay, or say mud only which later turned to POP and use of other chemicals involved in making the idol more beautiful and presentable. Resulting in water pollution on immersion of idols after the tenth day due to the chemical use.

Earlier ten days were celebrated along with cultural events like dance, drama, musical night and debates but that was all related to the religious content or freedom struggle. But today we celebrate with dance and drams etc irrespective of religious content.

Earlier the festival was like “EK GAAV EK GANAPATI” today we completely fail on this concept. Though the cities have also become larger and expanded their limits there is no count of mandals around, every society and every defined area has their Ganpati festival, their own Ganesh Mandal. There is no outline of events followed, no defined structure. It’s just about competition among us comparing the height of the idol and the expenses done against the festival.

The regional celebration is now a National celebration and more of political celebration. Collecting donations for the idol was earlier as per the wish of donor, but now it’s more of threat and fixed amount irrespective of your wish for the local businessman’s.  

Today it’s just about endless meaningless music along with bare bodies moving on it in front of huge gigantic statues and pandals. Going by some figures there were 3000 pandals in Mumbai in 1995 which turned to 12000 by 2016.

Ganpati Bappa is the god of wisdom and prosperity. We all love him as the favourite god and for his Modaks. Can we make this celebration better by making small changes in it? This year we do not have many Pandals, taking this as an opportunity

Ø Can we make changes in our celebrations? Some villages have taken the initiative of “EK GAAV EK GANAPATI”.

Ø The idols are limited to 2 feet only. Above all this, there would be no assembling of people and no procession as well. But there are still POP idols. Can we all go for eco-friendly Ganesh idols, idols out of the paper mash, natural colours, and natural red and black Clay?

    Can we have some structure of celebration relevant to our culture?

Ø Can we try and make it less noisy, and more meaning full.          

Ø Can we all take up Tilak’s agenda and limit the number of idols. Of course, today making idols is one of the biggest annual businesses, but we will have to be hard and take a step ahead. In fact, going ahead can we learn pottery skills and try and make our own idols.

Ø Can we make Athravashirsha an everyday event for?

Ø Can we contribute less to noise and air pollution?

Ø Events like dancing are also forms of art to be conducted but can that be something classical, something religious.

Ø Let’s organise a competition that will enrich our lives.

    Mind it; it’s just not a celebration or festival. People tend to follow so many auspicious things at home, treat the same idol with so much belief and respect but same people fail to follow it in public mandals. What an irony! This year we need to take extra care during Ganesh festival. Let us stay at home, avoid visiting public places and sarvajanik mandals. Try spending this Ganesh festival with your Ganpati idol at your place. Let us pray Bappa for the eradication of all the diseases and sufferings around and may Bappa bless you all health and wisdom.   

Ganpati Bappa Morya,pudhchya varshi lawkar ya……..2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with child's failure

Dealing with failures, here is a special note for parents, yes because parents need it more than children. The results are out and parents are celebrating by distributing sweets in society. Children are happy thinking they would easily get admissions where they had aimed for. But this happiness doesn’t exist when someone around, whom you know did not succeed, or due to failure takes a step to commit suicide. Thankfully no news yet. Still, I take an onus to write for those parents of children who did not score well.

As we say firstly every child is different. We should accept the child with his positives and negatives as well. Remember Amir Khan Starrer movie had a dialogue “Sab milkay har ungli ko bada karne main lage huey hain” As a parent what you should not do is something we will discuss today.

Parents let us take this an opportunity to change our mindsets. The problem is not in this generation but in ours, as we are bought up thinking differently saying marks and ranks define us. We had lesser carrier opportunities comparatively, isn’t it?.

Remember we were made to believe that status in society is due to the money we earn. And to get that salary a few options like the doctor, engineer were available. No one really thought of other options and whoever thought was looked up with completely different and ugly looks. The “Log kya kahenge“ factor pushed generations into these marks and grades race. Passions, choice, and interest was something apart from our carrier options.

Ø Many times parents keep using the negative terms for children like a failure, looser, and duffer. You cannot be insensitive for your pride to your own child. Yes! I mean pride, results are like pride issues to parents, the way they discuss, and share results on the public platform. But for them who are not able to do this keep on blaming the child and using one-liners like, “You will never be successful” “You are a loser” Now a day’s every class even nursery class has watts app group of parents, where parents literally compete among themselves.

Ø You are not only degrading them, but hurting their self-esteem and also taking steps towards being the most insensitive parent “You are a curse to our family name, ”I think you should graze cows and buffalos”. Here labeling the child will be like a stamp that would never go off him.                 

Some parents take away all the luxuries like mobile, laptop given to the child, stop talking to him and stop providing his pocket money or his playtime is called off. Doing this will not help the child to concentrate on studies but of course, the child is getting away with his thoughts against you.

This reflects the parent’s immaturity.  Behaving in such a manner will lead the child to get the feeling of no one understands him, he will feel lonely, upset, feel low, and depressed. This may lead him to the wrong company and mislead him to health issues as well. And the worst case will be leaving the house or committing suicide. It’s not about being a good parent or bad parent, it’s just that you are a parent and need to deal with this situation carefully. First please understand the child did not do it purposefully. He/She must have tried his best to study and get good marks but somehow they haven’t, Now rather than going into the past, as a parent can you move towards the future.

Ø Can you try some words carefully which would make the child feel better in the situation where he /she, is already in guilt? Maybe something like “Its ok! Try harder next time. Failures are the best teacher; we are with you no matter what happens. When you stop trying is when you fail, so try all over again”.

Ø Guide your child to take learning from failures. Encourage and guide him thru the process but also ensure he has learned from the failure.

Ø Take family out for a ride or dinner just to feel better and help the child move on.

Ø Go along with his entire study material and understand where he went wrong, where he can correct and take pains to improve.

Ø Talk enough with him such that he gives out all his anger, guilt sadness fear and other strange feelings to overcome the failure.

Ø Start focusing on Childs interest and passion. Keep your carrier option aside, let him explore his possibilities.

Ø There are good examples of young entrepreneurs in the business field, so you need not get old to be successful in business.

Ø Let children try and fail as they have a family to support. And of course, that’s the first step to success, isn’t it?

Remember the scene in three idiots when Farhan chooses his passion –photography over being an Engineer. The scene got all of us in tears when parents and children are in two different worlds, but they accept each other and hug, isn’t that feeling great. Go ahead and hug your kid, for all he has tried. Choose your reactions and shape the future of your child as you are mature, sensitive, and caring adult, who also may have failed or not scored well in life.

"One exam doesn’t define who you are. Each of you is blessed with numerous talents. Live life to the fullest. Never lose hope, always look ahead."

 

Wachal tar Vachal... Reading a Saviour

My mother always shares my memories of holding the pen in hand whole day wherever I go. I had that habit of noting down things as and when needed. No wonder I have always been writing and reading a lot. At times, I even keep the used newspaper, one which is used to cover shelves, if my eyeballs catch something new in it.

I actually used to tuck the pen in my dress as men do in their pockets. Further the pen went to my purse or bags along with small diary. Today when I see same habit in my daughter I try to encourage her to scribble with the pen. Thankfully she hasn’t scribbled my walls yet.

She draws some picture of a girl, every time its mom and sometimes when it had small beard like hairs on chin its baba. She writes alphabets and numbers on her book, imitating me when I write.

She is too small to read anything apart from her alphabets. I got some books for her and prepared a small child library. She very proudly shares mom, that’s my library.

I want to inculcate that reading habit in her and thus I keep trying different tricks, but to my realization that she is still four and identifies alphabets and numbers only. I hold back my urge to make her read.

I was sitting in my balcony accompanied by her besides me. Of course, I was reading out story to her. That’s the practice we follow whenever, she feels like listening or say demands for a story. We have been doing this as practice. When I was done with her reading and picked my novel, she went back to her book and started reading the bold letters on the cover page….F..A…I…R..Y  T..A..L..E..S….fairy tales, right mummy? And that’s the beginning she started reading anything in bold letters she found everywhere in the house. Names of biscuits, any wrapper she found, brand of television, refrigerator, movie names, clothes brands and bold names in newspapers.

One night I slept with the thought of buying new books for her as we are almost done reading all stories to her. I was also thinking how do I make her read books. We had serious discussion wherein my husband calmed me down saying she is small in a year or, so she will start reading, I should not worry and hurry as well. You can buy books online he said. And I slept with the happy thought of online book shopping.

Next morning my baby got up before me, while I was still in my bed she arranged few pillows to reach her library and got duckling book in her hand. She got it and sat near my pillow showing me the pictures and started reading…once an upon a time there lived a duck with her three little ducklings…….she couldn’t read, but she read the story the way she knew and recollected it, while she was turning pages……that was so cute. Her gesture made me so happy and content.

Moral of the story is, children copy you, imitate you in whatever you do. Be what you want your child to be.

In Marathi, we have saying “Wachal tar Vachal” reading saves. Here are some tricks I practiced making my child read.

· Introduce a funny reading game to your child by reading alternate lines. Making funny voices, act at times to develop their interest in it. Have some game of interest like who reads well, who reads faster etc.

· Bring books that are interesting at that age, where they can learn something new. That has catchy pictures as well.

· Never decide what they should read. Always give them choice. Let them learn to select and find their own interest. Expose them to various languages, authors and pictures and choose the best of their interest.

· Worshiping books will never bring goddess saraswati to your house. Let children find her when they turn the pages. Let them mark some points take notes, write new words. Introduce new words in their day to day vocabulary.

· Do not force child to read, make reading a pleasure for him. Convincing them to read would make it another task for them. Give them anything that interests them, some comic, some newspaper cutting, or just advertisements anything that they love to read,that will increase the interest and will be pleasure for them.

· Introduce games like searching words on the page of book. Teach Synonyms for some word or word puzzles for kids. Teach them use of one new word every day. Search for new words in newspaper or books.

· Create something like a book club with child and his friends, wherein they share their reading, the books and share the stories. Let them exchange their books and readings. Encourage them with the highest book reader. Peers are always motivating factor, and reading with friends will make the process exciting.

· The bookshelf for the kid should be handy. The child should be able to play with the book as and when he wants. Do not keep it high fearing the child may tear it.

· Create a cozy reading or writing corner for children. Add something like comfortable desk to read with lovely cushions and reading light. The ambience may excite the child and see that you keep the reading lights on at specific time, such that it becomes schedule.

· Keep variety of books to understand the child’s likes and dislikes of subjects. Encourage all type of reading.

· Keep the books handy at different locations as per their subject. Bedtime stories near bed, art and craft near play area cartoons stories in drawing room. Also keep a book for notes.

Prefer books than any gadget. It’s safe for eyes, it gives better understanding. Children feel comfortable with books than being anxious with gadgets. It may get tore but unless the child handles it, it won’t. Let the child handle it, see it, touch and feel the books to get that ownership.

Believe me it gives immense pleasure to see your child reading on his own.