Three tantrums, Five outbursts, Hours of toil and a great meal later.......

Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha

Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva

Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa

Which translates into

O lord with the twisted trunk, with the effulgence of a billion suns,
always remove the obstacles when I am on an auspicious undertaking.

A hopeful start to an optimistic and cheery blog. With the advent of Ganesh Chaturthi…….I have set aside my rampantly-procrastinating spirit and decide to dutifully maintain a regular, uplifting and light-hearted blogette!

A traditional part of this festival is the ruckus that takes place in our household on the first auspicious day. We rise with the birds and spend the better half of the day churning out dishes for the mega afternoon meal. A spread of five different vegetarian dishes, mounds of rice and a bucketful of Payasam is no easy feat!!

Sweating in a hot kitchen over the proverbial hot stove…..cutting, chopping, dicing, stringing, shelling, churning and doing Lord knows what else……is enough to send the festive fervour right out of the nearest window!!

When I try, nonchalantly, to escape the confines of the steaming kitchen…my dear mum (who can spot a slacker a mile away!!) issues some dire warnings and well-placed threats. And like the meek lamb (!?!) that I am, I trudge back into the melting pot.

Everyone pitches it…not only with assistance but also some well-meaning advice. Needless to say, tempers are frayed…..faces are marred with angry scowls….and daggers are well and truly drawn!!

After the mammoth cooking session is over, we perform the main Puja. It is pretty understated by normal standards. A simple fare, with minimal prayers and straight-on devotion, we are quickly done with it and head off to the main attraction of the day…..LUNCH!!!

A lovely spread on plantain leaves; it is a delectable feast for the senses. All the hard work, aching muscles, and the cricks in unheard-of-places seem worth while. We tuck in with vigour….no-hold barred!! Rules of etiquette and concerns of calories are firmly tucked under the table.

Well-fed, content and bursting to the seams, we head off for a long lazy siesta and spend the rest of the day like a family of beached sea-lions. The calm after the storm…..truly blissful and occasionally peppered with a hastily-camouflaged belch!!

I try not to venture out in the evenings, because I inevitably end up admiring the moon….something, which is best avoided on Ganesh Chaturthi!!

Legend has it that during one of his birthdays, Ganesha’s mother, Parvati, cooked (like all doting mothers are prone to!!) twenty-one types of delicious food and a lot of sweet porridge. Ganesha ate so much that even his big belly could not contain it. Mounting his little mouse, he embarked on his nightly rounds. His mouse suddenly stumbled upon seeing a huge snake. To adjust His belly, Ganesha put the snake on as a belt around his stomach. All of a sudden, he heard laughter emanating from the sky.
He looked up and saw the moon mocking him. Ganesha infuriated, broke off one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. Parvati, seeing this, immediately cursed the moon that whoever looks at it on Ganesh Chaturthi will be accused of a wrong doing.

Though I get tossed the blame bucket pretty frequently, I prefer not to tempt fate on festive occasions!!! Stay in, avoid the moon and tuck into leftovers…..not asking for much, h-uh??