With Simon at the wheel and one very cross kid (torn away from his friends in the 'hood) we headed off to Ulsoor Lake, in mid-Bangalore to hopefully see some Ganesha meet their end. Although this was not a major submersion day for the festival there had been an article in the newspaper saying the police were expecting a lot of Ganesha traffic. So, we were hopeful.
The Ganesh's started pouring in. They were parked on the quay for one last round of pooja and offerings. Time running out....
Then over the fence and consigned to the murky waters, one, two, three dunks and your gone......
These Ganesh were so beautiful with their bright eyes and chubby bellies. Not to mention all the intricate design and workmanship, I was quite sad to see them go, as were some of their temporary owners:
As the afternoon ticked by the Ganesh got bigger and the atmosphere more electric. The Ganesh were driven up on carts pulled by oxen, on the back of trucks or pulled by tractors. Drums were beat, chanting loud, and firecrackers boomed. This was only mid-afternoon and already getting a little overwhelming for Wills. Next year, we'll leave the kids at home and drive up one evening to see the real action!
One of the things I love best in India: no-one minded we were there, everyone was happy to have us share their festival and their fun, people wanted to talk to us, in-fact, someone told me "Its Sunday, so the Christians have come to drop their Ganesh", it's all encompassing! And of course everyone wanted their picture taken:
It was sad to see the end result, these beautiful statues being pushed to their graveyards....
But next year, both they and us will be back!!!
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