Ganesh goes the traditional way

JAIPUR: Since the past 150 years, the Elephant God has been an annual visitor at their home. The fourth generation of the Dharmadhikari family is busy preparing for the evening aarti', which is together performed by all the 25 family members.
Similarly, Ninad Bhise, the third generation in the Bhise family, is all set to perform the aarti', before taking the Ganpati idol for immersion.The Bhise family, which has been in the city for over 50 years, has been bringing home the Ganpati during the Ganesh Chaturthi, since then.
Various Jaipur-based Maharashtrian families have been following the tradition of installing and worshipping Ganesh idols at their homes during this festive season. Over the years, some of these household festivities have become immensely popular and today draw people from various communities during Ganesh Chaturthi. These domestic celebrations can go on for two to five, seven, or even 10 days.
"Last evening we had about 80-90 people taking part in the evening aarti', several among them were Punjabis, or Marwaris, who have been visiting our house since years," Ninad says.
"It is like a chain. My father started it, now I am looking after it and then my kids will have the responsibility to uphold our family tradition," says B J Pitre, whose father first performed the Ganesh puja 57 years ago, when the family shifted to Jaipur. Many of them associate the festival with their early childhood memories.
"My grandfather was a renowned priest, and he performed the puja at our ancestral home in Maharashtra. We had taped the mantras which he used to chant while performing the aarti', and even today we play those recordings while performing the morning as well as evening aarti'," Neha Palnitkar says. The Palnitkars have been celebrating the festival at their home since the past 30 years.
"About 20 years ago, when I was a kid, I remember my father's friends coming to our place during the Ganesh Chaturthi, and after the aarti', they would sit for a musical session. My father made prior arrangements for instruments and snacks which were a hit among his friends," Ninad recollects.
However, many age-old customs have undergone change to fit into the 21st century mode. "Such musical evenings don't take place any more. I miss them but after a gruelling day at work one does not have time for such leisure activities," Ninad says.
"Earlier we had 10-day long festivities, but now we have reduced it to a five-day affair, as it becomes difficult for everyone to run such large-scale celebrations for a longer period of time. Many of our relatives who earlier made it a point to attend the festival, now due to lack of time, have stopped coming," said Shyamnathji Dharmadhikari.