JaJaJeEv

Today was Anant Chaturdashi, the last day of the festival of Ganeshotsav, and (despite its somewhat anti-colonial history) we’ve been made to feel very welcome in the festival’s proceedings by our fellow residents.

So Ganesh has been down in the car park keeping us all company for about 10 days, and receiving daily pujas. Today it was time for his journey down to the river.

The Godavari River is one of India’s most holy, but is conveniently only a brisk 5 minute walk away from here. On the other hand, what’s the rush? It’s a great opportunity for a noisy procession, complete with dancing and blaring Bollywood hits from the back of a vehicle.

From nervous novices during Holi, our children have now become precision paint-powder ninjas:

And this time, Jayne doesn’t escape so lightly either:

But of course it’s an important Hindu festival too. And when we reach the bridge over the river, the rowdiness stops and our apartment’s gang makes the final offerings to the statues: coconut, flowers and so on.

Not surprisingly, neither we, nor our fellow residents, are prepared to accompany Ganesh’s final swim in the murky, litter-strewn river. Nevertheless, there’s a cottage industry of local boys who will carry him out to the depths and see him off for you.

The boys then bring back a handful of sediment from the river, which you take back to your home. The cycle is complete (give or take a few kilos of gypsum and cadmium dissolved into the water supply).

The full set of photos is here. What a memorable day!