Harshada Rege (DNA; August 31, 2017)

Bhumi Pednekar loves Ganesh Utsav because it’s the time that she gets to spend with her family. This year, however, the actress is busy promoting Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. “But I have already told my mom that whenever the aarti is happening, you have to connect with me via FaceTime,” she says. Here, she talks about the precious memories attached to the festival, the change that she has seen in the celebrations, the need to go eco-friendly and what she prays for.

‘One of my favourite festivals’
I have been celebrating Ganpati festival ever since I can remember. We used to have individual idols, but Ganpati is about celebrating together. If you have individual idols, you can’t visit each other. So, now we have one idol at my bua’s (aunt’s) place. There are about 30 of us, who get together every year. This festival gives us an opportunity to come together and spend time with each other.

Ganesh Utsav is one of my favourite festivals because a lot of my childhood memories are associated with it. This was the only time when my parents would allow me to be to be up till late. So, all of us cousins would make the most of it.

From then to now
Ganpati festivities have changed so much now. Earlier, we would go to my aunt’s place a day earlier and do the decorations ourselves. We would use crepe paper to cut flowers, or carve on thermocol, etc. Now, you have people, who come and set everything up. I always look forward to eating modaks because the steamed ones are only made around this time. Just the smell of it drives us crazy. Singing the aarti, doing the puja twice in a day just energises you. The vibrations are so strong... it’s a vibe you can’t explain. I have been feeling it for so many years now.

‘Everything has become grander’
Just look at the pandals! On the fifth or sixth day, a bunch of us would sit in two-three cars and our parents would take us from one pandal to another. I remember the traffic situation used to be really bad, but now it’s a lot more controlled.

Pandals are getting grander and bigger. I remember earlier even if we would see a moving object we would be so fascinated. But now there are actually theatre tricks, 3D, etc. It’s really amazing.

Think about the marine life
There should be an emphasis on eco-friendly Ganpati celebrations. It really hurts me when the day after visarjan you see these POP idols in a very bad condition. When you get Ganeshji home, you get really attached to Him.

At my home, every time we have to do Ganesh visarjan, the elderly people are actually in tears. They are so attached to the murti and the God. That attachment can’t be explained. As I am growing older, I am beginning to realise why it’s so. It’s really hurtful to see these broken, mutilated Ganesh idols at the beach. It’s so bad for the marine life. Just use statues of mud or clay and paint that’s eco-friendly and non-toxic because we really have to save our natural resources, which is depleting at a rapid rate.

Make a wish
I actually never pray for the success of my films, the only thing I ask for is forgiveness. That’s something I do at every temple or at any festival. I never ask for anything apart from health and safety for my family and forgiveness, if I have done anything wrong.