Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrated with Fervour in New Plymouth city
The Indian families residing in New Plymouth city in the beautiful Taranaki region, which was announced as the 2nd best region in the world to visit by LONELY PLANET came together to celebrate and honour the birth of the beloved Hindu God – Lord Ganesh popularly worshiped for his ability to remove obstacles and bring good fortune. The festival popularly known as Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated with great devotion and ceremony both in Hindu Indian homes as well as at Fred Tucker Memorial Community Centre at Bell Block, which was hosted by New Plymouth Telugu Community who have been organizing the celebrations for several years.
People celebrated this festival as a community while many had installed Ganesh idols individually in their homes. The Indians mostly from the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had Ganesha idols in their homes and every household was buzzing with activities. Friends who were invited were seen visiting houses in the noon to join the celebrations. It is a belief that Lord Ganesha visits the houses of the devotees on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi and takes away their sorrows, bestowing on them blessings of happiness, prosperity and good fortune. The people were served with delicious sweets and various vegetarian dishes as ‘prasda’ which was kept for welcoming the deity.
In the evening, people donned in festive clothes gathered at the community centre where the festival was celebrated as a community. The small idol of the deity of intellect and wisdom who is identified by his elephant head was revered and a senior person from the community explained the significance of the festival. Indian freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the man who reinvented this festival as a symbol of the nationalistic movement in India was remembered on this occasion.
The aartis and bhajans followed by festive dinner had brought together friends and families staying in the region. Delicious sweetmeats were distributed and the main attraction was MODAK, a dumpling of rice flour stuffed with jaggery, coconuts and dry fruits. Ganpati Bappa Morya, a common chanting that evokes the feelings of devotees was commonly heard during celebrations. People enjoyed the celebrations.
Apart from its religious roots, Ganesh Chaturthi is also a cultural celebration that brings people together.
by Wilfred Lawrence D’Souza