Ganapati in the Srinivasa of Tirupati Style
Originally uploaded by calamur
Also known as Lord Ganesha‘s birthday, which was celebrated this past weekend. The picture here was taken by my Mumbai-dwelling friend, Harini, and I chose to show it off as a rather rare depiction of our friendly, elephant-headed god. Within Hinduism, there are those who worship Siva and others who worship Vishnu. As Ganesha was Siva’s son, his portrayal in the Vaishnavite style is uncommon and a little perplexing. (Then again, my dad was born to Saivites and bears a name of Vishnu. Go figure.)
27 years ago, my mother’s father passed away on this holiday / holy day. Having spent a good bit of my toddlerhood and kindergarten years with my maternal grandparents, I miss the time Thaatha and I didn’t get to hang out with each other. He was a kind bear of a man, who only almost spanked me once and with good reason (two-year-old me had just discovered scissors and thought it would be funny to cut off the family German Shepherd’s tail – I was intercepted just in time and hence survived onslaughts from the dog and my grandfather).
Hinduism to me isn’t religion or spirituality. Religion belittles the individual’s relationship with God beyond and inspite of an organized community and its rules, while spirituality doesn’t begin to recognize the amazing tangibility and sense-exhilirating concreteness of Hindu rituals, temples and garb. Like that which lies at that interface between rock and plant, soil and air, earth and space, it is yet murky, undefinable and tremendously beautiful. It’s good to know that we do not know.
This is a beautiful post.
Also: Whoa. Things look different!