Ganesh Chaturthi or Pathar Chauth

Day before , when my son , on returning home late after a hectic schedule, announced that it was Ganesh Chaturthi on Thursday, even my deeply religious wife did not welcome it. The reason being that despite her profound faith in all Hindu deities , Ganesh Chaturthi rings alarm bells not only for her but also for all of us. It is good to see common people and celebrities showing their devotion to the Raja of Lal Bagh as Lord Ganesh or Ganpati ji is also referred to . The other side is that the day is also known as Pathar Chauth . One must not look at the moon, lest one should invite trouble in the shape of false implication or accusation. If one happens to sight the moon, he /she has to throw stones on the roof of some neighbour and the abuses from the neighbour would neutralize the evil effect. Though there seems to be no logical reason behind this, call it superstition or what, every effort is made to avoid looking at the Moon . As a result, all curtains were tightly drawn. No going out in the dark or stepping in the balcony was allowed. It just reminded of the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan when, there had to be a complete black out – not a ray of light allowed outside the four walls or enemy ,sensing population residing there would bombard the area causing loss to life and property.

This much for Ganesh Chaturthi !