Celebs cheer for Ganpati

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As we welcome the Elephant God on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, our telly stars are also excited about this chance to have bappa as a very special visitor in their homes. While many of them have been observing the tradition right since their childhood, for others, it is a relatively new experience, and one they’re enjoying.
For Rajshri Thakur Vaidya, Ganesh Chaturthi meant a time for family to get together, distribute sweets and “generally indulge in a lot of masti”, growing up. As her family brought an idol home every year, there was lots to keep Rakshri busy. “My mother would keep the idol for seven days, and I was personally in-charge of all the preparations,” recounts Rajshri. Today, she continues her mother’s tradition, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. “I keep the Ganpati idol every year, but only for a day-and-a-half,” she says.
Model-turned-actor Ruslaan Mumtaz too observes Ganesh Chaturthi as a continuation of a family practice that has been in place for the past eight years.
“We keep the idol in our garage — my mother decorates the mandir while I conduct the evening puja. We’ve been doing this for over eight years now. I also make it a point to visit Siddhivinayak mandir on Ganesh Chaturthi — in fact, it’s something I do whenever I’m about to start something new, be it starting a project or buying a new car. This year too, we have brought home the idol,” Ruslaan says.
For many, keeping an idol at home, observing all the traditional rituals, is not feasible. Shivaji Satam, a.k.a the small screen’s ACP Pradyuman, tells us that Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great pomp at his family home in his native place. “The 10 days of the festival are really special to me,” he says. “I can’t keep the idol at my place, but we do make it a point to do so back at the family home. The atmosphere during the festival is incredible.”
Delhi born Kavita Kaushik brought her first-ever Ganpati idol home for Ganesh Chaturthi last year. “I’d just completed 10 years of being a resident of Mumbai and I wanted to celebrate by imbibing something typically Maharashtrian in my way of life,” she says. This is the second year that Kavita has brought home an idol, and says, “Having Him home was such a beautiful experience, it was like having an (exalted) visitor, which is why I decided to observe the festival every year.”
With modaks being steamed and mandirs prepared, Mumbaikars seem ready with their message: Bappa morya re!