Ganapati Bappa Morya!

I am trying to find a restaurant that isn’t closed by the swine flu scare or one whose owners aren’t busy at home with last minute Ganesh Chaturthi preparations. Outside a stall erected by the roadside they are selling Idols of Lord Ganesh and other accessories.
Unlike Goa, here they just go to a shop and buy the idol on chaturthi morning like a Narkasur Mask. There is no booking. They dont care that the idol isn’t the same as last year. They just buy the most convenient model they can find. Probably they bargain for it too. Just like in case of Narkasur masks.
On the road there are small processions of Hindu families walking grandly, dressed in their Thursday best carrying their Elephant god home whilst chanting Ganapati Bappa Morya. Everyone around seems to be smiling and pleased. Unlike Panaji, this place doesn’t seem like a war torn city. The air doesn’t smell of burnt fire powder. There is no distant booming of Dada bombs or the continuous chitty chitty bang bang of pistols across every street. Neither does one hear the staccato burst of crackers. There are no parachutes dropping down from the sky on unsuspecting civilians. There aren’t even harmless smoke screens of snake tablets. At night there will be no bright flares sent up and no rockets will be launched from old soda bottles. Chaturthi in this city is about lights and decoration. There is an atmosphere of victory and triumph. Drums, clangels and delighted shouts sound a happy feeling. Lezim performances in large roadside processions, and colors in the air create a festive fervor.
Strangely, in Goa we have the same kind of celebrations for Narkasur as they have here for chaturthi. We roam around the entire night amidst the sound of dhols and processions of jubilant dancing groups. We are more happy on Narkasur night than on Diwali the next day when we try to get some sleep. We are more united and spend much more time to construct a perfectly proportioned Narkasur than in organizing a social Ganapati programme.

We are different from the others in the fact that we celebrate Narkasur more than Chaturthi. We want to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the coming of the Portuguese our invaders to goa.
Well considering these facts, since Goa is called the Rome of the east. I think i will tap my head like goscinny’s Obelix, shake my head in exasperation and exclaim 'these Romans are crazy!'.
Ok fine, we Romans are crazy.
I have to leave for work now, when the company vehicle passes through the city I will probably see the other artwork and the bigger idols, till then Ganapati Bappa! ...