Vinyaka Chathurthi: Why has the national festival shrunk into a religious festival?

Question

The Ganesh Chaturthi, was one of the most important festivals during pre-independence era. It served for the prurpose of uniting Indian people against the British rule.

Lokamanya saw how Lord Ganesha was worshipped by the upper stratum as well as the rank and file of India. The visionary that he was, Tilak realized the cultural importance of this deity and popularised Ganesha Chaturthi as a National Festival "to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them" in his nationalistic strivings against the British in Maharashtra.

He knew that India couldn't fight her rulers until she solved the differences within her own. Hence, to unite all social classes Tilak chose Ganesha as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule because of his wide appeal as "the god for Everyman".

It was around 1893, during the nascent stages of Indian nationalism, that Tilak began to organize the Ganesh Utsav as a social and religious function. He was the first to put in large public images of Ganesha in pavilions and establish the tradition of their immersion on the tenth day. The festival facilitated community participation and involvement in the form of learned discourses, dance dramas, poetry recital, musical concerts, debates, etc.

It served as a meeting place for common people of all castes and communities, at a time when all social and political gatherings were forbidden by the British Empire for fear of conspiracies to be hatched against them. An important festival during the Peshwa era, Ganesha Chaturthi acquired at this time a more organized form all over India largely due to Lokmanya's efforts.

Since then, Ganesh Chaturthi has been celebrated throughout Maharashtra as also in other states with great community enthusiasm and participation.

With the independence of India in 1947, it was proclaimed to be a national festival.

But, now, it has almost shrunk into a religious festival.
What has made the difference?

Answer 1

Religious bigotry on the one hand and commercialisation by local goons on the other are what have made the festival what it is today.In the ultimate analysis,the religious fervor of the people has begun to increase the divide between the various communities.Consequently secularism has been given a toss and communalism is slowly but surely rearing its ugly head.

Have a Nice Day.

Answer 2

Ganesha Chaturthi was started to take place in Maharashtra only by Shibaji. Ganesha was family god of Peshwas.



In 1893 Bal Gangadhar Tilak wanted to bridge gap between different casts of Hindus against Britishers. At that period also it remained a festival of manly the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat,Orissa , Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.



I think among all the Hindu festivals only Dussera and Diwali have been able to cross the boundary of Religion.

Answer 3

Christmas is actually a Pagan festival adopted by the Roman Catholic Church (just like Easter from the Anglo-Saxon fertility goddess Eostre, & Hallowe'en which was originally a Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon & Scandinavian celebration of dead ancestors). Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 AD in an attempt to make Christianity more acceptable to pagans. The common Western concept of Christmas, even including national variances, is essentially a fusion of Roman, Indo-European, Nordic and Celtic Pagan festivals and symbolism. Not all of these festivals were strictly religious. In short I suspect atheists celebrate the Winter festival without considering the Christ, much like many other religious & non-religious cultures do & have done. Why do Christians celebrate these Pagan festivals?

Answer 4

It was the religious festival and will remain so. It is only before Independence Lok Tilak succeeded in making it popular among all religious groups. In those days people were more secular and respected each other's religion because their only goal was to achieve freedom. So, it became a good reason to conglomerate people which helped in preparing strategies of freedom struggle. Many Hindus, Muslims and Christians used to meet at Ganesh Puja Pandals and discuss various issues.



But, after independence everything is changed. People became more Enlightened, more Independent, more Spiritual to believe that their God is more powerful than any other. So no need to believe and respect other's religions.

Answer 5

Tilak started the Ganesh utsavs to unite Hindus,for freedom fighters it gave an opportunity to meet when the British government banned any gatherings.It was a religious festival/event and it is a religious festival.Even today there are cultural events being organized and all communities are participating,nothing has changed.

Answer 6

Ganesh Chaturthi is made a"political festival" Most often Ganesh Chaturthi and Ramdan occur simultaneously.Politicians specially those who believe in caste profiling encourage unhealthy tricks like "our area Ganesh is 5 ft tall whereas your Ganesh is a Pygmy ". "We made 10 kg laddu auctioned it for Rs 400 , you made only 5 kg laddu " etc. Nine days festivities are marked by drunkards shouting on streets and and harassing girls. Lord Vinayak Himself is idolized using harmful chemicals to be publicly immersed in pure water polluting it .Devotion is conspicuous by total absence .Now the governments and voluntary groups are beseeching gangs to go green in festivities. The festival is shrunk into vulgar display of cash and caste

Answer 7

I don't think the festival is shrunk it has been made a political. Maharashtra Mumbai ,Pune and Hyderabad in AP celebrations for ten days go on in a grand way. It is picking up in Chennai and Bangalore also.

Answer 8

Vinyakar is Hindu god, so others wont think this as national festival

Answer 9

sir, the vinayaga chathurti is a hindu religious festival but the government declared holiday on that day because it is grand hindu religious festival celebrated all over the world.

Answer 10

It is a Hindu festival and not a National one.

Answer 11

the present govt is interested only in supporting and hence they are not supporting hindus and hindu festivals so the govt is against the vinayak chathurthi that is all