India is a land of festivals and while innumerable festivals are celebrated in India more so by Hindus my favourite festivals are Deepavali and Ganesha Chaturthi.  While many people have been critical about the sound pollution that comes with celebration yet it is this very sound of cracker and a deafening one at that which made Deepavali one of my favourite festivals along with the recently concluded Ganesh Chaturthi. The moment I  hear about Ganesha Chaturthi in Bangalore where I currently reside it brings me fond memories of the way the festival was celebrated in my home town Secunderabad about two decades back. Here are some my cherished memories of Ganesha Chaturhti celebrations at Secunderbad during my childhood which  I would like to share with all of you.

Almost every lane had atleast one big idol of Ganesha:-  During those days every lane had at least one idol of Ganesha and a big one at that unlike the smaller ones in Bangalore.  What was special was the fact the festival was celebrated in a big way by the smaller people. The idol used to be kept at least for about a week or more in a area which has the maximum visibility. Prasadam was sponsored by the people turn by turn with 2 to 3 houses sponsoring different items.  Another unforgettable thing was the fact that while the idol of Ganesha was kept in the same place throughout the week the laddus were taken away from the idol of Ganesha and kept in one or the organizers home fearing that it may be stolen. While these days Ganesha festivities are marked by Orchestra programmes these days,  those days film songs and devotional songs were played on loud speakers and while the celebrations were really noisy the atmosphere was really enjoyable and one to be cherished for a liftem.

Secunderabad boasted of innovative idols way back in the late eighties:- What was special about Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations in Secunderabad was the fact that the festival crazy city boasted of innovative idols at least two decades back. There was a increase in the number of cricket followers in Secunderabad following India's successes in 1983 World Cup and 1985 World Series Championship  and that was reflected in Ganesha Chaturthi Festivals as well.  During 1987 Reliance World Cup which was hosted by India there were idols of Ganesha holding a bat and playing cricket and the innovation just does not end with cricket and it extends to other areas as well.  With Chiranjeevi introducing break dance to Telugu audience in the late eighties idols of Ganesha were introduced which had Ganesha in a break dance pose.

Secunderabad and Khairatabad boasted of massive Ganesha idols:- While lanes and by lanes revelled in Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations, Secunderabad was in news for installation of the biggest idols in the country as Ganesha idols at YMCA Grounds Secunderabad and Khairtabad were very extraordinarily huge measuring about 25 feet to 45 feet in height and were kept for the darshan of people for many days ranging from 15 days to 45 days.  While the idols were naturally beautiful considering the amount of money and effort involved the laddus were a treat to the eye as the laddus were massive and decorated beautifully.

Ganesha Immersion:- Another unforgettable thing about Ganesha festival at Secunderabad is the immersion day.  Most organizations declare a holiday or a half day on the immersion day to enable people to witness the immersion.  Even if organizations do not have authority to declare a holiday or half day they ensure that people get to leave their work places early enough to witness and take part in the immersion ceremony.On that particular day especially from afternoon till night the main roads are jam packed with lorries and cranes carrying Ganesha idols for immersion at Hussain Sagar.  Prasadam is distributed on the roads on the immersion day and since hundreds and thousands of Ganesha idols are immersed that day many people do not take dinner as the quantity of Prasadam offered is huge that the stomachs are full before they reach home.  Another factor is many people cannot be at home in time for dinner because it is only by midnight the celebrations get over and people are more than content with the Prasadam they get to eat as apart from filling up the stomach it holds lot of religious significancefor the Hindus as Prasadam is considered sacred by every community in Hindus. Even people who do not believe in God consider Prasadam very sacred.

Ganesha festival is unique compared to other Hindu festivals:- What is unique about Ganesha festivals is that it is not like a routine Hindu festival in which women participate more than men. Aroutine Hindu festival it is all about women doing everything from fasting to praying, getting themselves decked in sarees for temple visits  but Ganesha festival is mostly about men from installing the idol till immersion.While it hurts that I can longer take part in Ganesha festival after having shifted to Bangalore, the celebrations at Secunderabad  it has given me memories to cherish for a lifetime.