Also known as Vinayaka chaturthi, Ganesh chaturthi is a Hindu festival , but celebrated by everyone with equal enthusiasm & belief for Lord Ganesha. Typically falls in the month of August & September , the festival; is marked with the installation of Ganesh idols either privately at home or publically in form of pandals/mandaps.
The preparation of the festival starts months in advance. Local Mandaps/Pandals are set in different areas that are funded by various individuals, groups, societies.
The making of the idols starts with "Padya pooja" or worshipping the feet of Lord Ganesha.
The "Lalbaugcha Raja" is the biggest Ganesh idol that is been made since years in Mumbai.
Locations :
1. Mumbai
2. Pune
3. Tamil Nadu (Festival also known as Pillayar chaturthi)
There are a lot of many places in India where this festival is been celebrated but at the above places the scale of celebrations is a little more!
Stories to capture:
- Capture the idol making process in the old cities mentioned above where you can capture the untold stories of the idol makers.
- Capture the arrival (Stapana) of the idol of Ganesha at various location , the first day hold the most beautiful celebrations with dhol tashe (drum beats) , dance & colors all around in the air.
- Capture the stories by the visarjan (disposing the idol in the sea as a sign of goodbye to Lord Ganesha) , at various location.
Things to note :
- Generally the visarjan celebrations starts after the 5th day of Ganesh chaturthi , which means this year will start after 7th of September & lasts till 12th of the month. Different pandals have different dates for the visarjan , that depends on the people who funded the pandals & their beliefs.
- Cover your camera body & lenses with a good water & dust cover.
- The most important is to enjoy the festival & capture the unseen stories hidden from the normal eye!
Dates :
2nd September , 2019.