Celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi with DIY Ganeshas

Nostalgia abounds! Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner.  Exquisitely crafted Ganeshas, displayed with pomp, in the street pandals are now a thing of the past. I miss the boisterous gaiety and communal celebrations that erupt all over India, this time of the year. Ganesha Chaturthi is as much about celebrating the elephant-headed God as it is about cultural pagentry rooted in artistic traditons. And today, I want to present to you a dear friend’s artistry – DIY Ganeshas.

Aalayam readers – here is another attempt to inspire you to live your best life! Meet Sowmya Balasubramani  - an inspiration in her own right!

 Her larger-than-life spirit and enthusiasm makes her a vanguard of a new age of Indian women – an everyday inspiration! I don’t know anyone else who celebrates Indian festivals with as much ardor as does Sowmya – decorating, cooking, sharing her observance with friends and family – the whole nine yards! It is not easy, time and effort constraints always get in the way! Sowmya does it – every single time! Possibly dipping in to her wellspring for energy or perhaps looking past the constraints through a different grid and for this I doff my hat! The pictures in the post are rife with Sowmya's zest for cultural jubilation!

I want to kick start this festive season with an introduction to Sowmya, her maxim for celebrating Hindu festivals and her awe-inspiring DIY Ganeshas. Buckle up, as I take you on another visually inspiring cultural voyage!

1) Tell me a little bit about yourself

I am a happy go-lucky gal that loves to live life king size.  An architect by profession, I am now enjoying being a full time mom to my super busy 2 year old. While dance and music feed my soul, crafting lifts my spirits. Running is my latest passion and after 3 half marathons, I have realized that it’s the adrenaline rush that keeps me motivated. I enjoy camping, theater, good books, good food but most of all the company of my awesome family and friends!

2) You celebrate every festival with so much buoyancy - how come?

I think its is something that we started in our own home post-marriage. My parents always celebrated festivals but I guess I was too busy being a teenager to bother! Once I came here to the US, I felt a strong desire  to connect with my roots. Celebrating festivals allowed for that and gave me a medium to satiate my creative thirst. Also, it became a great way showcase our rich Indian culture to people from other parts of the world. Oh and of course hanging out with  friends and celebrating togetherness was a bonus!

3) What does celebrating a festival mean to you?

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a cleanliness “freak “. So, the house cleaning part is the inherent plus ;). I think I like it most for the joyous gatherings, dancing, singing and of course the good food. On a more serious note, I have learnt things about my religion that I never knew before.  I wouldn’t call myself a very religious person, yet I am proud of my religion and like the idea of being able to explain Hinduism to people who are interested to know about it. Many a time, I have actually done some homework to be able to answer questions that I wasn't sure of. The learning process has been enriching!  I have received several dolls from different parts of the world to add to my golu from loving friends. It has been the most humbling part of this experience!

Sowmya enlists friend and family to help out with the festivities!

4) You are a parent - talk to me about the challenges of raising a kid in a multicultural background - what is your own mantra? Everybody has one!

Honestly ,I don’t know the answer to this one. I just do the best I can to teach my child everything I know about my religion and culture.  However, I make a conscious effort to introduce him to other cultures and religions as well. I have grown up with utmost respect for all religions and cultures and hope to pass that on to my son. 

Sowmya worked on a play-doh Ganesha with her adorbale little boy Darsh this year and here is what she wrote,  "This year I decided to include my two year old in the Ganesha-making process. We made a very simple Ganesha with playdoh. I talked about the different colors, shapes and parts of the body. He was co operative and participated for a bit and I ended up making most of it. However, the curiosity and the excitement on his face when he saw the finished product was very sweet. He wanted to hold it in his hands and even handled it with care and even declared that it was his Ganesha...so worth the effort!

Try this with ( or without) your little one. This Ganesha may be small in size and minimal in detail but will surely bring big time cheer to your festival."

Talking about her parenting mantra, she adds, " Something I read recently has stuck in my brain- before you lose sleep over trying to raise a good child, remember that you were blessed with a good child to begin with”.

5) Time is always a limiting factor - what are your must-do's for a festival? You seem to do it all !

It helps when your friends (and spouse of course) are as enthusiastic about the whole thing as you are. Whether it is making the Ganesha, setting up for Golu or celebrating Diwali, my friends always help. We try and do different festivals at different homes.  Everyone gets a chance at hosting. I guess that is ultimately what a festival is about- sharing and caring. It is also a time for indulging so I use it as an excuse to make sweets and savories. Of course, it does require some planning. I try and spread things over a week or so before the festival; it helps me get in the spirit and is less overwhelming.

6) Where do you draw your inspirations for décor from? Not many resources on the www are dedicated to Indian festival decorating - any sites you would like to refer Aalayam readers to?

I don’t really refer to a particular website to decorate for my festivals. Usually, I try and go with a certain color or find one striking decorative piece and try and plan things around it. I like big, bold and lots of color!

7) Your home made Ganeshas are phenomenal and rightly capture the essence of the festival of Shraddha and Bhakti- How did you start making your own Ganeshas  and where does the inspiration for these come from?

 I had been celebrating Ganesha Chathurthi before this and was buying a Ganesha every year;  the idea to make it was actually my friend Thrushna’s.

Sowmya and Trushna - an indomitable team when it comes to making Ganeshas

 I still vividly recall the first year we made it. Clay that cracked and wouldn’t dry, a Ganesha that kept leaning forward a little ( yeah, Pisa inspired) and dozens of toothpicks. With every passing year we improvised. We meet a couple of weeks before the festival , put our heads together, pick a theme and make a Ganesha

Inspiration…. hmm. The first couple of years our aim was to make an idol that would stand and look proportionate. 2 years ago we decided to make the ABC Ganesha as a tribute to the English language. The following year was the Texan Ganesha as a tribute to the state that is our home now. Our spouses, Kishore and Manju have been great at adding their details and touches to the Ganesha. Their ideas have been awesome of course but it is the entertainment in the form of their silly antics and jokes that are priceless.

Giving the elephant headed God life!

8) Lastly, a word of advice for young working moms on how to go about handling Hindu festivals, perhaps?

Firstly, don’t bite off more than you can chew. You don’t have to do it all if you don’t have the time. Do as much as you can and build on it when possible. Hand make a few things and buy a few. It will give you the satisfaction of having done something on your own without losing your sleep over it. Try and build a circle that you can do things together with -makes it easier and more enjoyable. Think of this as a fun way to teach your kids and neighbors a bit about your culture and the amazing land you come from!

Lastly, never forget to dance, sing, laugh and eat your heart out!

Wise words indeed! Thank you Sowmya - for sharing your precious Ganeshas and your interminable fervor with us! I hope your vitality inspires all of us! Isn't the play doh Ganesha replete with modakam and mooshikam simply darling? Hope Sowmya’s sui generis Ganeshas engender many creative ideas for your own festivities this season.

 Stay with us for more ideas and more inspirations - Dussehra, Diwali... we are only getting started!

Cheers!

~Deepa