O Lord Vinayaka! The remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!

It’s that time of the year again! The entire city is draped in a colorful collage of myriad hues and is swaying to the musical mantra of Ganpati Bappa Morya! After keeping us waiting for a year long, the elephant headed and pot bellied, the very cute and charming Lord Ganesha is back in town! 

The festival marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the Lord of knowledge and wisdom, and falls on the bright fortnight of the Hindu calendar month of bhadrapada(August/September). It lasts for eleven days starting with the Lord’s arrival on the first day (Shukla paksha Chaturthi) and concluding on the 11th day (Ananth Chaturdashi) when the deity is immersed in water bodies symbolizing His journey back to His abode.

Although this is a festival that’s celebrated by Hindus throughout the country but no other city adores the deity in a way like Mumbai does! During the 11 day period, life in the city beats to the cadenced tunes of love, affection, and devotion and Vedic chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ and 'Mangal Murthi Morya' resonate in the atmosphere. Hatches are buried, hugs and smiles take their place and people revel in the effervescent music of joy, togetherness and ecstasy.

Huge canopied tents like these called as pandals come up in almost every other lane, society and locality beautifully created by neighborhood puja manadals (committees), and innumerable numbers of homes are cleaned and decorated with festoons and flowers to welcome the divine guest.