‘WILL CELEBRATE THE FESTIVAL AT HOME’

“Festivals in India are always about connecting and bonding with your family. And that’s why I always look forward to every festival to spend quality time with family. Vinayak Chaturthi holds a special place in my heart as my parents love Lord Ganesha and that’s why they named me ‘Ganesh’. However, due to the lockdown this year, all of us have had to celebrate festivals without visiting our families,” says actor Ganesh Venkatraman.

“My best memories of Vinayak Chaturthi are from my teens in Mumbai. I was fascinated to learn that it was Lokmanya Tilak who first started the public celebrations in the pre-Independence era, when the British had restricted gatherings to curb the Freedom Movement,” he shares.

“Even after settling in Chennai, visiting different areas and viewing the beautifully decorated Ganesh pandals has become a ritual for me and Nisha. Seeing 21 Ganeshas on that day is considered very lucky. We have been doing that every year. We will miss it very much this year,” he adds.

“This year we plan to celebrate the festival at home. My one-year old daughter Samaira is looking forward to it. In times like this, in addition to personal responsibility, faith and a belief in a higher power are definitely needed. Also, Lord Ganesha is the God of wellness and health too. I definitely believe in the power of prayer, so we will celebrate with full vigour. As far as bonding with family goes, I will use Zoom and video calls to meet up with all of them,” he concluded.

— As told to Anupama Subramanian