Here comes the sun...

Here comes the sun is one of my most favourite songs of the Beatles and what more heavenly experience one can have to go all out early in the morning at 4 a.m. driving 60 - 70 kms. to a place called Navegaon Khairi, southmost end of the Pench Reservoir, sit on the walls of the damn, soak yourself with cool breeze flowing over silvery carpet of water and witness the sunrise in the music of silence of nature... as I said.. its simply heavenly !

Diwali 2008....Laxmi Pujan at home.

Family Tree Of Peshwas & Impressive image of Bajirao Peshwe

It is really difficult to get hold of these two rare snaps... grabbed them through a lot of search & find activity. The Family Tree of Peshwas is easy guide to the legendary history & this impressive pic of Bajirao Peshwe, I feel was taken by some one, from an angle, of the statue opposite of Shaniwar Wada, Pune.

Colleagues on Ganesh Chaturthy - a Non-Working Day at Office...

From left to right... Prashant Zingare, Jagdish Diwate, Shailendra Soundarkar, Somnath Roychoudhary, Shamlee Maha, Amol Somkule & Dhiraj Joshi. This only one pic having every one's close up was was taken by me in this segment, where as rest were taken by Dhiraj Joshi. We were at office on Ganesh Chaturthi Day... I got these from the camera of Dhiraj Joshi. There were taken so casually & with no formal photo shoot and so like them a lot.

And we played Housie after Sunday Aarti...

Sunday was our turn for holding Aarti for Ganapati Bappa...

HIS image with flash...
HIS image without flash...

We assembled for Aarti...
Amit, Vrushali & Savita Vahini were also present...
Baba conducting Pooja before Aarti...
Aai helping Baba in Pooja...
Kapoor Aarti...may lord bring in brightness in our lives when the darkness is around...

Varadvinayaka's Arrival In Ganesh Festival At Office !

Vakratund Mahakaya, Surakoti Samaprabh,

Nirvignam Kurume Deva, Sarva Karyeshu Sarvada.

Mangalmurti's First Aarti in Office Ganesh Festival

First Pooja of Omkara at Ganesh Festival Organised In Office

Omkara's Aarti Performed by Sandip Tambe.

First Pooja Of Siddhivinayak At Ganesh Festival Organised In Office

Siddhivinayaka's two images, one before Aarti & the other after it !

First Pooja Of Vignaharta At Ganesh Festival Organised In Office

I missed out the snap of Guruji who did the Pooja, but this auspiciuos process was performed by non other than our colleague, Mukund Dethe.

First Pooja Of Ganapati At Ganesh Festival Organised In Office.

All good things have begun with first step of only one man. If it was Lokmanya Tilak for starting the rich tradition of Sarvajanik Genesh Festival then at my office I feel that first step was taken by some one almost four year back. If I am not wrong then, it was Sandip Tambe who has set this tradition. So, here we are waiting to have Aarti to begin as the First Pooja is over.

HE is coming to town !

He is coming to town on September 3rd this 2008. It happens to be holiday locally & as well as non working day for Banks. This above snap I took today evening at Joshi Mangal Karyalaya - a exihibition cum marriage hall in the town where the Ganesh Idols were made available for sale. These were the original forms being made of the special clay by name "sadoo" at the area called Pen in Maharashtra state of India. I have been observing that now, year after year it has become "difficult" to find them and what is most prominently available are Ganesh Idols made from the Plastor of Paris. Price disparity is one of the most crucial factor contributing to it. Serious aspects such as environment hazard, less employment generation due to the newer form of idos of plastor of paris, looks though have been finally concluded to be the as usual matter of very little concern by most of us.

Let me further share with you, that "Ganesh Chaturthi" is a festival that is celebrated in almost each and every household of Maharashtra, India. Though it is celebrated in other states of India as well, the scale of celebration in Maharashtra is simply overwhelming. Lord Ganesha is the patron deity of the state and He is believed to bestow good luck and remove the obstacles from the life of an individual. The lord is worshipped by all the Maharashtrians with great devotion and faith. Ganesh Chaturthi Festival falls in the month of August and lasts for around 10 days.

Ganesha Mahotsav begins with the installation of an idol of Lord Ganesha at home. Through the days that follow, the idol is worshipped daily by the family members as well as their friends, relatives and even neighbors, who come to have darshan of the Lord. On the tenth day i.e. the final, a procession of the idol is taken, right from the home to the nearest water body (sea, river, lake, etc), amidst the chanting of the phrase 'Ganapati Bappa Morya'. Throughout the way, faithful devotees dance to the sound of drumbeats and play with dry colors, mainly red color. On this day, you can find almost all the streets in Maharashtra, which lead to some water source, full of enthusiastic people. The procession comes to an end with the immersion of the idol, again amidst the chanting of the words 'Ganapati Bappa Morya', through which people ask the Lord Ganesha to come back the next year.