ganapati 2023

ganapati has been celebrated at maushi’s place for a very long time now. one can say that the celebrations have now reached a sedate, middle age kind of state. we wind up at the same time though :).

one of my abiding memories is of post the visarjan; a quick recap on how things went till it was time to head back home with prasad. A glance up towards her flat from the building compound to find her and mum at the window was possibly the most reassuring thing. This year too the neck craned up, only to find the window empty. Realised that mum is in Goa and maushi is battling that pesky little thing called old age.

the ride back home in a rickshaw was quiet. got home in quick time, handed the driver his fare. Then reached into the bag of goodies my sisters had packed, took out a parcel of prasad and handed it over to him. he said a respectful thanks before heading off.

the two girls would have approved.

I guess what we do when the window is empty determines how we honour the memory of our loved ones. What we learn, we must carry forward. To share, to give before we expect, to trust the world, to believe in the good of the universe is a decent enough legacy to carry on.

Isn’t it?