Ganesh Chaturthi at AV Hyderabad
The birthday of Lord Ganesha—a day looked forward to by young and old alike. This is one of the few festivals that have the rare quality of uniting the community as a whole, even if for just a day. This day is among the most memorable of festivals for children, due to its novelty and the feeling of togetherness it generates.
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This year the students of Amrita celebrated the day by honoring Lord Ganesha all out. In keeping with tradition on the eve of the day, the children selected the idols of Lord Ganesha of their choice. Then started the arrangements and decoration of the hall for the puja. Much to the delight of the staff, the
students took upon themselves the task of conducting the day, including the worship of the Lord. The next few hours were a blur of activity with the kids bustling about, "Hey, stop—that table cloth won’t match this idol..." "Careful, put him down gently..." "Where
do you think should I place his favorite fruits?" It was beautiful to watch them take care of every minute detail and work tirelessly through the evening, owning up the festival. When finally satisfied with their efforts, the children queried, "What do you think, Ma’am?" The overwhelmed teachers just beamed.
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| Mmm...Want a boon? |
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The star of the Day: The Lord made out of vegetables... |
Next the staff and students started sculpting their own Lord Ganesha—out of vegetables! This novel idol turned out to be the star attraction the next day. Meanwhile the other students got busy making posters, banners, decorating the school and classrooms with drawings and decorative hangings.
When the next day dawned bright and sunny, the auditorium was filled to its capacity with the excited students conducting the day. The day started with a puja to the Lord performed by a student under the guidance of the staff. Following the puja was a skit depicting a story out of Lord Ganesha’s life. A small session of bhajans concluded the days programs with the distribution of Prasad.
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