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MUMBAI, INDIA, September 18, 2004: Hindus here today chanted hymns and beat drums to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God. During the ten-day festival, icons of Ganesha, easily one of the best-loved Gods in the Hindu pantheon, will grace Hindu households all over the country. “We have been preparing for this festival for over a month and half now. First we arrange for cultural programs to honor Him and then the decorations, etc.,” Dhiren Pathak, a devotee, said. Huge icons of Ganesha are made for the festival, some of them over 20 feet tall (six metres) costing up to US$2,273. Over 20,000 artisans get jobs in Mumbai alone before the festival each year. For years, Ganesh Chaturthi was a personal or private affair, celebrated within homes. But at the turn of the 20th century, freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak converted it into a public event, using it as a platform for political propaganda and unity.

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