Elephant God

Programme Outline

India is a vast country with over a billion inhabitants. It has many languages and many religions. Mumbai is the new name for Bombay. It’s the city that reflects India’s vast population and many religions. We follow Gauri and Ajit as they prepare to celebrate one of the many festivals of Hinduism, Ganesh Chaturti. The school closes and the town is given over to festival time. In Hinduism the distinction between the animal and the human world is not so obvious as in the West, so it does not seem odd that Ganesh, the god, should have an elephant’s head. In fact, Ganesh is the symbol of good fortune and the story of how he got his head is retold at this time. He is the god of intelligence, which may be connected with the traditional wisdom of the elephant.

Hindus believe in one supreme being who can be worshipped in many forms. So although there are many gods in Hinduism each one can act as a focus for the supreme being or God. Each Hindu can choose the focus he or she likes best. In this festival the image of Ganesh is treated with reverence and worshipped along with his mother, Parvati. Hinduism also asserts that God is in everyone – this is the soul or Atman – and can never be destroyed. When someone dies they are born again and the Atman simply has a new body. Of course if you live a good life you may have a better rebirth; a bad life may give you a more difficult time. This law of responsibility for your future is called Karma.

At the end of the festival, Ganesh is carried to the sea and immersed in the waves, but the presence of Ganesh is still felt among the worshippers.