Ganesh Festival Footage
The following videos were filmed by amateurs and will be re-shot by professional cameramen during the 2008 Ganesh Festival.
Video 1: Last minute preparation of the plaster-of-Paris Ganesh sculptures created by one of the most sought-after studios in Mumbai.
Video 2: Throughout the festival the citizens of Mumbai visit the many pandals or mandips (installations) found in every neighborhood.
Video 3: Soon after the Ganesh statues are brought home, an Indian family will have a puja ceremony which invokes the spirit of Ganesh into the plaster-of-Paris sculpture. This video shows three different families performing this ritual.
Video 4: The last day of the Ganesh Festival is the immersion day. It is incredible! Ganesh idols which have been kept in homes and in neighborhoods throughout Mumbai, some of which reach heights up to 35 feet, are paraded through the city to various beaches in Mumbai. There are spontaneous outbreaks of song and dance in the streets, unapologetic assaults on passers by of colored powder, and a palpable sense of deep devotion and sanctity. From the late afternoon deep into the night, Ganesh statues are processed through the city. The most spectacular scene is at Chowpatty Beach where the largest idols are immersed into the Arabian Sea.