The moment the idol enters the water
You have watched it happen, or you have been the one holding the edge of the aarti thali while someone else lets go. The clay Ganesha tilts, the colours begin to bleed into the water, and the crowd around you does not go quiet. It gets louder. 'Ganpati Bappa Morya. Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya.' Come again soon next year. The chant is not mourning. It sounds like a send-off at a railway platform, urgent, affectionate, already anticipating the next arrival.
