Above the Clouds, Beyond Divisions...
The flight from Delhi to Mumbai climbed steadily through thick layers of clouds. The world below disappeared. For a while, there was nothing but endless white. Then, almost playfully, the sun would emerge through a gap, flood the aircraft with golden light, and disappear behind another curtain of clouds again. It felt like a game of hide-and-seek.
As the aircraft began its descent, the clouds slowly parted and the familiar skyline of Mumbai emerged beneath us. In that transition between sky and earth, I went back to my childhood. Like many children of my generation, I had often heard our elders say, “Gods live above the clouds.”
As children, we accepted it without question. Even today, the feeling of looking upwards in wonder has never quite left us.
Perhaps that is how religion itself began.
Long before temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras or monasteries, human beings looked at the rising sun, flowing rivers, towering mountains, trees, rain, fire and the vast sky with reverence. Nature inspired awe, gratitude and humility. Over time, these forces of nature acquired names, forms and stories, making the invisible easier to understand and the divine easier to relate to. Surya became the Sun God, Vayu, the God of winds, Agni, the God of Fire. Hawankunds were based on geometrical calculations.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Hindu thought is how comfortably it accommodated symbolism alongside philosophy. The sequence of the Dashavatara is often interpreted as resembling the broad stages of biological evolution, from Matsya, the fish living entirely in water; Kurma, the tortoise inhabiting both water and land; Varaha, the land mammal; Narasimha, the half-man, half-animal form; Vamana, the early human; followed by Parashurama, Rama, Balarama and Krishna, each symbolising different stages of human civilisation and ethical evolution.
Whether this was intended as science or symbolism may always remain open to interpretation, but the parallel itself is remarkable.
Indian civilisation has also contributed profoundly to humanity's scientific and mathematical heritage from the concept of zero and advances in astronomy to sophisticated geometry, metallurgy and architecture. Spiritual inquiry and scientific curiosity were not necessarily seen as opposites. They often walked together.
Like every ancient civilisation, India's history too has witnessed periods of harmony as well as conflict. Different communities have interacted through dialogue, trade, migration and, at times, through painful episodes that remain subjects of historical debate. Such chapters deserve honest scholarship rather than prejudice. History should deepen our understanding, not diminish our humanity.
And perhaps there could be no better time to reflect on this than during Ganeshotsav.
Across Maharashtra and far beyond, Bappa arrives not merely inside homes but into neighbourhoods and public spaces. People gather before Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles with folded hands, flowers, modaks, music and prayer. The celebration often reaches beyond individual faith: neighbours, friends and visitors from different communities participate in the joy, visit pandals and share in the festivities.There is something beautiful in that image. Different people. Different prayers. One celebration.
Perhaps that too is the spirit of Vighnaharta, to help us overcome not only the obstacles before us, but also the barriers we sometimes create between ourselves.
And then I looked again at the clouds outside my window. They do not distinguish between nations, religions or languages. They carry rain to every field. The sun shines on every home. Rivers quench the thirst of all who approach them.
Nature recognises no divisions. It simply gives.
What, then, is the enduring message that survives centuries?
Perhaps it is this: if our earliest reverence was for nature itself, then protecting nature must be among the highest forms of worship.
There is an added poignancy to that thought during Ganeshotsav. We welcome Bappa with such love; perhaps one way of honouring him is to celebrate in ways that also honour the earth, from the materials we use for our idols and decorations to the water we protect and the waste we leave behind.
Faith and responsibility need not be separate.
Today, when the world is confronting rising temperatures, extreme weather, polluted rivers, disappearing forests and the consequences of climate change, reverence for nature is no longer only a philosophical idea. It has become an urgent responsibility.
As our aircraft touched the ground, I realised that perhaps heaven is not somewhere above the clouds. We encounter a little of it whenever people come together despite their differences; whenever we choose harmony over division; and whenever we protect the natural world that sustains every one of us.
This Ganeshotsav, let us celebrate Bappa together across faiths, neighbourhoods and differences and turn devotion into action. At least next year, let us choose eco-friendly idols and decorations, reduce plastic and waste, protect water, and leave our rivers, streets and communities cleaner than we found them.
In honouring Vighnaharta, let us remove the obstacles we have placed in nature’s path and in one another’s hearts.
The earth beneath us and the sky above us belong to no single faith. They belong to all of us. Protecting them, together, may be one of the truest forms of worship and one of the greatest gifts we can leave future generations.
Ganpati Bappa Morya. May Vighnaharta unite our hearts and guide us towards a greener, kinder world.
R. Vimala, IAS Retired, MH 2009
Subject Matter Expert, CBC & YASHADA
Former Resident Commissioner, Maharashtra Sadan & Secretary, GoM,
Founder AnirvedShakti Foundation,
PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay
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