Vignaharta's Homecoming : Removing Obstacles Together this Ganesh Chaturthi
There is something very endearing about Shri Ganesh, our Ganapati Bappa. The gentle eyes, the large ears that seem to listen patiently, the little mouse at His feet, the modak in His hand and that expression of wisdom and warmth. Among the many forms in which we worship the Divine, Ganeshji somehow feels especially close to us. We worship Him as Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles. No wonder we invoke Him before every new beginning.
As Ganesh Chaturthi begins the day after tomorrow, homes and pandals will once again resonate with the joyous chant : Ganpati Bappa Morya! But beyond the celebrations and rituals lies a beautiful message for life. We often pray to God to remove the obstacles before us. Yet life teaches us that not every obstacle disappears, instead we are given the courage to cross it, open another door. A disappointment challenges us to discover a strength we did not know we possessed. A difficult journey introduces us to people who walk beside us. And sometimes what appears to be an obstacle becomes the very reason for a new beginning. So in reality, Vighnaharta does not merely clear our paths, He also gives us the wisdom to find a path where none seems to exist.
This thought has a special meaning for me this Ganeshotsav when Ganesh Sewa Mandal, ( Registered ), Laxmi Nagar, Delhi, celebrates the Silver Jubilee of its Ganesh Mahotsav. Twenty-five years of devotion, community participation and celebration!
For AnirvedShakti Foundation, it is a privilege to be associated with this special occasion in a small but meaningful way.
During the festival, the Foundation is supporting four Self-Help Groups and one small-scale enterprise established under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) through the Khadi and Village Industries framework, enabling them to bring their products before consumers in Delhi.
At first glance, this may appear to be simply about putting up stalls but for a small entrepreneur, a stall is not merely a stall. It is a market. It is visibility and an opportunity to meet a customer who has never encountered their product before. It is a chance to hear, “Your product is good. Where else can I buy it?” A question which can open an entirely new door.
And what is Ganeshotsav without modak, Ganeshji’s beloved offering? This year also, our food stalls will bring some of the warmth and flavour of a Maharashtrian kitchen to the national capital. There will be steamed ukadiche modak as well as fried modak, along with puran poli, pakodas, zunka-bhakri, moong pakoda and dahi dhapate.
These are not merely items on a menu. Food carries memories, traditions and the identity of a region. A freshly prepared modak reminds us of Ganesh Chaturthi at home; zunka-bhakri speaks of the simplicity and strength of Maharashtra’s rural cuisine; and puran poli carries the unmistakable warmth of celebration. Through these women, we hope to bring an authentic taste of Maharashtra to Delhi from their kitchens and communities directly to the capital.
Alongside the aromas of Maharashtrian food will be another expression of enterprise and craftsmanship, a varied collection of bags for women and men, suitable for business, personal use and gifting. From practical office and laptop bags to handbags and pouches. The collection will also feature colourful Banjara-art pouches, traditional mirror-work patches and handcrafted designs that carry the individuality of Indian artisanship.
A modak, a bhakri, a handcrafted pouch or a business bag may seem like a small purchase. But behind each is a producer, a skill, a livelihood and an aspiration.
The obstacle for small enterprises is often not production. It is the market. During my years of working closely with women’s Self-Help Groups, I repeatedly saw something remarkable. Rural women could produce excellent food products, handicrafts and household goods. They could organise themselves, save, borrow, learn new skills and build enterprises. But one obstacle returned again and again: Where will we sell?
A woman may know how to make an excellent product. But producing something and building a sustainable enterprise around it are two very different things. She needs packaging, branding, transport, digital payments, customer feedback and, above all, consistent access to markets. That last mile can determine whether an enterprise survives.
This understanding is also at the heart of AnirvedShakti Foundation and our initiative "Shakti on Wheels" taking products made by women closer to consumers rather than waiting for consumers to discover them.
The participation of these entrepreneurs at the Ganesh Sewa Mandal celebrations is another small step in the same journey.
From their small enterprises in a village to a festive marketplace in Delhi. From just making products to meeting customers. From livelihood to enterprise. From an obstacle to an opportunity.
There is another lesson in the image of Ganeshji that I find deeply meaningful. His vehicle is the tiny mushak, the mouse symbolising that the gigantc and the tiny can coexist effortlessly.
This also carries a message for our economy. Not everything meaningful has to begin big. A woman making papads from her home is an entrepreneur. A Self-Help Group preparing traditional foods is an enterprise. A young person starting a unit with support under PMEGP is building the foundations of industry and for me personally, it is initiating Shakti on wheels
Small beginnings deserve big opportunities. When we buy from such entrepreneurs, we are doing something more than purchasing a product. We are recognising their skill and strengthening their confidence. We are helping income travel back to a household and allowing an enterprise to take one more step towards independence.
Empowerment is strongest when it comes with economic agency and dignity. May we become faciltators in removing obstacles which we can. Bappa is there to take care of bigger obstacles and so my prayer to Him is not only to remove the obstacles from our own paths but also to give us the strength to remove obstacles from someone else’s path.”
Sometimes we can do that simply by opening a door. By giving a woman entrepreneur space in a housing society, by inviting an SHG to a corporate campus, by buying a locally made product, by introducing a small producer to a larger market, by choosing opportunity over charity.
Because sustainable empowerment is not about doing things for people. It is about creating conditions in which people can move forward through their own ability, enterprise and determination.
As Ganesh Sewa Mandal, Laxmi Nagar celebrates twenty-five years of devotion, I hope the participation of these five small enterprises adds another dimension to the celebration and devotion expressed through opportunity.
May Ganeshji, our beloved Vighnaharta, remove the obstacles before them. And may He also inspire each one of us to become, in our own small way, a facilitator in someone else’s journey.
Ganpati Bappa Morya!
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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