President’s Message
Dear Friends,
The 10-day festival of the elephantheaded god Lord Ganesha, also known as Ganapati, began with the installation of idols in private homes, public places, with Ganesh Chaturthi on September 2nd amidst chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’, with ‘Gauri Visarjan’ on September 7th. The festival ended with Anant Charturdashi on September 12th amidst chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar yaa’ and the visarjan (immersion) of idols. In Maharashtra, this probably is amongst the biggest and most popularly celebrated festival. Idols are installed and worshipped for varying durations of one to 10 days before they are immersed in water bodies.
Lord Ganesha is also known as the Vignaharta, the remover or demolisher of obstacles. As the God of Beginnings, Lord Ganesha is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Lord Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. He is associated with buddhi (cleverness) and love of intelligence.
Popular throughout Asia, and now also becoming known in the West, Lord Ganesha has many names and symbols. A great deal of importance and emphasis are placed upon him in the traditions of Asia, not just in India, but also in Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Thailand, Mauritius, Bali (Indonesia), Bangladesh, China and Japan. In fact, the 20,000 Rupiah note in Indonesian currency has a picture of Lord Ganesha, revered as the God of wisdom, art and science.
To fight the twin challenges of water and air pollution during the festival and to protect and conserve the environment, an eco-friendly Ganesha festival celebration is encouraged. Awareness has increased in recent times but this needs to be followed by one and all who participate in this festival – to enjoy it in its true spirit while preserving the environment.
On September 8th, 2019, we learnt of the demise of Senior Advocate Supreme Court of India – Mr. Ram Jethmalani – at the grand old age of 95, just a few days short of his 96th birthday. A man who strode the courts of law in India as a colossus and a legal luminary, in whose presence opponents worried and judges tended to become deferential. A lawyer at an unheard of early age of 17 years, through an exception made by court, when the minimum age for practicing as a lawyer was 21 years. Right from the famous Nanavati (Prem Ahuja murder) case in 1959, Mr. Jethmalani’s legal career never looked back or plateaued and kept scaling higher peaks, taking on cases which others considered unwinnable or unpopular. As a politician, a maverick, he was blunt and outspoken in his inimitable way. As a colourful, witty, charming person with indefatigable energy and life, he had many friends and was immensely respected. Our club indeed has had the good fortune of having Mr. Ram Jethmalani as a Guest Speaker.
Preeti Mehta
President