Our Ganpati was bigger than the area
It took 5-6 people to get it
We had to get a tempo for it and I said isn’t this too much?
It started off like calling all the neighbours, getting a truck and
All of dancing and going to Juhu beach and doing the visarjan in the middle of the sea
Eco friendly means, I have seen people they think that small Ganpati means eco-friendly but
that is also made up of China clay but that is not eco-friendly, it doesn’t dissolve
Eating biryani or eating khichdi in happiness, the happiness is what matters
Today we have with us Debina and Gurmeet, welcome to
Pinkvilla guys. Its lovely having you here and thank you for agreeing to do the interview.
Thank you, thank you so much
You know firstly what is special about the Ganpati celebration this year for the two of you?
Every year is special. I would not say that only this year is special because every year I mean
Ganpati bappa comes and brings home so much of
blessings. This year is little more special because last year
Last year we didn’t have a celebration as such
And you were out of station.
He was shooting out; he was in Jaipur and he had made the Ganpati bappa before leaving for
the schedule and I did the pooja all by myself and this year it is special because he is doing it
himself so I feel that last year the excitement of having your own Ganpati and doing the
pooja yourself the satisfaction in that he did not get it last
year. I am sure this year he got in the morning
So, like she said, you made the idol yourself. How long did it take to?
Three days, not at all. 45 minutes.
Actually, I will tell you, when I started last year, I had seen a lot of people do a course of 6-7
days and they make really beautiful and huge idols. So, I thought if I am making it myself, I
thought it will at least take 8-12 hours to make it and then too I made it just in an hour and
this time I made it in 45 minutes and that also Debina
was recording it so it got a bit late or it would have been done in half hour
That is too much. That would have been a toy
I actually was thinking that it shouldn’t turn into a toy. But on a serious note, the joy of making it
yourself that is unreal because last year I made it and couldn’t do the pooja but this time
making it and doing the pooja so you connect with it. When I
was looking at Ganesh ji I could understand every single thing is made by hands.
And Debina you helped him in that or anything?
Not at all. She disturbed me a lot. In fact, it was Debina’s idea to do this, do that,
I told him to make biceps
Because he made the hands so thin so I was like I make it little bicep he was like he started
giving explanation like Ganpati bappa eats sweets and that doesn’t give biceps
I thought of making it too but then I thought it shouldn’t look funny so I kept it the way it was
And what was I doing? I was motivating, he would have
made it a lot early. I just prolonged it
And you know whenever there is Ganpati celebration happens, delicacies are something
everyone looks forward to. What special in terms of delicacies for you?
Delicacy in the sense, there is you know complete shift of thought that has happened over the
last couple of years. We realised that if there is a problem in the neighbourhood, it won’t
happen to us, this thought process has changed. So, and for us it has changed completely, the
shift has happened. So, the idol is completely made of clay as we said so visarjan will be at
our house and the left over we will put in our plants. Similarly, the food also we, this is like a
custom for many years now that when people go to someone’s house, they take sweets with
them and purposely do it like when people come to our place, they eat khichdi as prasad. One
more thing that I did completely different this year is that we give people sweets when they
are leave, its like a return Ganpati gift this year we have done fruit box. So, which is I mean
very different because sweets, if you don’t believe in something. The whole year we talk
about eat healthy, stay away from sweets, sugar and then we give sweets just because its
tradition. Let’s keep the tradition and change it a bit. Fruit is something you don’t have to eat
immediately; you can go home and eat it but this is the shift
that we have done as far as delicacies are concerned. So, I mean these are the
Actually, this is Debina’s department. I am also listening it for the first time so it sounds fun.
And you know she just mentioned that you are planning visarjan at home itself and I believe I
have heard from lot of people that you like celebration, you used to take a lot of people in
trucks and dance. How is this shift for you?
See, I am very desi. I feel everything should be super
loud and huge. We have been doing pooja since the last 10 years
It started off like calling all the neighbours, getting a truck and
All of dancing and going to Juhu beach and doing the visarjan in the middle of the sea
Slowly as you do this you realise that you can make eco-friendly
inside the house, do the visarjan at home, basically you should have faith.
So, for Gurmeet, it was slow process. First it was Juhu Beach, then Lokhandwala Back Road
where there was the artificial pond and now because of
Covid, at home and I think the feeling is more important
Eating biryani or eating khichdi in happiness, the happiness is what matters
I can hear claps in the background
And you spoke about eco-friendly celebrations as well I think that is also coming up in a big
way in today’s time. You also made Ganpati at home. How do you view this transition, it
happening quick pace all across so how do you view this thing? Awareness
I will say one thing because in the name of eco friendly a lot of Ganpatis are being sold
which aren’t eco-friendly I have seen people they think that small Ganpati means
eco-friendly but that is also made up of China clay but that is not eco-friendly, it doesn’t dissolve
The thing doesn’t dissolve. It’s not for people who don’t understand that. After listening
today, they understand the difference between eco-friendly and non-eco-friendly. I think
because of Covid people are starting to get it that if there is a problem somewhere in the
world it reaches us somehow so I think it is high time we understand this and make the shift.
And it happening. Gradually it happening. In a good way so yeah
And you know since how many years are two of you bringing Ganpati ji at home?
2012, I think 9 years and there was one year gap. We also learnt the hard way in the sense,
first we got this big and we found that every year you get a bigger one and that became so
huge that it was almost the same size as the local Ganpati
Our fifth year one was so big that our Ganpati was bigger than the area
It took 5-6 people to get it
We had to get a tempo for it and I said isn’t this too much?
So next year a complete gap and then we made a very small and now we are maintaining that small one.
And I believe this is the first time you are bringing Ganpati ji in the new house and that
The newly renovated house. Yes.
How exciting it is that for the two of you?
Actually, we are very excited because when a new house is made, there is a different energy
there. And this year is new in lot of aspects. Since Covid a lot has changed. There is a
different vibe in the house when you shift into a new place. For me, because Debina did the
pooja last year as I was out, for me it feels completely new. I made the murti, we shifted to
the new place and doing the pooja. And the people who came, we called a very few close
friends because of Covid you have to take care if those things. So, the excitement is next
level. And there are so many people who will be coming
home for the first time, they haven’t seen the house yet so
I feel like the house is old now
This is Debina’s problem. After 2 months, the house will be changed.
And last couple of questions, what are your best memories with the festival?
From childhood?
For me Ganpati starts from Mumbai because as a Bengali I have not seen celebrating Ganpati
bappa in Calcutta, there is Durga Pooja, Kali Pooja but there isn’t Ganpati there. After
coming to Bombay, it took a few years but then I reseted myself that I am also now a
Mumbaikar, I will also celebrate Ganpati bappa. Memories
definitely of our old house where we got the first Ganpati
And then we told Ganpati bappa that next year when you come, come to our new place.
Actually, it happened. We bought the house next year and we celebrated here.
When I was new in Mumbai, I felt like this was different. We have seen Durga Pooja, people
go to pandals and at night everyone goes. In Mumbai, the way in which Ganpati is celebrated
here was an experience. And when the first time we were getting home in 2012, it was a
different excitement. The society was together and all it
felt like we never celebrated any festival. That’s something we can’t forget.
And when the pandemic goes away, will you get back to the old ways of visarjan?
I think it should happen but eco-friendly for sure. That is
one thing even if we go out and everything, I think it will still be eco friendly.
Perfect. Thank you so much guys. it was lovely talking to you.
And wish you all the best for everything that you are going to do
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Bubye.
Hey everyone, this is Gurmeet Choudhary.
Namaskar, this is Debina Bonnerjee and wish all the fans
of Pinkvilla a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi.