KARACHI: “The big thing about all religions is helping humanity. That is what we have also set out to do,” said Hindu scholar and president minority affairs for the National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony Pandit Mukesh Kumar Majaraj P. Jedia during the Hindu festival of Ganesh Visarjan at the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir here on Thursday.

The festival celebrates deity Lord Ganesha’s birth. Ganesha, according to Hindu scriptures, is known as the deity that removes obstacles.

“We stayed awake all night long and prayed to Lord Ganesha for all flood affected people, who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their livestock and means of earning.

May they find relief. May Pakistan always prosper and remain safe from calamities,” said Arjun Maharaj, the temple priest.

Amid loud drum beats, singing and dancing along with loud chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya”, there were devotees arriving at the temple, located at the Native Jetty Bridge, in groups with their own decorated Ganesha statues, that had a chubby human child’s body with an elephant head.

The festival rituals included devotees immersing the symbolic clay statues in water following pooja and prayers until they started to dissolve.

It is said that Ganesha was created from clay and earth and the ritual signifies his birth cycle so that he might return home.

Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir general secretary Kailash Vishram said that this year’s festival was special and more significant as the temple management have set up a day-long camp outside the temple for accepting donations for flood victims.

“The donations started coming in also during the night and throughout Thursday. Whatever we collect, we will take to the affected people ourselves. We will be going door to door to distribute the food rations, clothing, cash and whatever else that we are collecting at our camp. Our heart, brain and eyes will lead us to the needy,” he said.

“We are with them in these trying times. Pakistan Zindabad!”

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2022