Ganesha Chaturthi: Old timers recall glory days of music, Harikathe and fun in pandals in Bengaluru

Padma Prasad, a resident of Vijayanagar in her 50s, fondly recalls her childhood days when almost every street corner had a Ganesha idol installed and youngsters used the pandal to showcase their singing, dancing, and acting talents. The pandals hosted cultural programmes, ranging from classical music, light music, and Harikathe performances to film music orchestras.

“The youth used to form Yuva Balagas (youth groups) and install Ganesh idols in every block. But that era is gone, and now the youth do not have time. The younger generation spends most of its free time on the internet and social media. The festival is limited to only the installation of the idol, worship, offering of prasada, and immersion. Only some political aspirants spend their own money and celebrate for a couple of days,” she said, lamenting the end of “glory days.”

The tradition of installing Ganesha idols in many areas for at least 15 days to a month and celebrating with various cultural activities is now rarely followed, a result of changing priorities and also restrictions by authorities in a burgeoning city.

Thyagaraj from Basavanagudi recalled the Harikathe programmes that he and his friends attended of Vidwan Gururajulu Naidu. “After him, his daughter Shobha Naidu also gained fame in Harikathe. After Shobha’s death, the Harikathe culture is dying out. Now Harikathe is confined to a few rituals,” he said.

Cultural performances

Ganesha Chaturthi was also a season when artists thrived. “In my 35 years of experience in the entertainment industry, until 2010, there was no break for any orchestral artist for at least one-and-a-half months during the Ganesha festival. There were times when we had three programmes a day. Along with us, actors Raghavendra Rajkumar, Tara, Nivedita Jain, and many others participated in programmes. However, after 2010, this orchestra culture is fading away, and orchestral groups are dying out due to the impact of technology. DJs have taken the place of orchestras. Today’s youth needs music that they can dance to,” said Ra. Bi. Nagaraj, proprietor of Sangeetha Saurabha Entertainment Group.

“Now, a few big orchestra programmes are held only on big stages. Big stars and celebrities, and music directors are invited to these stages by paying fat remuneration. Along with them, they invite winners of singing reality shows. But professional orchestra singers like us are not invited. This year, only two programmes have been booked in advance for my troupe,” he explained.

M.D. Pallavi, singer and theatre artist, said that the number of cultural events has reduced drastically, especially post COVID-19. “Ganesha festival means cultural events. However, it is true that cultural programmes have decreased after Covid-19 pandemic. In the coming days, the glory of the festival may be restored. This time, many music programmes have been booked in advance for me,” she said.

Lottery season

Old timers also recall how Ganesha Chaturthi was always a good time for lottery business, banned in Karnataka since 2004. “I came to Bengaluru in the 90s and started my life by selling lottery tickets in an autorickshaw. Starting from Ganesha Chaturthi and ending with Kannada Rajyotsava, it was the lottery season for us for at least three months. After the ban, now I am running a paan shop,” said Prabhakar of Chamarajapet.