It is that time of the year when devotees welcome Ganesha with utmost devotion and enthusiasm. This festival will be celebrated this year with precautions as the deadly coronavirus outbreak has affected the normal functioning. Bollywood celebrities are welcoming Lord Ganesha with all the norms of the day, today.
Popular television actress Shubhaavi Choksey is also celebrating the festival with the same zeal and vigour and has welcomed Lord Ganesha at her residence for one and a half-day.
In an exclusive conversation with IBTimes, India, Shubhaavi Choksey talks about celebrating the festival of Ganesh Chaturti amidst the pandemic, wishes, favourite food, how this year's celebration is different from the previous one and more.
Excerpts from the conversation:
How are you celebrating Ganapati this time?
I was feeling bad about not being able to celebrate it this year but as fate may have it, my murti in the temple has to be changed hence I have got a new Ganesh Ji ki murti today and will do the visarjan for our old Ganesha tomorrow
Are you getting Ganapati at home?
We have always got an eco-friendly Ganesha and we have done visarjan outside our home and then out the water to grow plants.
What are the preparations and what are you cooking?
Since it is saatvik khaana so it's plain varan bhaat at home with yummy sheera made by my mother in law for prasad .. But we also have Dhoklas, kachori, Cutlets & sabudana vada. Sweets are Kaju katli, gulab jamun and of course modaks.
How many days of Ganapati do you celebrate?
We celebrate all 11 days but we have had him in our home for only one and a half days.
This time the vibe of Ganapati is low owing to the pandemic?
The vibe this time is a very strong urge for the pandemic to go sooner, the wish for healthy lives and healthy minds is on the rise. I have sensed this from many people and heard it too. Somehow I feel that the look of this occasion is low compared to all the years but the feeling of oneness and hope amidst people is very very high due to the pandemic.
What do you usually do during Ganapati festival?
Apart from me praying, dancing, and screaming Ganpati Bappa Morya I doubt I have done anything else (laughs) and of course visited friends and family who have him at their homes.
What is your favourite food?
The rice modak with jaggery and coconut ... Freshly steamed and hot is what I love the most!!
What do you cook as bhog for the festival?
Normally we have 7 dishes for bhog and each year it has been a different variety.
Fond memories of Ganapati?
My childhood has many memories with my father especially because he would take me to Chowpatty, dancing on the road and screaming Ganpati Bappa Morya for each and every Ganpati I saw. A strong memory is when my husband went for Lalbaug cha raja and a flower landed on his head and then we came to know that I'm pregnant.
In fact when Arhaan was two and a half years old and we had taken him by car to Chowpatty- looking at him babbling Ganpati Bappa Morya is a memory that Harshal and I can never forget!
Any wish you want Bappa to grant you?
Since I was a teenager I have only asked for happiness of the mind-body and souls for my family and me and still continue to do so.
Are you religious?
I guess I am more spiritual. I respect each and every religion and try to learn and inculcate it in my daily life .. I do listen to a lot of shlokas every day too but I don't know if I can call myself religious. My mother is extremely religious and my father was an atheist hence I call myself spiritual.
For the unversed, Shubhaavi Choksey is currently seen as Mohini Basu in Kasautii Zindagii Kay.
Team International Business Times, India wishes all its readers a very happy and prosperous Ganesh Chaturthi.
