Yesterday I decided to take an Auto (rickshaw) to go and pay my advance tax dues. On the ride back I encountered what we in Bangalore are encountering more and more often around this time of year - i.e in the time frame between Ganesha habba and Diwali.
A narrow Gandhinagar street was further narrowed by a truck carrying a huge idol of Ganesha being taken for immersion. Laid out in front of the truck. like a red carpet, was a string of "10,000 lar" - a ten thousand firecracker string. All seemed well when the auto I was in passed the Ganesha carrying truck and the start of the firecracker string. Then someone lit the damn thing at the far end (as I had feared). For us there was no going back, and no stopping either - we had to keep moving, and were sure to pass within two meters of the creeping string of explosions in an open autorickshaw. I covered my ears and shut my eyes tight as we passed. An unexploded firecracker hit me on my trouser leg. But worse - the auto driver was hit by a flaming bit of debris and sustained a small burn on his elbow. The crowds were cheering as expected. I recall the story of the Christian, Muslim and Hindu who find themselves in a lifeboat that is taking in water in a shark infested area. The Christian prays to his Lord and is rescued by an angel. The Muslim prays to Allah and mysteriously floats away to safety. The Hindu prays to Ganesha who appears on the boat and starts cheering loudly as he dances and rocks the boat, to the accompaniment of the sound of a thousand firecrackers. The boat begins to sink faster, and the Hindu in a desperate state of panic asks Ganesha what he is doing, pleading that he has been devout. Ganesha replies - "Every year, when you went to immerse my idol, you cheered and laughed as you watched me drown. This time I will cheer and laugh while I watch you drown. Thank you" shiv
