Festivals — Maneesh Nalam (with Uthara & Uthpala Balakrishnan’s Illustrations)

What is your favourite festival? Explain why you like it and how your family celebrates that festival.
I personally find Ganesh Chaturthi more exciting and energized than the other Hindu festivals because of the vibe it creates in the surrounding. Back at home, in India when my family and I used to celebrate this festival we would wake up in the morning to start the morning with prayers in front of Lord Ganesha. In our home, we make the Ganesh with turmeric and clay using our hands. That feeling always felt so authentic. And we still make the Ganesha idol by hand on this date in Canada too. The big statute that moves through town in my hometown has a loudspeaker with music playing. There would be a big crow of people dancing. At the end of the festival, they do this ritual called Nimajjanam, which signifies the birth cycle of Lord Ganesha. The ritual is done by putting the idol or statue into a body of water. Also, the devotional songs played in my house during the festival are really nice to my ears. This is why I think Ganesh Chaturthi is a heartwarming festival.

Hello, my name is Maneesh Nalam. I am currently in Grade 7. Some of my hobbies are that I like to read, a lot. Moreover, I adore writing books and narratives as they help me expand my imagination. I also adore playing the piano, guitar and just started learning to play the flute. But, out of all of these I always put dharma first in front of anything. I personally believe that being dharma is very vital in our religion and helps us be on the right path.