Several Ganeshas – One platform?
Forest department officials at task to ensure uninterrupted GANESHA procession
The last month had been Ramadan, and many practitioners of the Islamic faith could not make it to the meeting. Now it was the turn of Ganesha, that ‘remover of all obstacles’ and what we had not forseen, was that today the idols would be taken in a procession to the nearby lake for ‘immersion’. Entry into the area found forest department staff pruning the gulmohars in front of KG Halli police station in preparation for the large trucks that would pass in the evening. A fairly skilled task, made more challenging by the continuous traffic that passes beneath. Was this, one wondered, the BBMP team involved in the environmental health of the area?
Quite startling were the number of Ganesha idols on the main Tannery road- at least seven 12-14 foot idols with music systems in trucks; each with more than a dozen speakers piled on and blaring music at mind boggling decibels. Another potential area of intervention for environmental health? There was clearly a competitive streak with the traditional ‘aarthi’ vying with Kannada, English and of course Bollywood’s latest – “Sheela ki jawani” ! Noticeably absent were people, these main- road idols seemed to the viewer /listener to provide entertainment to passers-by.
A woman attempting to calm drunken men with a bucket of water
Entering the side road to the Centre we found three smaller pandals , put up by families or groups; again providing music at ear shattering decibels. So we shut all doors and windows in order to hear each other (and the doctors we were trying to call on the phone) and conceded the choice of the day had been a mistake. But every time a balcony door opened we were inevitably drawn to the drama unfolding outside in the corners of the street. In one pandal, men were dancing, inebriated, uninhibited and to the embarrassment of their womenfolk. Three policemen on duty sat comfortably in chairs to the side of the pandal and watched indifferently as a woman brought a bucket of water and doused her husband in an effort to stop the display. A child was caught in the circle of dancing men and had to be pulled out, crying bitterly. Finally when a passing scooter was halted and the driver heckled, the batons came into view and raised voices were heard. At this point a CHA said “This is how the fights start, last year a man lost his hand in the brawl !” Yet 20 feet down the road, the dancing young children emitted a completely different energy, exuberance with the innocence of childhood. Everywhere, the boys danced. One wondered if the girls wanted to.
IPH team and health providers in KG Halli at a meeting
Meanwhile we strategized and waited. And after numerous phone calls , four private providers braved the chaos on the roads, and came to the meeting. Four more would have come, but they stayed back to treat injuries or could not come through the procession. We tried the government facilities, both had emptied of staff by midday, as transport to go home would be a nightmare. Again, despite the numbers being few, we were struck by the interest and attention these practitioners displayed to the sharing from the IPH team. The CHAs were already sounding more confident and interestingly, this time they spoke in the Dakkhini- Urdu so typical of the area! As we got a chance to interact closely with the providers, we were also able to assess individually, the probable areas of interaction that they might involve themselves in. From describing the state of the bakeries using child labour in the Vibhuthipura area to offering to help with Urdu translations of appropriate health messages, it was clear from the exchanges that the practitioners are not limiting themselves to treating colds and coughs, or examining lungs and livers. There was also the interest in the centre, how it runs and where collaboration in following up with government departments might be useful.
Luckily the Ganesha in “our” lane was sent on his journey to the waters by 2.30pm, so the meeting was conducted in relative peace. By the time we wound up and travelled home it was later than usual, the mind filled with jumbled images linked to health …….alcohol and stress , gender, the role of ritual in social inclusion, youth and political dynamics in the urban settings, being some of them.
On the ground, yet another step had been taken towards the elusive platform for ward no 30.
