Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival that most Mumbaikars look forward to, began on Monday. Common belief is that the larger the number of people who visit the Ganesh idol in your home, the more are the blessings you will receive. Of course, sometimes such faith has a downside.
A new comedy sketch by Mumbai-based group East India Comedy claims to bring you the pretentious guide to "darshan" hopping. It's less of a guide and more of a breakdown of the goings on at a pretentious Ganesh "darshan".
One devotee boasts about his "eco-friendly idol" while another man claims to have dark chocolate for his guests; there’s also a gluten-free variety elsewhere coupled with a "non-fat iced caramel macchiato blended with extra sugar syrup with skimmed milk."
Strangely for a comedy sketch, the video begins with a disclaimer,"The aim is not to offend but to entertain" and ends with a moral “This festive season, keep it religious, not pretentious.”
In 2014, the comics had made their version of Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball for the occasion. Called Wrecking God, it listed all the grouses that people who don't celebrate the festival normally have: that it is getting too commercial, that it brings the city to a standstill by increasing traffic on the city's already jam-packed roads, that the noise is unbearable.
There's even an appearance by actor Ashwin Mushran as the supreme deity, who's had to buy "noise-cancelling headphones" because of all the noise.
It also ends with a disclaimer,"It is a parody, we still love our country."
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