Actor Aarti Solanki objects to goddess idols shown hanging in mid-air ahead of Navratri

Ganeshotsav ended recently with great enthusiasm. Everyone was curious about which form of Bappa would be seen this year. But for the past two years, a new trend of "balancing" Ganapati idols has taken hold.

These balancing Ganapati idols began appearing last year. The idol stands tilted on one leg and appears to float in the air. It looks impressive, but many elderly people and devotees did not like it. Earlier, Bappa was seated on a throne or a low wooden seat, and there was a dignity about it. Seeing Bappa standing on one leg, many people's sentiments were hurt.

There was also considerable trolling on social media. Many people said the meaning of the festival was changing somewhere. Now Ganapati has been bid farewell and Navratri has arrived. Celebrations to welcome the goddess have begun. Mandals can be seen carrying idols of the goddess everywhere. Preparations for garba, dandiya and nine days of nine colours have started. But the same trend has begun here too.

After Ganapati, balancing idols of the goddess have now reached the market. They show the goddess hanging in the air, balanced on one hand. Many people are angry on seeing this.

Marathi actor Aarti Solanki has directly expressed her displeasure over the matter. She vented her anger in a social media post. In the post she wrote, "Strong objection as a Hindu. In the name of balancing, you hung Ganapati Bappa; now do not hang the goddesses. If you want to show this much art, hang your own family members at the same angle, and we will certainly come to praise you. Look after the tradition, dignity, discipline and honour of your Hindu festivals, and do not let them be mocked."

Many people have supported Aarti's post. Many devotees are saying that what she said is absolutely right. Idols of deities are not a game, and they carry a sanctity.

Sculptors try such experiments to show their art. They feel people should be shown something new. But whether we are forgetting tradition in the zeal to display art is a big question. Whether Ganapati Bappa or the goddess, their idols carry a serene purity. Hands fold on their own at the sight of an idol. But when an idol hangs tilted on one leg, it looks a little odd.

Small children may find it fun, but adults do not find it right. The nine days of Navratri are very sacred, and the goddess is worshipped from the heart. Aarti Solanki has asked whether the goddess is honoured by bringing such a hanging idol.

Social media too has split into two camps. Some say this change should be accepted and ask what is wrong with it. But most people are saying the sanctity of festivals should be preserved, and that it is not right to hang deities simply by calling it a new trend. Aarti Solanki's blunt stand has further fuelled the controversy. It will be important to see how many mandals install such balancing goddess idols this Navratri and how people react.