Festive Days - Part 3 - Ganesh Chaturthi

This is the most eagerly awaited festival of the year - mostly to eat the lovely modaks - but also to participate in the grand preparations that precede this important festival in the Hindu calendar.When we were young, dad and I would go shopping the previous night to get the Clay Ganesha idol. My mom would instruct us time and again to bring the pure clay idol and none of the fancy colourful idols that would also adorn the market place and would wait to be picked by some happy customer. The accessories were many including the 'kodai' or paper umbrella for the Lord, the eyes(the black and red beads)the malai(garland) which was made from small purple flowers. The idol would be placed on a palagai(wooden seat) and carefully brought home. Many varieties of fruits would be offered and the shopping is completed after picking some blades of grass(arugumbil). This is used exclusively for the pooja the next day.
The next morning we would quickly bathe and start the decorations in the pooja room. We would place a small table, place the Ganehsa idol over it and decorate the Lord and His seat with all buntings. Then my mother would start the pooja, by which time we would get impatient, and wait for the pooja to end, for the prasad to be offered to the Lord. Then we would happily start our modak eating spree.
Fast forward to now, when we have to rush to work and still try and fit in whatever we can. We also celebrate Gowri Habba the day before Ganesh Chathurthi - a practise that is followed by the MIL, and hence new to me. In August we celebrated Varalakshmi pooja and now it was time to welcome Goddess Gowri. I prepared a very simple sundal for prasadam and invited a few of my neighbours for tamboolam. It was past 9:30 in the night when they left and as I went about my usual chores that night, I wondered if I'd have any energy to wake up early and prepare modaks the next morning.
I was too tired and hence got up at the usual time, got ready for work, but Aditi was still asleep. So I decided to make prasadam that evening. As I quickly refreshed my memory, by reading through Meenakshi Ammal's 'Samiathu Par' for the recipe, realization dawned on me - that the recipe was actually very simple and could be managed within 30 minutes. I quickly prepared the dough, made the filling and started making the modaks. They came in all odd shapes and I made just 11 of them. Left them in the pressure cooker, while I tended to Aditi's morning needs. It was steaming hot, when I presented it to Ganeshji for neivadyam and said a quick prayer. We left for work, leaving the modaks to cool and to be tasted later.
We returned home, and Aditi saw the plate full of white balls in front of the pooja area. I was sure she'd not like it one bit, so I happily gave her one modak in a plate and a spoon to use. The little girl carefully cut piece by piece and relished them. She finished one and wanted more. And you can imgine my joy, for this girl hated any sweets that were offered just a few weeks back(during Janmasthami) and now was enjoying my hurriedly made modaks. I was truly happy for that momentous decision to make it that morning. In all, she had about 2 and a half modaks. They came out prefect in taste, though not in shape. We then visited our neighbour, who had invited us for tea.
And we retired our Lord until next year.