God should be celebrated everyday: Sangeetha Sringeri
Actor Sangeetha Sringeri talks about her Ganeshotsav celebrations this year with a visit to the temple and donning a Maharastrian-style saree
Sangeetha Sringeri marked Ganesh Chaturthi this year with visits to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and a swayambhu (housing a self-manifested idol) Ganesha temple. “There’s something about the location and its positive vibrations and energy that brings together devotees under one roof. When we’re there, it doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from; we are all one in front of God,” shares the 777 Charlie (2022) actor.
The actor shares that while growing up Ganeshotsav was differently celebrated from what she experiences now. She shares that the folks from the defence background had an inclusive way of celebration, “One idol would be brought into the colony and people from all backgrounds would attend. Everyone would put on performances and dances from their states. People didn’t get the idol individually to their homes, like they do now. It was that community experience that I miss a lot,” the 27-year-old tells us, adding, “At home, we would wake up early in the morning to get dressed and decorate our homes. We would pluck leaves, wash them and lay them out near the front door while my mum prepared modaks. She always had to warn me to wait for the puja to end before I could attack the sweets!”
Apart from visiting a swayambhu Ganesha temple for the first time, the festival was special for Sringeri for another reason — wearing a Maharashtrian-style saree to Tirupati. “The outfit was perfect for the visit. I had people coming up to me and asking for photos without knowing who I was, but only because I was dressed up like that. That was a new kind of recognition for me and it felt so good. In fact, I got the motivation to wear it this way when I saw a lady wearing a similarly styled saree with sunglasses, beating the drum during Ganeshotsav, when I was in Mumbai,” she ends.
