Ganesh meets Ganesh

The sun peeked through the Arabian Sea,
Rising up in the sky
As the moon hid behind the white clouds.
There were people running along the shore, some with their dogs –
a Dalmatian, an Alsatian, and two Afghan Hounds.

Ganesh stared into the sea
While standing behind his uncle Unni’s pavbhaji stall
Throwing loads of leftover food into the bin
And washing the used plates.
His tiny fingers roughened with the bad soap
And he wondered if his life stretched only as far
As the sliver of the shore?

He walked towards the vast emptiness
Felt the gushing waves
And a hope stirring within
That life would be better in due course

As he stood staring at the horizon
His feet sank in the wet sand
Making footprints
That would wash away soon

Then he felt something at his feet
Something hard, yet warm
And as the waves huddled back
He saw a broken bust of Lord Ganesha
The colours intact
But chipped around the trunk
And eyes were stained like they were teary

It was only a few days ago that the idol must have been immersed
Into the darkness of the sea
After the festival lights were out
And we bid adieu to the Lord

Hundreds and thousands of idols
Worshiped and honoured
And then sent away
With the drifts in the sea

But God has His ways
And this one at his feet must be that God
Who paved his way against all waves
To be where He belongs

And now Ganesh no longer wonders
If life only stretches up to the sliver of the shore…

Vaishali Shroff is a freelance writer and editor and runs a reading club (www.eikthirani.wordpress.com) for children in Pune. Her work has been published in over 10 titles of the Chicken Soup India Series, her children’s stories can be read at smories (http://www.smories.com/author/vaishali-shroff/) and she can’t wait for her first children’s book to be out.