Mumbai, Aug 28 (IANS) Actor-former cricketer Salil Ankola has talked about his first visit to the Siddhivinayak Temple with wife Ria and revealed why Ganesh Chaturthi holds a special place for him.
The actor-former cricketer shared: “For the Ganpati festival, we don’t bring Ganpati home and do visarjan. For all the ten days, we pray to the Ganpati idol that we already have in our temple at home.
He said that he and his family always believe in celebrating all festivals in a very private and very positive way.
“At home, our way of celebrating is a little different. Sometimes we are not even at home during festivals. But now the kids are grown up and they also enjoy it a lot. At home Ria prepares prasad and bhog. We dress up, do the aarti, and then, for all the helpers and staff in our house, we make sure to pack a lot of prasad for them and their families too.”
“They really look forward to it every year, whether it’s Ganpati, Diwali, Durga Puja, Christmas, or Holi. And when we see the smiles on their faces, it feels really good. That’s the real joy for us in doing all this.”
Salil shared that from every problem, God helped him get through.
The actor, who has children Karan and Rishika, said: “It has been a blessing for us, from sickness to good health, to work, everything. In Ankola, our family deity is there, and that is originally my root. The way of worship there is very unique. They don’t say fixed words for prayer, they simply talk to God directly. I really like that. So, in our home also, it is the same.”
“We don’t call any priest or pandit. We ourselves, with happiness and devotion, make prasad and offer it to God. All of us are involved: me, my wife Ria, and my children. The four of us together do everything for every festival, every year.
From prayers to prasad, to decorating everything, the actor revealed he and his family does it.
“And now it has become a tradition in our family. Not just me and Ria, but even Rishika and Karan look forward to it with great excitement.”
The actor said that the Ganpati Bappa is one festival that is very important for him and Ria.
“Our first visit to Siddhivinayak Temple with Ria was very special. We offered our prayers there, and it was actually at that place that we accepted each other as husband and wife. So that is exactly what Ganpati Bappa means to us. As people say, Bappa is Vighna Harta, the remover of obstacles.”
Salil said: “When we met each other, at that time there were so many things in our lives that were not going right. But after that, it has only been blessings for us. God has only given us a better life, and for that we always thank Ganpati Bappa.”
“So for us, praying to Bappa is a very emotional feeling, and of course, it also marks the beginning of all festivals. That is why Ganesh Chaturthi holds such importance in our life. For us, it is very simple: we just say, ‘Thank you, God.’ Whatever He thinks is right for us, we accept it.”
–IANS
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