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| A tech-savvy version of Lord Ganesha |
Who's the cutest of them all? The one that's most market-friendly and adjustable enough to fit all sizes? The idol of Lord Ganesha, without any doubt!
On the very day of Ganesh Chaturthi, I was in office. One of my colleagues, looking at a story running on a news channel on the different types of Ganesha idols, commented: "Jitna mazaak Ganesh ke saath hota hai, utna kisi aur bhagwaan ke saath nahi hota (The extent to which people make fun of Lord Ganesh, no other mythological character is played with."
To this another colleague replied, "His unique shape makes up for it." Small and large idols of the elephant-faced Hindu deity are used as gifts in popular culture. I remember a young colleague at my previous office, gifting me a small crystal idol of Ganesha, on my day of leaving. It was too sweet of her! Though I am not at all into religion, I like Lord Ganesha.
What caught my attention was the fact that he despite the popularity he shares in India and overseas -- there is no political party in his name! And that was my answer to my colleagues' query. As to why marketers play around safely with this icon. We don't find Hanuman or Ram or for that matter Krishna in as varied varieties as Ganesha. My colleagues said, the face is such that it can be drawn on just about anything -- clay, paper, crytal, wood, et al. I definitely second that, after I saw this face on a vegetable. (Check out the picture below to believe me!)
What caught my attention was the fact that he despite the popularity he shares in India and overseas -- there is no political party in his name! And that was my answer to my colleagues' query. As to why marketers play around safely with this icon. We don't find Hanuman or Ram or for that matter Krishna in as varied varieties as Ganesha. My colleagues said, the face is such that it can be drawn on just about anything -- clay, paper, crytal, wood, et al. I definitely second that, after I saw this face on a vegetable. (Check out the picture below to believe me!)
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| A vegetable resembling Ganesha's face |
Another major reason why sellers across the country cash in on this deity is because of his association with the business communities in India. Ganesha is associated with good luck, wisdom and is widely worshipped across India as the remover of obstacles.
Moreover, there are no possibilities of objections being raised from any political parties if you wear his image on your T-shirt or use it as a corporate gift or get it printed on wedding cards. He is a 100% safe bet to play on for commercial purposes.
Ganesha looks distinct from his fellow deities, denotes all the good things and is free from controversies. He definitely is the 'coolest' and I can almost bet that he holds the Lion's share in the gifting and matrimony market among all Hindu mythological figures!
Ganesha looks distinct from his fellow deities, denotes all the good things and is free from controversies. He definitely is the 'coolest' and I can almost bet that he holds the Lion's share in the gifting and matrimony market among all Hindu mythological figures!
