WHAT HAS PROMPTED YOU TO CELEBRATE GANESH? ARE THERE ANY OTHER FESTIVALS THAT YOU CELEBRATE?

At the outset, let me say that to me, it is the folkloric aspect of festivals which appeals much more than the religious one. Religions are all the same, in that they all try to take us to god; they are like different airlines all traveling to the same destination.

Hindus and Catholics being the two major communities in Goa, I feel a strong affiliation to festivals of both. I feel that if every Christian were to light a lamp on Diwali, if every Muslim were to light a star for Christmas, and if every Hindu were to celebrate Id, even if only to symbolize solidarity and brotherhood with other communities, our country would be a better place.

Besides, this solidarity would greatly frustrate the communal politicians and religious fanatics who are out to destroy the peace and harmony of this country.

HOW DO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND SOCIETY REACT TO THIS? HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO FACE ANY OPPOSITION?

Not at all. My family is fully supportive, and participate in the celebrations as well. My Catholic and my Hindu friends appreciate my gesture very positively, and so do the more than 500 friends I have on Facebook, who hail from different religions and different countries. They perfectly understand my intention of bringing solidarity into the community. Of course there will always be little minds who take objection to everything that is positive in the world, but such people do not make a dent in my world.

ARE YOU A TRADITIONALIST IN THE CELEBRATION OF THIS FESTIVAL?

I do an aarti every morning after I bathe, I observe a vegetarian diet during Ganesh’s presence in my home, and I make sure that I have at least one lamp or bulb burning 24 hours of the day and night. Other than that, I’m not too much of a traditionalist. For example, I do not bring Ganesh home every year; I first brought him about 10 years ago, the second time was about 4 years ago, and this is the third time. I do it as per my feeling, as per my heart’s desire, and not out of a ritualistic routine compulsion.

According to me, spiritualism has to come from one’s heart, soul and mind. True communion with god can only come through meditation and prayer. The festivals, the lamps, the firecrackers, etc, are but the folkloric celebrations of such communion.

DOES BRINGING THE GANESH IDOL HOME FILL YOU UP WITH POSITIVE FEELINGS?

The positivity has to come from our actions, thoughts and words. The mere bringing of an idol, or the making of a crib, cannot by itself bring positive signs into our lives.

WHAT DO YOU ASK OF LORD GANESHA WHEN YOU PRAY TO HIM?

I don’t normally ask god for things. I usually thank him for all that he has given us already. Many of us think that gods are there mainly to do things for us: make us pass examinations, get jobs, recover from illnesses, etc. We expect him to work miracles. What we don’t realize is that he has already performed the miracle of giving us the wherewithal to achieve all these things: brains to study, capacity to work hard, yoga to keep us healthy. Instead of utilizing these gifts to achieve our goals, we expect god to give them to us on a platter, in exchange for mere rituals.

WOULD YOU CHOOSE AN ECO-FRIENDLY GANESH OR ONE WITH GLOSSY PAINTS?

I would choose an eco-friendly one of course. But I think too much fuss is made over thin layers of glossy paint on Ganesh idols which go into our waters once a year, while not enough attention is given to millions of liters of polluted refuse which are dumped into our rivers and lakes and seas every single day by people and industries who do not follow pollution treatment laws. To me, the holiest gift that god has given us is nature. And the greatest sin is to destroy and abuse this nature. The politician-miner-builder nexus in Goa destroys a million times more Goan nature than the paint on Ganesh statues does. Yet our media makes no effort to dig into their misdoings, but devotes plenty of print space to Ganesh paint; why?

ARE YOU TRYING TO USE YOUR CELEBRITY STATUS TO SPREAD A MESSAGE TO VARIOUS COMMUNITIES?

I do not presume to be able to influence anyone, and certainly not to change the world. I do things for myself. If someone sees my gesture as a positive move to promote harmony in society, and if he or she feels like emulating it, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s okay too. Each one has to think and decide for themselves.

IS THIS INTEREST IN OTHER RELIGIONS RECENT, OR HAVE YOU ALWAYS FELT IT, EVEN BEFORE YOU BECAME FAMOUS?

I've always loved the Bible. When I was in college, I discovered and fell in love with the Bhagwad Gita too. At the time, on a whim, I remember I shaved off my head and grew a ‘shendi’. When I did such things while I was unknown, people used to say I’d gone crazy. Now that I’m a little famous, people say I do them for publicity. That’s the reason why I don’t care too much for others’ reactions.

LASTLY, SOME PEOPLE HAVE FOUND A GOAN ARTIST'S DEPICTION OF RELIGIOUS FIGURES OFFENSIVE. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO THAT?

I cannot comment on art which I haven’t seen. But the point is not whether ‘some’ find it offensive – there are those for whom even the fact that you breathe is offensive; that does not mean you should stop breathing. The point is whether the artists’ intention was to insult and make fun of religious figures or not. If that was their intention, I would ask the gods to enlighten their souls.

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