Lord Ganesha proves his adaptability once again as he goes on the Net

Come end-August and September, and Bombay starts to gear up for the immense immersion act - the Ganpati festival. Every available nook and corner in Bombay is cornered by Ganpati addicts. First, tiny hovels appear like dots and dashes, smattering the streets with vivid colours. Then comes the artisans, fighting the closer, they move at a furious pace to complete the idols. Then, the roads get even narrower as the mandaps appear in the least likely of places.

As a Bombayite, you swear and curse as you manoeuvre around the road-blocks, stuffing oodles of cotton in your ears to block off the incessant blare of music which starts at 5 am, as you try and get home before all the roads become one-way.....

But, despite all the pain, you can't help loving the creator of it all - Lord Ganesh, one of the most lovable and adaptable Hindu gods. You love him because He is ever willing to 'be cool' and change with the times.

It is this very 'adaptability' that has made him a favourite amoung artists, critics and connoisseurs alike. Catch the mischievous god in a thousand-year-old traditional garb or in the latest skimpy digital format - either way, he steals your heart!

Ankur Gupta, a multi-faceted Bombay businessman, hhas taken Lord Ganesh a step further - into cyberspace! Two years ago, he created a website and placed 250 different Ganpatis in infinity.

Both Gupta and Ganapati share more than a God-given 'G' - they while Ankur uses a different one to create the computerized digital god.

From the traditional to the unconventional and the contemporary. All of them reflet a magnetism that is difficult to resist.

If the digital inpressions of Ganpati scattered around this page press the aesthetic buttons in your system, then log into the web page at artindia.com/ganpati and be greeted by over 300 gentle giants! Wait for this bit - all or most of them will, at a click of the mouse, change from mere stills to animated Ganpatis with traditional music! This will be a real Ganpati feast, especially for religion-starved NRIs!

You don't have to stop there - Ankur's images of Ganpati can be translated into 4' x 10' canvases to adorn your wall as well. However, Ankur does not allow his digital mouse to control every technical dot - no sirree! He shows the little rodent who is boss by bringing in a human touch as symbolic forms. A rotund body can be interpreted as the Cosmos. A sanke represents the Kundalini or cosmic energy, the mouse carries divine light into the darkest corners of the world and the narrowest of human hearts...... If you fell at one with Ankur's interpretation, then at a nominal charge of Rs. 300 to 500 per square foot you can translate it onto canvas.

Whatever you do, don't miss the Ganpati Gallery on the web and the 'Ganpati Bappa Morya!' resounding through time and space!