The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : A Ganesha devotee to the core

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

A Ganesha devotee to the core

Staff Reporter

BEYOND DEVOTION: P. Sekar who has collected more than ten thousand forms of Lord Ganesha. Photo: G.Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: The moment one enters P. Sekhar's house in West Marredpally, thousands of Ganesha's in various forms and sizes greet the uninitiated.

Ganesha's in clay, ivory, alloys, plastic, rocks, posters, photos and even audio cassettes from far-off lands, including USA, Afghanistan, Singapore, Mongolia, Egypt and Bali astonish anyone.

P. Sekhar has dedicated his life to the service of Lord Ganesha, albeit in a very unique way. The SBI employee has been collecting Ganesha idols for the last 33 years and his proud collection has swelled to a whopping 10,527 forms in various shapes and sizes.

Mysteries and legends

In the process of collecting, Mr. Sekhar has also unravelled several mysteries and legends associated with Lord Ganesha. "If you keep a Pancha Mukhi Ganesha with his trunk turned towards right side in your house, then all the obstacles in anybody's life will go away instantly. I knew this by practice and there are scores of success stories associated with this belief," says Mr. Sekhar.

His staggering collection of Ganesha's includes 3,556 idols, 1092 posters, 5,775 photos and 103 audio cassettes. In fact, all the 32 forms of Ganesha statues described in the Vedas, right from Bala Ganapathi to Sankathara Ganapati idols and photos, are a part of his collection.

"In 1973, I visited Shirdi Saibaba temple where I purchased a small clay Ganesha. From then on, I started purchasing and preparing Ganesha idols in large numbers. At present, I have Ganesha idols in all forms made up of all materials," he said.

Mr. Sekhar's attachment to Ganesha idols has sparked similar kind of response from his family members. "My daughter these days prepares idols of Ganesha from rocks. In fact, my wife and daughter have on their own added so many Ganesha idols to my collections," he said.

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