Maleeva Rebello accompanied two teenaged priests as they performed the sacred rituals for Lord Ganesha at residences across the city 8 am The Students' Academy in Kalachowki was bustling with activity, as five boys and 30 girls, all aged between 13 and 15, assembled at the premises, clad in crisp white kurtas and saffron shawls. Their eyes were frequently drawn to papers they clutched, as they recapitulated the shlokas they would recite at Ganpati pujas in residences across the city. Their nervous energy was palpable, as they geared up to put their two-month long stint as trainee priests to the test.u00a0u00a0 <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/sep/family.jpg" border="5" /> God-gifted: Ignoring the butterflies in their stomach, 14-yr-olds Tanvi Surve and Anita Kadam perform rituals at a Chinchpokli home. Their teacher Suhas Surve said, "I have trained about 120 children, many of whom have returned to their villages in the Konkan belt to perform pujas. In the city, the kids will be performing the sacred rituals at residences across the city." Student Tushar Mane (15), said, "Now we understand the meaning of the shlokas recited by the pandits. I will continue with this in future." Harshada Yadav (15), said, "There aren't many female priests, but we have outnumbered the boys here." Surve said, "I hope that society accepts women as priest. They are full of faith, and perform the rituals with great piety." 8:50 am Obeisance was paid to the in-house Ganpati idol by 14-year-olds Tanvi Surve and Anita Kadam, both Std IX students of Mohallabai Chunnilal Mehta School, Kalachowki. The children were organised in pairs to visit the 16 residences. Surve said, "After the report was published in MiD DAY about my students, many readers appointed them for puja at their homes. The clients will not give dakshina to the children, but books which they can learn from." After the puja is completed, Tanvi said, "I spent a sleepless night worrying about the shlokas, but I did well." Anita added, "I feel more confident now. I could recite the shlokas from memory." 9:15 am Tanvi and Anita set out for the second puja of the day, at devotee Vinay Raut's Abhyudaya Nagar home. At the residence, the duo instructs Raut about the placement of the sacred objects near the idol. "It's so much better than playing a CD," he said. 9:45 am The puja commenced. Halfway through it, the jittery Tanvi's memory fails her, and she is seen peering into the sheets held by Anita. Raut said, "They need a little practice and they will get a hang of it. For first-timers, they did a great job." 11 am Tanvi and Anita arrive at Subhash Palav's residence at Chinchpokli. Palav's 16-year-old son performs the puja along with the young priests. Achyut Palav, Subash's brother, said, "We decided to have the children perform the puja. We want to pass on the legacy to the next generation." 12:15 pm The girls perform another puja at Satish Ganpat Upare's house. Upare's brother Sushant said, "These children are innocent and pure, and God loves a clean heart. " 1:30 pm Having performed their duties at all the residences in their itinerary, the weary girls make their way back home. Anita said, "I feel like I have achieved something." Tanvi added, "This was an experience of a lifetime. I am proud to have performed these pujas. I felt a personal connection to Ganpati at the pujas today. I hope to continue doing this every year."

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Maleeva Rebello accompanied two teenaged priests as they performed the sacred rituals for Lord Ganesha at residences across the city

Children of a greater god

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