As political uncertainty and price-hikes sweep India, this week I’d like to focus on what’s really important; Ganesh Chaturthi. I was going to write about something else (Chhota Bheem: Ten signs your child is addicted and may be snorting DVDs of it while you’re not looking) but then I realised that if I am to stay pop-culturally relevant, I must talk about Ganesh Chaturthi. It’s easy to tell when Ganesh Chaturthi arrives. Giant mandaps come up in your neighbourhood overnight, staff mysteriously calls in sick (‘Sir I have fever. For ten days.’) and most importantly, every single show on TV shoehorns in a plotline about Ganesha solving the entire family’s problems.

Festival blues: Ganesha is the the remover of obstacles. The only obstacle his followers remove is the post-10 pm loudspeaker ban. Representation pic