Goan business community performs Laxmi Poojan

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-10-29
PANAJI - Laxmi Poojan was on Tuesday held at various businesses in the state. Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth is associated with the business community, and her pooja was celebrated on Tuesday with religious fervour by the business community as a sign of thanksgiving and gratitude for all the prosperity bestowed throughout the year and to ask for an even better next year.
The Goan business community till now has not been hit by the dreaded recession that the stock markets and the rest of the world has been afflicted by. Mr Sanjay Bharne of Bharne’s Clothes store, one of the biggest clothes retailer in the state says that the pooja is performed by the priest between 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. “We invoke the blessings of the Goddess. All our accounts books are marked with an ‘Om’ sign as well as a ‘Swastik’ as a good omen. The blessings and prosperity are invoked as She is the goddess of wealth,” he says. Their business is 104 years old and he says that they have been doing this pooja since he remembers.
As far as the effect of the recession he says that there has been a slight drop in sales. “Initially it did not pick up but has picked up at the last minute. But we hope to negate the effects as there are a lot of Hindu weddings slated and then Christmas will come and after that Christian weddings are in the pipeline,” but adds, “However, we do not know what is going to happen after January or February.”
Mr V V Bhate from Varsha Book Stall, existing for at least 40 years and one of the biggest news vendors in the state, says that the pooja is performed not only in the business places but also at home. “This is a form of worship for prosperity already bestowed and to express gratitude to Goddess Laxmi for being with us for years together,” he says while talking about the pooja. “During the pooja books of accounts and a coin are also worshipped. Some use a small idol of the Goddess Laxmi.” He says that till now there has been no effect of the recession at all. Mr Paresh Sinari of VP Sinaris, the biggest and oldest music shop in the city (almost 7 decades) says, “Normally when we perform the pooja of Goddess Laxmi we keep all the accounts books, mainly ledgers, cash counter and then do the pooja.” He however feels that this year the recession has affected the business quite a bit. “One reason is that many Catholics are based abroad and a lot of their income is from abroad, so it has affected Goa. Last year was much better. Almost 30 per cent reduction in business this year,” he says. “Let us hope for the best but I am not sure how the wind is going to blow,” he ends.
Mr Dayanand Amonkar, one of the biggest vegetable whole sellers in the Panaji market and in the business for around 60 years, says that they follow the system of taking all the books of accounts as well as the cash counter for the pooja. “Laxmi, is the Goddess of wealth and we do this so that we can progress better the next year, do better business,” he says. Mr Sham Gaonkar, who has three shops in the market selling readymade garments and shoes and has been in the business for 35 years, says that they perform the pooja on the books that are specially kept for the purpose. “Earlier business used to open and close from Diwali to Diwali. Pooja is done for success in business in future,” he says.