Chance & Luck

I know very little of Hinduism. Any encounters I have had have overwhelmed me with an avalanche of minutae and detail - so much that it can't be absorbed or understood or appreciated, or I'm too lazy to try. 30 years ago, I attended a series of lectures organised by the Workers' Education Association about Carl Jung. The lecturer was obsessed by the parallels between Jung's speculations and some of the ideas embodied by Hindu deities; somehow, I clung on to enough to recognise this as Ganesh (or Ganesha), son of Shiva who, in turn, is one of the triumvirate of deities (along with Vishnu and Brahma) held in highest esteem in most Hindu traditions

I think Ganesh is seen as a bit of a problem child, mischievous, impulsive and somewhat uncontrollable. I spotted the broken tusk, and thought "oh dear, damaged in transit", but then a stirring of memory that the broken tusk is one of his attributes, so I looked it up. In some traditions, it was broken in a fight with another god, who made a house-call on his parents when Ganesh suspected they were in bed engaged in conjugal bliss. I don't remember anything like this in Sunday school

This is in fact, a bit of a stripped-down, minimalist Ganesh. He normally has at least four hands; his head is usually inclined left and he is tasting a sweet in one of his hands with his trunk; his headgear can be much more elaborate; the rodent he is holding in his hand is usually depicted as his mode of transport; he might carry an axe or a number of other things. A snake around his waist or neck is almost always present, though it's symbolic meaning is unclear to me

A slightly unusual find on a two-wheeled amble around a quiet corner of the Cotswolds, but this is a business that has long-standing strong links with Nepal, and imports unusual items for sale, with profits going back to Nepal on humanitarian and development activities. It's not a registered charity, it's a one-man private enterprise, resting on the integrity and judgement of that man. And, critically, it has a cafe, selling high-quality cakes to stash in my pannier

Ganesh's role in the human drama is to both create and remove obstacles to success, and to provide good luck. For that reason, his blessing is sought at the outset of new projects and ventures. Having met him, he took an interest in my day. The off-road route I was planning was blocked by a substantial amount of water. I turned to plan B - a track on the map that I have never used before (plan C would be a longer ride into town and out again). The track turned out to be both passable and interesting. Half way along it, after a wrong turning, I found I had stumbled accross an unofficial back way into the isolated site of the North Cotswold brewery, with an open brewery shop! Thank you lord Ganesh

The rather hilly route home was a little laboured with my now-weighty pannier - not really what you would call enlightenment. When I unloaded in the kitchen, Mrs M pointed out that I had merely returned from my pilgrimage with cakes and ale