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If there has been one visual icon that has timelessly been an integral part of our lives it’s Ganesha.Most popular image on a wedding card or a Diwali greeting, today or several decades earlier would easily be that of the elephant headed Lord Ganesha. Though the image still remains as popular as ever what has constantly changed is its design. Today one gets to see so many new and imaginative iterations of the familiar form. Shapes and designs recognizably Ganesha bless not just traditional lagan patrikas but also car dashboards, show cases, entrances of homes and even art galleries.
What makes this God so cherished? What about him allows us to easily do away the hierarchy that exists between us, the lowly mortals, and the immortal divinity. Something makes Ganesha a lot more accessible than other Gods and Goddesses. Definitely there’s something about Ganesha. No wonder we take liberty to play with his form and welcome him to step out of the Puja room, into the drawing room of our lives.
The answer to this fondly respectful relationship with this semi human elephant God lies in its form, or rather formlessness. The figure of Ganesha defies rigidity. It is an amoeboid structure that can take any shape or form. The malleability of Ganesha lends itself to further designing. The loose shape is like an open canvass always inviting creative participation. That’s why a curvaceous leaf with two innocent eyes drawn on it can very easily resemble the roundedness of Ganesha.
Besides Ganesha being able to lend itself to various shapes and alterations what’s also interesting about him is his ability to remain contemporary timelessly. Ganesha motif is a classic; never out of fashion. Here again the credit goes to the not so sharply defined form. The basic form is not bound by time specific meanings: instead it is open to contextual interpretation. His wholesome curvaceous body without edges provide a sense of prosperity and happiness; an idea that’s entirely motivational.
Another reason why Ganesha as a figure is open to interpretation and further designing is that his basic form is extremely natural and simple. He has a form that’s not worked upon or intricately designed by man. So simple, that often unusually formed fruits and vegetables invite divine associations because of their striking resemblance either with rotund belly or the tubular tusk of Ganesha . The Swastika , a squarish motif embedded with associations of auspiciousness and equally entrenched in our religious culture as Ganesha, because of its rigidity of form does not lend itself to as much designing and modification in round and undefined motifs like Ganesha do. That’s why Om or a curvy leaf, which resemble Ganesha’s body are commonly employed motifs by artists.
The round, ample and undefined shape of Ganesha also suggest his accommodative and unassuming nature. Smiling friendly face and hands full of ladoos make Ganesha seem a happy God who does not wish to impose any strict moral values.
Now how do we relate this with Google. Google’s logo allows the same flexibility as Ganesha’s logo does. Google which is almost considered an essential part of surfer’s life allows its logo to adapt to different cultures and different occasions thus bringing life to the symbol. So be it a Diwali or Halloween it adapts its logo to the occasion and celebrates along with its users. This helps Google in spite of being an American multinational share a flavour of every country where its users are. Another initiative undertaken by Google where it allows children to design their own Google Logo by participating in ‘Doodle 4 Google’ contest and showcase it to world. So this Children’s Day young children came up with their own logo which were as good as any professional agency could have come up with. A brand is considered successful when it enables its users to interact with it. A rigid form because of its beauty or intricacy can invite a gaze of admiration but never participation.. A brand can become immortal only if it reinvents itself and attempts to bond with its users. Both Ganesha and Google are classic examples of how brands and their logos can remain timelessly relevant.
A piece written by one of my close friends, Sandip Chand Sharma.
