Shree Ganesh...an auspicious beginning
"The Sacred India Series"
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Ganesha is unquestionably the most beloved of all Hindu gods in iconography, appearing everywhere about this land ~ from the ubiquitous earthen icons over doorways in Rajasthan and Gujarat through to the extensive vanity collections of rich city folks. All of this has a lot to do with how Ganesha's father -Shiva- gifted him the boon that he be invoked before all other gods in all Hindu worship, leading him on to eventually be seen by most as some sort of divine lucky charm.

Not surprisingly, it's made Ganesha a prime candidate for production-iconography, of which a recent offering is this very nice CD-ROM from Munsai Multimedia, Pune.

Munsai was set up in 1992 to address interactive multimedia solutions and interactive training-modules for commercial and corporate organizations. By 1996, the company began to also produce commercial multimedia titles for the Indian and the International market, and moved on in 1998 to customized software development for large organizations. Currently, Munsai is looking to set up infrastructure for production of computer-graphics, animations, multimedia editing/recording, TV production units, and mass-replication of CDs.

Contents include:

• Stories about Ganesha, his birth, his vehicle and many more
• Journeys through the eight most important pilgrim centres of Ganesha in Maharashtra -the Ashtavinayak
  
• Overviews of important festivities, including the unique Pune Festival and the Ganesh Janma Festival
  
• Virtual pilgrimages to the most important temples of Ganesha all over India
  
• Rites and rituals including the different Mantras, Shlokas, Poojas, Aartis, Japs and Stotras of Ganesha (with translation).

What reviewers have had to say:

Chip Magazine: These and many more myths you will rediscover in Munsai Multimedia's "Ganesha...an auspidous beginning". Sure, as a resonant Aum, chirping sparrows and ringing bells unveil a touched-up photograph of a temple, leading you to the altar of the elephant-headed God, while eight categories load themselves on the opening menu. Rating: Very Good

Computers@Home: A visually appealing and well-researched title on Lord Ganesha.... The CD has interesting pictures of Ganesha being worshipped in various parts of the country, and far removed from the legends and myths, these pictures give you a feel of the present, the immediate ~ Ganesha, as he is venerated in modern India...... Rating: Performance: 8 points out of 10; Value for money: 9 points out of 10

Maharashtra Herald: The CD-ROM which covers all information about Ganesh right from the birth to the very popular Ganesh festival. A glossary of Sanskrit and Marathi words, a picture gallery, a user friendly graphical interface, interactive design, original digital music and colourful high resolution graphics make the product all the more attractive

Below are a few screen grabs from the CD

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