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#30: Navratri's On...!

“Chapti bhari chokha ne ghee no chhe divdo, Srifal ni jod lai ne… Halo, halo Pavagadh jaie re…” What more you expect under casual category in the season of world’s largest Dance Festival. And not just a season of dance but a rooted religious reason for dance. Navratri…!

A cultural festival that lasts for nine nights recites the significant nine forms of goddess as Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Maha Gauri and Siddhidatri. All are to be called one as Durga which is synonymous with Shakti or the Divine Power that manifests, maintains and makes over the universe as the unifying force of existence. Shakti also states the Absolute’s appearing as many (like nine above and many untold). God creates this Universe through Srishti-Shakti (creative power), preserves through Sthiti-Shakti (preservative power), and destroys through Samhara-Shakti (destructive power).

Celebrated in different ways throughout India, Navratri comes majorly two times and a total of four times a year of which Chaitra Navratri and Sharad Navratri are major ones. The Chaitra Navratri culminates in Ram Navami and the Sharad Navratri culminates in Durga Puja and Dussehra. The last four days of Sharad Navratri take on a particularly dramatic form in the state of West Bengal where they are celebrated as Durga Puja. This is the biggest festival of the year in this state. In Kerala, three days: Ashtami, Navami, and Vijaya Dashami of Sharad Navaratri are celebrated as Sarasvati Puja in which books are worshipped. Navratri is celebrated in Punjab by fasting for seven days. On the eighth day or Ashtami, the fast is broken by worshipping young girls who are believed to symbolize the Goddess herself.

 But/and in the state of Gujarat, it is enough celebrated over nine days/nights to cover a special dedicated blog…! Still we’ll try to justify it within a paragraph. The most famous (And truly world famous now) Navaratri celebrations are held here. Traditional dances in the form of Dandiya and Garba take place almost everywhere. The dancers move around in a circle, with different steps around the handmade Gabbar (The Mountain which is said Maa Amba’s home, and not Sholay’s gabbar…!) and above it a small temple of Maa Amba. After Aarti, Garba and Dandiya raas is performed throughout till midnight. The small sheri Garba has turned to commercial Party plots and Club Garbas, still the roots of worship for Maa Amba hasn’t decayed (And will never be). The most aged member of the family also get the spirit of youngest child in home is nothing else but the pure Magic of Navratri. Words are really falling too short to describe what Navratri means. It’s not that I’m helping Mr. Bachchan in their promoting ads for Gujarat Tourism but that is what the truth is. You can’t understand Navratri without being in Gujarat. To bhai, Kuchh din to guzaaro Gujarat mein…! Love – DJ.
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