Marketing Director NOTE Oct.2016

Festivals, culture, tradition form the mainstay of Indian society. Navratri is one such festival which has a lot of tradition and significance attached to it. Navratri is a festival which reveres the power of good over evil and symbolically worships the various forms of the Indian goddess of power, Durga. Each of the nine nights during the festival is dedicated to a specific form of goddess Durga. The first three days of Navratri The first three days of the nine-day festival reveres Goddess Durga. This is a time when power and energy is worshipped. On the first day of the festival, Durga is worshipped in the form of the Shakti. Goddess Parvati is worshipped on the second day to signify triumph of good over evil. The third day of Navratri is for Goddess Kali, who represents a mature woman. The fourth to sixth day of Navratri The fourth and fifth days are dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. It is believed that after winning over evil, there is a lot of anger in a person. So it is said that during this time Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped to get wealth and prosperity as well as peace. However after attaining all this, man is believed to become ignorant. So the sixth day is for Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of learning. All literature books, instruments and related equipment are collected and kept in one place in front of an idol of Goddess Saraswati and worshipped. Students also pray for a good education and success. The seventh and eighth day of Navratri These two days are again dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and there is a sacrifice of clarified butter or ghee made for Goddess Durga. A kheeror pudding of sesame seeds is made on these days. The last day of Navratri On this day, which is also called Mahanavami, a kanyaa puja is performed wherein a small girl is worshipped, and given gifts. Navratri is a festival of nine glorious days of Goddess Shakti, but it also comes with the promise of fun dandiya nights and lots of shopping. India is a kaleidoscope of festive occasions and religious beliefs, but this is also juxtaposed with a modern outlook. This mix of old and new is what makes the festivals here come alive.