Navratri celebrations subdued this year
Covid- 19 dampens spirits though hope springs eternal in the community
Navratri, an Indian festival celebrated with pomp and fervour every year in the UAE, was subdued this time around because of the pandemic.
Sunill Grover – director, Signature Events and his wife Sumita, who organise a weekend of garba ( a dance popular during Navratri) at Zabeel and Mamzar parks every year, are a disappointed lot. “We usually have 12,000 to 15,000 people participating. This year we miss that energy,” Sumita said.
Veteran Indian businessman Vasu Shroff, who is associated with the Hindu temple in Bur Dubai, said: “It feels like theworld is angry. Hopefully all this will change.”
Four kinds of celebrations
Traditionally, there are four Navratri celebrations in India. In the eastern and northeastern parts, Durga pooja is synonymous with Navaratri. Durga is a Hindu deity who battled a demon for nine days and came out victorious.
In the northern and western parts, Navratri is known for Ram Leela, which celebrates the deity Rama’s victory over the demon Ravana.
In southern India, a popular tradition in Tamil Nadu is setting up Golu — an arrangement comprising dolls of deities, animals, birds and rural life. “Friends and families invite each other to view the displays, and exchange gifts and sweets,” said Lakshmi Narayan.
“For us South Indians, celebrating Navratri is all about appeasing the nine Hindu goddesses. And one of the ways we do it is by calling women and girls to the house and showing them our dolls and giving them a little gift.”
In Andhra Pradesh, the tradition is called Bommala Koluvu, and in Karnataka it is celebrated as Gombe Habba, or Gombe Totti.