Navaratri brings the cosmopolitan culture of Bangalore to the fore as the city's different communities celebrate the festival in their own unique traditions.
The festival brings with it the opportunity for people, particularly women and children, to bring out the traditional pattada bombes (dolls) from their storage, decorate them and visit each others' homes to admire the dolls' arrangement.
Thematic arrangements are an attraction, although with the break-up of joint families, the number of homes taking the trouble for elaborate doll display is on a decline.
Offering prasada and arshina- kumkuma to the guests is another part of the nine-day celebrations.
One meal a day
If doll arrangement or the bombe habba is the traditional South Karnataka way of celebrating Dasara, the nine days are time for festivities intermingled with devotion for North Indians in the city. For many families, the commencement of the festival, a run-up to the Vijayadashami, entails having just one meal a day, known as ekashana, and performing special pujas to female deities every day.
Non-violent end
Jains worship a goddess figure and follow the fasting ritual by not consuming grains and sticking to fruits and vegetables as these foods are said to “rejuvenate the shakti.”
“On the first day, we plant jo plants which are plucked on the last day and given to the male family members for their growth and prosperity,” says Iti Jain, explaining another unique ritual of the Jain way of celebrations.
On the ninth day of Navaratri, Ravan is made out of flour and rice is sprinkled on each head to end him in a non-violent way.
On the other hand, some communities, predominantly Sindhis, invite eight girls and a boy on the eighth day. “These children's feet are washed and they are fed simple food,” says Varsha. J. Ranani.
Community revelry
Even though celebrations are watered down in most nuclear families, community celebrations are going strong. The annual fair held at Palace Grounds during Navaratri has become an ideal substitute by facilitating mass celebrations involving different communities.
The celebrations here begin in the evening and go on well past midnight.
The event starts with the traditional Gujarati garba followed by a puja. After prayers, it is up to the revellers to call it a day as they dance into the early hours of the morning, playing the dandiya.
Keeping it religious
Despite the huge turnout that the event sees every year, the organisers, in a bid to maintain it as a religious affair, clamp down on any violations, especially consumption of alcohol. Dancers are barred from wearing footwear while those in traditional costumes get a discount or even free entry into the venue.
“It is an expensive affair. But it is a great time to enjoy,” says Jaina V. Shah.
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