more-in It is that time of the year when Bengaluru showcases its culturally rich and diverse character. Navaratri/Dasara sees communities, including Kannadigas, Tamilians, Telugus, Gujaratis, Bengalis, and Sindhis celebrating the festival in their own special way. Chethana Shivakumar’s house at R.T. Nagar is abuzz with activity during Navaratri. Neighbours throng her house to see her dolls set up and to eat mouthwatering snacks. “It has been a traditional practice in our household. Though the display is limited in my house owing to space constraint, my mother-in-law fills half of the living room with dolls. We have themes such Gokula, with Krishna in various avatars, Navadurga, and others,” she said. Other Kannadiga households also bring out their creativity during the festival. The vibrant Bengali community, with a presence of over four lakh in the city, is all geared up to welcome Goddess Durga this year. Numerous associations have organised their own community events. The festival starts on September 25 (Panchami), followed by various events on Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami, and Nabami. On September 30 (Dashami), the idols of Goddess Durga are immersed. BinB (Bengali in Bangalore), a non-profit socio-cultural organisation, has decided to recreate scenes from rural Bengal this time. Celebrations will be held from September 26 to 30 near Udupi Garden in BTM Layout. “Devotees can witness Durga in Pancha Durga avatar. The central theme of the festival is to recreate some of the elements of the puja in the villages of Bengal. The idol will be kept in a Dalan Bari set up. Greenery, ponds, cattle, mud-thatched home, and kash phool will dominate the Gram Bangla scene,” said Poulomi Choudhury, member of the organisation. The oldest Bengali association in the city, Bengalee Association Bangalore, is organising its 68th Durga Puja at the Manpho Convention Centre, Manyata Tech Park, from September 26 to 30. The idol of the goddess has been created by Tarun Pal, whose family of artisans have been making the idol for 30 years. “According to a belief, Durga arrived in a boat for Navaratri. Keeping this in mind, a huge boat will be created on the main stage on which the idol will be kept. The idol is 4-ft tall and 45-ft wide,” said Dilip Maitra, vice-president of the association. Cultural events and a huge array of gastronomical delights are a prominent feature of Durga Puja celebrations here. Folk singer Tirtho Bhattacharya from Kolkata and Bengali brand ‘Fakiri’ will be performing this year at various Durga Puja venues. Gujarat’s Dandiya Raas and Garba are quite popular in the city too. Though big hotels have a great line up of Dandiya events, one can experience the real Gujarati culture by visiting community celebrations organised by Gujarati samajs. The 100-year-old Shri Gujarati Vaishnav Samaj has been organising Garba programmes for the last 89 years. “We will have the event from September 21 to 30 at Palace Grounds. Apart from aarti for the goddess, competition will be held for children every day,” said Rohit Patil, chairman of the samaj, and added that there over 80,000 Gujaratis in the city. The Sindhi community in the city, with a strength of around 3,500 people, observes Navaratri as Ekaana, where Goddess Shakti is worshipped. The celebrations are held for eight days. The community members observe austerity measures such as eating just once a day, they do not cut nails or hair, and not consume alcohol or non-vegetarian food. “We have celebrations every year at the Sindhi School in Kumara Park, where aarti and bhajans are organised. On the last day, that is Ashtami, we invite young girls who are yet to attain puberty and offer them satvik food,” said Amarlal Wadhwa, volunteer with over 40-year-old Sindhi Seva Samiti.

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