Navratri kicks off with fervour in city

Hyderabad: The first day of Navaratri began with great enthusiasm and fervour in the city on Thursday. The people were seen dressed in traditional attire and participated in huge numbers, dancing to garba and dandiya beats.

From Begumpet to Hi-Tec City, Attapur to Miyapur, the city has come alive with the joy of Navaratri on the first day.

Rajesh C Shah, trustee of Gujarati Pragati Samaj, said, “On the first day we received a huge crowd, and in the coming eight days we are expecting more. We have been organising this festival for the past 83 years in a bid to keep the Gujarati tradition intact and to inculcate in the younger generations the importance of Navaratri. As part of the celebrations, falahari dishes and prasad were distributed among those who have been fasting.”

Rajesh Mehta, president of the Cyberabad Gujarati Association, said, "Every year we come up with different concepts, and even this year we have organised garba with traditional dress. We are maintaining the tradition of the olden days, where people used to perform garba encircling the ‘garbi', a clay lantern containing a diya inside it known as a garba deep’ or womb lamp.

One of the Navarati organisers of MMR Garden, Bownpally, said "This year we have planned to celebrate Navaratri in a grand manner, and on the first we have received a good response. We plan on providing an extraordinary experience to our participants.”