Gujjus, Marwaris to jazz up Navaratri celebrations in Hyd

Hyderabad: The Gujarati and Marwari communities are all set to celebrate Navaratri this year with pomp and grandeur. Navaratri and Garba organisers are gearing up with various plans to attract the people during all these nine days. Private events and group bookings at commercial venues are receiving a good response.

Few Navarati organizers have planned whatever funds will be generated from the nine days event and a portion of funds will be donated to various NGOs for a good cause. Both the Marwari and Gujarati communities celebrate the festival in a similar fashion, except for a few specific traditions of their own.

Saloni Jain, the organizer of Navkar Navaratri Utsav, said, "last two years we had Navarati celebration but not in a grand manner, as this year it is going be huge and better, as the crowd is very excited to be the part of the event. For the past five years, we are organizing Navarati in a traditional manner and this year we have planned to give an extraordinary experience to our participants and nine days event will be conducted in an air-conditioned hall at Classic Gardens, Secunderabad, as there is huge chances of heavy rains and also there will be a complimentary dinner for all the participants.

Rounding it all up with Maha-Aarti is been planned on Ashtami Day (the eighth day of the festival). Also various celebrities and vocalists from Mumbai and Gujarat will be part of the event. This year we have planned that whatever fund is been collected will be donated to an NGO Satellite Foundation that support slum girls."

"Last two years we could not celebrate the Navarati whole heartily as there were many restrictions due to Covid pandemic. This year I am very much excited to be part of nine days of celebrations, as being a Gujarati I cannot miss the celebrations," said Aditi Shroff from Gujarati Community

Prakash Jadeja, who has been organising these festivities for the past several years in the city, said, "last two years our celebration was very low affair. As Garba is a popular folk dance of Gujarat and it is performed with passion and fervour during these nine days. This year we have been receiving a huge response, most of the passes are booked."

"We have been taking part in the nine-day celebrations organized at the community hall in our colony every year. As per the Marwari tradition we keep wheat in a new pot in a corner and add water daily. Then we use the wheat leaves for puja," said Shindu Jain, a resident of the Sindhi colony.