Visakhapatnam: The City of Destiny exudes a different ‘Navratri’ vibe as it is a home for not just Telugu people but also for those who have settled from various parts of the country.

There are settlers from Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, among other states. As Visakhapatnam is considered a melting pot of cultures, ‘Dasara’ is a celebration of emotionally-charged time for communities commemorating the triumph of good over evil. Wielding a trident, slaying a demon with her foot and sticking her red-coloured tongue out, idols of Goddess Durga dot the pandals across the city. The music that echoes from these pandals add to the festive mood as devotees make their way to offer prayers to Goddess Durga, known to protect those who seek Her blessings.

Known as ‘bommala koluvu’ in Telugu, ‘golu’ or ‘bommai golu’ in Tamil or ‘gombe habba’ in Kannada, the thematic arrangement of idols is synonymous with Dasara. For all the nine days, assorted ‘prasadam’ would be offered during Navratri.

With a mix of new and old idols, ‘bommmala koluvu’ at various houses depict various mythological themes along with contemporary ones. “So much of groundwork goes behind the arrangement. The house exudes a festive charm when people visit homes and view the display,” says P. Hema Latha, a resident of Vepagunta. Kolu-hopping is one of the sought-after exercises that many look forward to during Navratri, especially children. “It used to be fun visiting houses, viewing the dolls arranged and park themes that include several elements like temple setup, zoo, park with home-grown greenery, school campus, etc,” recalls Sandhya Iyer, a Tamilian, who’s settled in Chicago. Although celebrations have been simplified over the years, she says that it feels like going down the memory lane, continuing with cultural tradition for the younger generation and revisiting childhood all over again.

In Visakhapatnam, some of the city hotels exude festive charm. Apart from the arrangement of ‘bommala koluvu’, cultural programmes have been organised.

Golden sari

As part of ‘Navratri utsavam’, Goddess at Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Temple at Kurupam Market was decked up as Goddess Mahalakshmi with gold sari along with silver and Rs.4 crore of currency notes on Tuesday. Special puja rituals marked the celebrations. Gold ornaments bars and silver bars were incorporated for the decoration at the shrine. From 1 rupee note to Rs 500 note, several denominations were utilised for the arrangement. About 250 women performed ‘koti kumkumarchana’ on the occasion. The temple officials have been celebrating ‘Sharan Navaratri’ for the past 23 years in Visakhapatnam.

Kalibari

This year, Waltair Kalibari, East Coast Railway Durgapuja committee is celebrating 65th year Durga puja. The celebration that commenced from September 27 will continue till October 2. Orchestra of Bengal to perform cultural programmes, while Santanu from Bomba Nite to entertain the audience on October 1. According to general secretary of the Kalibari Joydeb Chakraborty, several devotees take part in the celebrations.

In the meantime, Utsav, another Bengali association, is celebrating Durga puja at AMCOSA function hall. Here too, the celebration continues till October 2. Programmes such as painting, dancing and singing form a part of the festivities, according to president of the association David Poddar and secretary of Pradeep Ghosh.