Nine Nights Navratri

Transcription

1 Nine Nights Navratri

2

3 Nine Nights Navratri Simran Ahuja

4 Notion Press 5 Muthu Kalathy Street, Triplicane, Chennai First Published by Notion Press 2013 Copyright Simran Ahuja 2013 All Right Reserved. ISBN: 9t This book has been published in good faith that the work of the author is original. All efforts have been taken to make the material error-free. However, the author and the publisher disclaim the responsibility. No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

5 I am fortunate for receiving the bountiful grace showered on me by the Almighty, who has created this beautiful Dance of the Universe, from where I get inspired and feel deeply connected. His abundant love is a Treasure beyond Measure. With folded hands, I welcome you all to this Wondrous Festival of Goddesses. The Nine Nights Navratri. Raas and Garba Love and Light Simran Ahuja (Deenz).

6

7 I found Garba so fascinating so charming and tempting so captivating That I immediately fell in love True Love. With every ounce of my love and compassion, passion and soul, I bring forward the world s first book on the phenomenal festival of India.

8

9 To my parents, who ve been the epitome of love. My hubby, who s been my philosopher and guide, My siblings, for encouraging me in all my endeavours. and Baby Angel, the apple of my eye. There are innumerable people, who are special to me, and my humble thanks to all of them.

10

11 Preface World over, India is admired as an icon of religious pluralism, the capacity to be not only multi-dimensional but also multi-denominational. A unique feature of Indian Culture is its self-rejuvenating capacity, which is admired for its beauty and depth. Benevolent, smiling Goddesses regularly hop across religious lines to help those in need. In Nine Nights Navratri, we bring out the significance of this celebration. Why is it a night celebration, and not a day? What is Raas? What is the actual meaning of Navratri? In 2012, an American friend of mine witnessed this celebration in New Jersey. She was completely mesmerised by all the unique and bright aspects of Raas. She asked some of her Hindu friends what it meant, and they were unable to answer. What a colossal ignorance! Here, a westerner wants to know about this celebration of Goddesses, and we are not fully aware of it. When she learnt of the significance, we felt, the world must know about this, and that it could be a celebration for one and all, irrespective of caste, religion or nationality. Friends, when I started dancing, I had pots of questions in my mind. Asking everyone around, only made me yearning for more. It s simply taken as a ritual and carried on. But today s generation is practical and raises all sorts of logical questions. This induced me to write a book on this grand celebration. When we have books on ballet, Western and classical dances, which take very long time to learn, and need some amount of flexibility, age factor and vital statistics, then why not on the most popular dance festival of India, with spiritual significance? The criterion for participation here is your willingness to have a ball of a time with friends and folks.

12 xii Preface Age: No bar Weight: No bar Fitness: No bar All you need is Love. It s very easy to learn, and you progress gradually, enjoying the journey. Everyone lives a life, but this book will urge you to love your life. You are invited into this voyage of the mystical world of Nine Nights Navratri! Being Happy is the mantra of this book.

13 Contents My Journey xv I. What Attracted Me! xv II. Beginning of My Most Beautiful Journey xvi III. Winning of My First Title, Queen of Sankalp xvii IV. Winner Titles xviii 1. Spiritual Significance of Navratri 1 2. Nine Forms of Goddess Durga 5 3. From Darkness to Light 9 4. Celebration Time Celebrations in India and Overseas Music Universal Language of Love Dance Universal Expression of Emotions and Happiness Start Participating Dancing and Progressing Raas/Dandiya Garba Celebrate by Clapping Taking Circles Props Used 51

14 xiv Contents 15. Girl/Woman Attire Ghagra Choli 53 3D Boy/Man Attire Kedia Different Styles Accessories Jewellery and Ornaments Make-up Natural Make-up Magnificent Beautilicious You Finding the Right Partner Competition Special Energizing Foods Breath of Life Sweet Stretches Fasting Fasting Foods Revitalization and Rejuvenation Garba at Weddings Places to Shop Radha and Krishna Love Personified Strength of a Woman 127 Glossary 131 Disclaimer 133

15 My Journey Deep Within Every Human, Lies A Divine Goddess: Gracious And Compassionate I. What Attracted Me! 2 decades ago Month of October Examination time: 8:20 am Jai Hind College, Bombay, India. Three girls and two boys (looking exhausted) entered the examination hall, 20 minutes late. They requested the examiner to allow them to sit for the examination. They were late because they were playing Raas all night long. They left the hall after signing the answer sheet. With a pen in my hand, and my mind thinking about economics, suddenly, I was compelled to think about my classmates. What work in the world did they have? And what s the big deal if they were dancing till morning, with family and friends, night after night, for non-stop nine nights? This question remained in my mind and this is all I knew about this festival. Can anyone be so crazy? I was inquisitive to know. 2 months later... December time... College festivals on... We had Dandiya night organised by the Gujarati Social Circle. I borrowed an outfit from my friend and we entered the function. Bright colours, huge flaired skirts (ghagras) twirling around from the waist, awesome tops (cholis), and some different village outfit for guys called kedia, along with broad smiles, laughter, music, dance, circles, clapping and some with two sticks (dandiyas) in hands. This was all I saw.

16 xvi My Journey My friends dragged me into the circle and quickly taught me a step of Dandiya. I learnt it instantly and played throughout, not knowing if I would ever get a chance to play again. Two hours of dance made me exhausted, crazy, happy, sweaty, glowing and gasping for breath. My abs became flat. I was feeling light and bright that night. I was in love. Just then, there was an announcement that the last 20 minutes of the event will hold a competition. My friend s friend requested me to dance with him. He told me, no matter what, just keep smiling and dancing. Those were the most tiring moments of my life, where I was completely exhausted and still had to smile and move. I was energetically relaxed. An oxymoron? Yes! It was this mixture of feelings. My surprise peaked when I won the best couple award. I didn t even know my partner s name. But his support and encouragement helped me to be a winner. First of all, I was there to simply have fun. I learnt the steps then and there. Expressions came naturally to me, since I was enjoying myself thoroughly. Simple steps happy dancing. My laughter and excitement knew no bounds. Above all, I won a gift, a trophy and my beautiful photograph appeared in our college magazine. That was incredible. If winning was all about enjoying, freaking out, relaxing, losing weight and rejuvenating, then this is what I wanted to do. I was on this natural high! I learnt my first lesson in life: No matter how tired or exhausted you feel, you have a lot more energy. Keep your mind strong and soul connected. II. Beginning of My Most Beautiful Journey The attraction remained, and so the inclination to do it sometime. When? Umm... I never knew. Nights out were a taboo at my place, and dancing nights Good heavens! Five years later, I completed my masters in Finance and was working in the corporate world. As a part-time entrepreneur, I used to take up artwork and designing. Once, I was asked to design a brochure for a well-known real estate company, Nirmal Lifestyles, for their Navratri celebrations, and I got invited for the same. I went with my mom for this pre-navratri Garba night. Feeling slightly awkward, I entered the venue. A girl came up to me saying she knew me and that we worked out together in the same gym. Her name

17 My Journey xvii was Neeta Vora, the one who changed my life. She looked ravishing in blue skirt and top (ghagra choli). Her bold eyes and make-up kept me hooked on to her face. She asked me to dance Garba with her group. That was the first time I saw Garba, and danced for some time. They were whirling round and round. She invited me the next day for her Jain social group event. Mom was fine with my friend, and hence I went there. She had a small circle of friends, and they showered sweet smiles and warm welcome. Music was slow and I learnt two steps: Basic 5 and Butterfly with two circles. I wondered what happened to me; enthusiasm, excitement and entertainment were 10 on 10. Lost in this angelic world, I was dancing as Radha, feeling every beat touching my heart. Instead of being tired, I felt fresh and energetic after dancing for 2 hours. I got selected by the judges and went on to fetch the second prize. Though I was dressed casually, my expressions and grace were appreciated. In short, having fun and feeling high was for free, and with a bonus: a huge, pink gift box. This was the beginning of my most beautiful journey. Then, we had five days for Navratri to begin, and she asked me to join her Garba class. III. Winning of My First Title, Queen of Sankalp This was my first Navratri. I shopped all the traditional stuff and was all set. My family went berserk with my schedules. I was addicted to this festival. Sorry, to use this word, but I was restless and breathless without dance. I went to different venues every day, winning first prize everywhere. Then came the final day of the celebration, the 10th day, Dussehra. I was unaware of the final day competition. I had never heard or seen it before. We had barricades all around; 600 plus competitors. Biggest title in India, Queen of Sankalp. It was 7:00 pm. Rules and regulations were being announced, and the moment drums began playing, raindrops started falling. They were showers of grace for me. I danced like never before. Sitting steps, turning maximum and taking fast circles took the heart out of me. It required tons of energy, kilos of stamina, and of course, grace, smile, expressions and that oomph factor, which makes you

18 Nine Nights Navratri