Power and Protection: To fast or not to fast?
BY JASNAM SACHATHEP

Navratri, one of the most signifiicant Hindu festivals, is in honour of the goddess Durga, who represents power and protection, and is seen as a major Hindu goddess. The word Navratri, in Sanskrit, literally translates into “nava” meaning nine and “ratri” meaning nights. The holiday spans a period of nine nights and 10 days, and is traditionally celebrated with fasting (eating vegetarian, abstaining from alcohol, and in some cases, only eating rotis made from a certain type of flour, and avoiding onion and garlic), as well as various pujas and celebrations depending on the community. As with many other religious festivals, celebrations vary depending on individuals’ cultural background, and in modern times, the extent that people follow these traditions may depend on their travel plans, how easily they can access vegetarian food, their health, and more. With Shardiya Navratri coming up on 3-12 October, we’ve asked people from the community what their celebrations are, and how strictly they follow the fast this time of year. 

ANISHA SACHDEV, 45

Growing up in Kobe, Japan, we celebrated Navratri a little differently than we do in Bangkok. In Kobe, we would go to our friend’s homes daily for prayers during the nine days. There, we would sing bhajans and everyone would bring prashad, and food and tea would be served after the prayers. However, in Bangkok I would just visit the temple and on the day of Durga Ashtmi we would make poori channa and halwa in our homes, perform a puja and send prashad to our family and friends’ homes.

Culturally, I’m Hindu/Sikh and grew up in a strict household where I followed all the traditions and performed all the important ceremonies with my family. I’m still following these practices today even after being married, as that is how I was raised and shaped by my parents and grandparents. Thus, I’m very strict during the Navratri festival and I do not make any exceptions when I travel or during any events. I keep vegetarian and don’t consume any alcohol during this time period. Personally, I don’t think it’s difficult at all to eat out during Navratri as twice a week I’m vegetarian anyhow, and I enjoy eating vegetarian food regardless.

Celebrations mean a lot to me as it’s the time of the year when all friends and family get together and feast on delectable refreshments, exchange gifts, wear traditional attire, decorate our homes, and dance and sing the night away. This creates lasting memories which brings family and friends together. These are the moments that I love about my culture which keeps me humble, appreciative, and proud of where I come from.

ANONYMOUS, 57

I have been following Navratri for at least the last 20 years. I am a vegetarian, but for the complete nine days we don’t cook non-veg at home. I do paath and aarti daily during Navratri. We do travel when it’s necessary, otherwise we avoid it. It hasn’t been hard to go out at all; we have a lovely variety of vegetarian food in Bangkok and during the Navratri that comes in October, which coincides with the Thai jae festival, there are more options which aren’t around the whole year. It is like a treat for everyone. Many who observe Navratri, both male and female, don’t cut their hair or nails during this time, and many men do not shave during the nine days. During this time, many of us also look forward to garba, a Gujarati folk dance in which special costumes are worn, and which revolves around the nine goddesses. On the eighth day, prashad, which includes puri with chole, halwa, and kheer, is fed to nine girls, preferably under the age of 12, known as kanyas, who are considered the nine forms of mata duga. They are given clothes, cash, and goodie bags before they go home.

Navratri is such a wonderful festival that not only brings people together during the ceremony, but starting the preparation itself brings peace and joy to everyone. Every caste in India observes this celebration, and even Chinese, Thai and other foreigners are also curious and participate. As the dates for Navratri gets closer, the excitement and happiness is beautiful, and I feel like Mata is already here, and is blessing everyone in the house. We look forward to doing the paath every day and when it starts, it takes me to another world. I feel sad when it all comes to an end, but I know Ma is always with us, protecting us, and her blessings are always there.

RAKSHET SACHDEV, 34

I’ve basically been celebrating Navratri since I was born, as it’s a family celebration. I’ve kept it up even though I don’t live at home anymore. We don’t really do anything special – when I was home we would go to the mandir during the festival at least once as a family. I remember being really excited about it because the chai and peanuts were always delicious there. Then we’d all have poori chole on the last day for breakfast all together after doing aarti.

Being in the UK now and surrounded by large Gujarati communities, I try to go to a garba each year, as it’s a great thing to experience. Then of course, I Uber eats in poori chole on the morning of the last day, because some traditions you just can’t break. I do go full lacto-vegetarian, so I don’t eat meat and eggs, but still have dairy. And yes, I try not to drink alcohol during that time, too! It’s more about the self-discipline – sure, some days I may slip, especially if I’m travelling, but I try to find alternatives where I can. Usually if I’m on holiday during Navratri, I may not keep the fast, just to try the food of the culture I’m in.

I personally don’t feel like it’s hard to go out during those days. It’s so easy to find vegetarian and vegan options (albeit they may not always be the best!) And going to parties and events and not drinking has never been an issue, so I try to not let it impact me.

DR. PREETHA PEDDI, 28

In Telangana, India, we have a special type of Navratri celebration called ‘Bathukamma,’ during which we bring the mother goddess ‘back to life.’ It goes on for nine days, during which a symbol of the goddess is made with flowers, and arranged in steps like a cone on a brass or steel plate, in seven concentric layers similar to an Indian temple’s gopuram. Each day of the nine days constitutes a special importance to devis, during which a special type of prashad is made and offered to the goddess and everyone in the house. Although it is a family celebration, it is mostly women-centric.

During the festival, the women of the household eat only after the morning puja and prashad offering to the goddess. During the nine days, we are strictly vegetarian, with some days requiring no garlic and no onion. There is absolutely no consumption of alcohol as well. During Navratri, we don’t go to funerals or visit houses or families where there has been a recent death in the last nine days. If a woman is menstruating, she stays away from touching things in the house except her personal belongings as everything in the house is considered holy those nine days.

It isn’t hard to go out during the nine days; the puja and festivities from days one to eight happen in each woman’s respective home, and during the evenings women gather in temples or each other’s homes and have a bhajan session where they either read out shlokas or sing devotional songs. On the ninth day, everyone in the family goes out in the evening either to the temple or a common ground where the women wear rich silk saris and adorn themselves in gold jewellery and dance in a big circle around all the Bathukkammas placed in the middle. These days people are quite creative with their Bathukkammas, infusing them with certain themes, and there are even competitions for who makes the best one! On the ninth day, the Bathukkammas are almost 4-5 feet in height!

After the festivities, everyone heads to a riverfront or a water body where an aarti is given to the Bathukkammas, and they are then immersed in the water with a request for the mother goddess to return back next year. Gauramma (an idol of Gowri made of turmeric) is taken back from Bathukamma before immersion, and every married woman applies a paste of this on her mangala sutra.

Now that I have moved to Bangkok, celebrations still happen through the Telegu Association, but much smaller in scale, and in the comfort of people’s own homes.