by Payal Mathur (D-102, The Crescent; 9717639029)
The Ashwin month started with onset of festivities with Navratri fasting and bhajan sandhyas at Crescent; the evenings were devoted to Garba practice. A pooja was organized by Shruti Arora (A-001) at her residence with bhajan singer Mrs Rekha where all including seniors participated in the spiritual bliss. The ladies followed colour schemes on all 9 days.
The pious Navmi evening saw an aura of religious fervor with Mata ki Chowki where the famous Bhajan singer, Lavlesh Shukla, enchanted the reverent crowd with his choicest bhakti songs. The central park was decorated with in shades of orange and red. Mesmerized residents sang and danced in the devotional ambience. This was followed by Bhog and Bhandara for the Crescent residents.
As in past years, the mighty Ravana effigy (10-ft high) was created by Crescent kids. The adorable blue Ravana was placed at central park on Dussherra day, covered with a big umbrella to save it from possible rains. But seems Rain Gods wanted to bless the hard work of kids with a little downpour. The residents rushed to save the mighty one with plastics and umbrellas. Soon the showers subsided, and residents heaved a sigh of relief!
The evening festivities continued with well-choreographed and practiced Garba steps. The Crescent ladies came out with Garba sticks and beautiful, colorful outfits. As DJ played one song after the other, the society reverberated with Dandiya songs and well-synchronized Garba sticks beats.
At dusk, the Ravan Dahan took place; as crackers busting sound mixed with excited shouts of “Siyapati Ram Chandra ki Jai”, the essence of victory of good over evil filled the air. As Dandiya continued, the food stalls opened and residents had their fill of mouth-watering dishes. Music and excited chatters could be heard till late night.
All the events were very well conceptualized and organized by the Crescent Cultural Committee comprising of Renu Bajpai (D-304), Rita Gupta (D-003), Shruti Arora (A-001) and Vanita Raina (C-204). The program was a triumph of righteousness, virtue and gaiety – just like Navratri and Vijaydashmi!
