This year’s Sharad Navratri (15 Oct to 23 Oct) has been very auspicious. Starting on a Sunday, it is believed that Goddess Durga came on an elephant, the divine association ensuring prosperity and happiness for all.
The Crescent themed the celebrations as “Bhakti and Masti”. As per custom in Crescent, the ladies kept Mata ka Kirtan at their homes on each day, where everyone gathered for devotional songs and Arti. All the ladies, including senior citizens, came in Navratri color coded ensembles in the order of Orange, White, Red, Royal Blue, Yellow, Green, Grey, Purple and Peacock Green. The festivities were there on all the nine days.
The third day of Navratri saw “Mata ki Chauki” at Crescent Park for all to attend. The event was graced by the presence of devotional singer Jitender Agarwal and his troupe that kept the evening mesmerized with bhakti songs. The evening culminated with Prasad and Bhandara for all.
Dusshera or Vijayadashami on 24 October was also full of religious euphoria and gaiety. The almost 10 ft Ravana effigy was the center of attraction for the evening. While Crescent ladies and young ladies practiced Garba during the Navratris, the final program in central lawn with all ladies dressed in best of ethnic attires and sounds of dandiya sticks rhythming with dance moves and garba songs was completely enchanting and engrossing. There were game stalls by Crescent’s children and also paid food stalls. The Ravan Dahan, symbolizing victory of good and burning of evil, was accompanied by a feeling of divinity, positivity and hope for all Crescentarians.
The cultural committee of Crescent comprising Renu Bajpai, Rita Gupta, Shruti Goyal and Vanita Raina organized the events with their usual precision and thoughtfulness. This coupled with the resident’s exhilaration made the celebrations very cheerful and memorable.
Mahatma Gandhi had said “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won.” With the blessings of Goddess Durga and Lord Rama, Crescent also reverberates in the essence of harmony and comradeship, which is also the essence of Indian festivities and culture!
