Navratra’— a string of festival, dedicated to the nine form of the deity Durga, lights up lives with a chant— “Ya Devi saravabhuteshu matrirupen sansthita, namastasyayi namastasyayi, namastasyayi, namo namah !” might be similar for different communities across the country in their unique rituals. Every community adds its own cultural values to puja celebrations across the Bokaro district.
With the beginning of Navratri festival, city-based communities like Gujaratis, Nepalis, Maharashtrians, and Tamils offered prayer to goddess Durga in their own way.
“For Gujarati families, Pujas bring a festival of dance. We offer our prayers through Dandiya dance,” said Mamta Kumar, a trader based at City Centre Bokaro. “Dandiya is basically a war dance performed to please goddess Durga,” she added.
Bokaro Deputy Commissioner MK Barnawal along with SP Kartik S, CISF DIG S Ambasth, Chas Municipal Corporation Mayor Bholu Paswan including others enthusiastically took part in Dandiya dance organized at Bokaro club last night. Beside Gujarati families, men and women for several other communities participated in the dance passionately.
While the Maharashtrians began their community meditation function Sahjoga which aims at evoking the souls of the individuals. They perform Pujas by reading stories related to different incarnations of their deity. They take only vegetarian food during the festival and on the tenth day, they make Puranpholi — a dish prepared with lentils and sugar and seek blessings of their elders, Akash a supervisor at Bokaro Steel Plant said.
The Tamils offer prayers to their divinities — Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati for nine days and decorate their homes with clay figurines of animals and birds. The tenth day is considered auspicious for a child to begin learning letters. The ritual is called — Upnayana, said Krishna, working in a private firm and also a member of Puja committee at Ayappa Mandir Sector 5 in Bokaro Steel City.
During Navratra Nepali community sacrifices several goats outside the temple where they are residing near camp I beside Ram Mandir at Bokaro Steel City. The ritual begins on the eighth day of pujas and continues till the ninth day.
Meanwhile, ahead the festivity Bokaro district administration made elaborate security arrangements for Puja. Security has been enhanced at the all the Durga Puja spots, Hospitals, Cinema halls, Railway stations, Bus Stands including sector market areas to nab the unsocial elements found in involved in any mischievous actions.All total 230 magistrates and 330 officers including 900 additional cops were deployed across Bokaro to put the city full proof security cover, said SP.“Control room is at work for 24 X 7, anyone may contact on toll-free no— 18003451010.