FESTIVE FERVOUR – Havan, devotional songs to mark Navratra end
Clubs and housing societies are hosting the `Mata ki Chowki’ at night where vast numbers of people gather to sing the `mata ki bhent’. Of late, a unique Shiva `tandav’ is also being drafted into the Navratri calendar in Andheri’s Lokhandwala Complex.
The hilltop temple of Vaishnodevi in Malad will organize a havan from 4 to 7pm followed by the Mata ki Chowki. “We host a full calendar of events during Chaitra Navratra as well as Sharadiya Navratra,” says chairman Kiritbhai Shah. “On the morning of October 3, around 1,100 little girls below the age of 11 will arrive for the ‘kanya puja’ ceremony where they are worshipped like the Goddess.” The temple trust takes its commitment to the girl child beyond lip service by warning people of the dangers of female infanticide all year round.