Hyderabad: The seventh day of Navaratri was celebrated with greater enthusiasm and fervour in the city. Saptami marks the beginning of the end of the Navaratri festival, from which the remaining days are celebrated with heightened participation and religiosity. Two grand celebrations were held across the city. The public, dressed in traditional attire, participated in huge numbers, dancing to Garba and Dandiya beats.
At SNC Convention, Attapur, Saptami celebrations were held in high spirits. Pratap Jadeja, organiser and a businessman by profession, emphasised the importance of celebrating Navaratri for the entire nine days. He said he believed that the organisers who held the celebration for a day or two commercialised the festival. He has been organising this festival for the past nine years, in a bid to keep the Gujarati tradition intact and to inculcate in the younger generations the importance of Navaratri.
As part of the celebrations, falahari dishes and prasad were distributed among those who have been fasting since the start of Navaratri. As it was a charity event, whatever money they collected will be donated for the education of Gujrati students who are in need.
Classic Gardens, Secunderabad, saw a grand celebration of the festival. Kavita Jain, event manager, organised a three-day event especially for those who want to be a part of the festivities but prefer not to go to places on the outskirts of the city. She said, “Last year, due to Covid, we could organise only for a day. But this year, taking all the Covid guidelines into consideration, we planned for a traditional celebration at least for three days.”
Kinjal Dave, a famous Gujarati singer, and Bamboo Beats, a band from Mumbai, are part of the celebrations.
Kinjal Dave, who is in Hyderabad for the first time, says, “I anyway had to come to perform in Hyderabad because I have heard a lot about this city. I like meeting new people and sharing my art with them. When I see people happy and enjoying, dancing to my Garba songs, it gives me inner bliss.”
Emphasising the importance of culture and festivals for artistes, she says these events are a big source for their livelihood. “Our Gujrati culture has always placed very high importance on festivals and my career as an artist is because of that only. Almost every 10 days, there is a festival and hence we artistes thrive. I am thankful to my culture and tradition for putting me at the place where I am,” she says.
Bijay Das, 21, participates in the Navaratri festivities every year wholeheartedly. “It is a source of blessing for me. Mataji’s blessings helped me get a job recently. Celebrating Navaratri brings a lot of positive vibes and fills me with positivity and hope.”
Kiran Lakhiani, 24, a Sindhi by faith, says she makes it every day of the Navaratri festival to play Garba, Dandiya and Vithala with her friends. She says, “I don’t see it from a religious perspective per se. It’s a gathering to have fun with friends and family. I know Saptami’s importance in Navaratri, and to be part of its celebration gives me positivity and bliss”.
