Shakti & sway

KOCHI: The Navaratri festival is devoted to avatars of Shakti Durga, the embodiment of strength and power; Saraswati, the goddess of education, art, and culture; and Lakshmi, the generous mother of prosperity and well-being. 

Navaratri, in general, is seen as a celebration of the victory of good over evil. However, in a philosophical sense, it is a celebration of feminine energy, and its myriad manifestations. A melting pot of cultures, Kochi celebrates Navaratri in myriad ways, too. 

Besides the Malayali Vidyarambham and Tamil Bommai Kolu, what stands out in style is the Gujarati garba-dandiya raas leela folk dance performed during evenings. 

The Gujarati community has been residing in Mattancherry for over 500 years and celebrates the festival in full glory. “On the nine days of the festival, nine incarnations of goddess Durga are worshipped — Kali, Jagadamba, Annapoornadevi, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika, Lalita, Bhavani, and Mookambika,” explains Krupa Joshi, committee member of a Navaratri Mandal.  

Women adorned in ghagra-choli and men in kurta-pyjamas sway and swirl around an idol or portrait of Durga, or an earthen pot (garba) with a diya inside. 

“The dance gets its name from the garba. Some of us keep garba at our homes, too,” says Puneetha Pankaj, another Navaratri Mandal member. “During these nine days, we perform puja, and on the final day, the garba is immersed in river.”