Fest in issue 5

Fest In - Vol 5 RC Zenith


Voice Of EditorAs a fest-In editor, sorry learner, I would like to wish my Rotary Family Apy Navarathri.

We are coming up with our 5th volume ‘Navarathri’ edition. To talk about this edition

we are having more than one story why we are celebrating Navarathri. Few stories are

really surprising and new to me, even for many. Here I like to thank my co-editor and the

‘fest-In’ chairman Rtr. Premalatha for allowing me to learn new myths, scenes, stories

and histories. As a reader we might skip things and shift to our interested area in any of

the magazine, but as an editor I suppose to go through each and every line of ‘fest-In’.

So there is no way to leaving things and shift to my interested area. I personally request

rotaractors to go through each and every topic of ‘fest-In’ especially “Idhu Namma Area”

to taste the full essence.

Regards,

Rtr.Saravanan,

‘fest-In’-Editor.

IPP SpeaksDear Rotaractors,

Warm Rotaract Greetings,

It gives me immense pleasure to pen my message for fest - In magazine, that to on

the Navarathri edition. Navarathri is one of my favourite festival for the Golu special,

Dhandiya nights, n those yummy sundals (he he).

First I would like to congratulate Rtr. Premalatha and the team for bringing such wonderful

magazine. Its not just an easy task to bring out a magazine, as i have expierence on it.

And I thank Rtr. Premalatha for giving me an opportunity to design this edition after a

long gap. Not only designing, i also enjoyed the myths about navarathri. Topics like idhu

namma area, kitchen zone, find out and G.K adds colors to the magazine. On behalf of

fest In team, I thank Rtr. Subbalakshmi, Rtr. Meena, Shanmugam and Sriram for sharing

their Golu Pictures.

Regards,

Rtr. IPP Swathi Sujir,

Rotaract Club of Zenith

sponsored by

Rotary Club of Madras North East,

Rotary International District 3230.


NavaratriNavaratri is celebrating with fun and

religious fervor by Hindus across India.

There are many stories (belief) why we are

celebrating Navaratri every year.

War against MahishasuraAccording to a very popular legend,

Mahishasura, the mighty demon worshipped

Lord Shiva and obtained invincible power.

Soon, he started killing the innocent lives

on earth and set out to win the seven

lokas. He acquired the swarglokas. Nobody

could save the living creatures from his

tyranny. Even the three mighty gods of the

Hindu Trinity - Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu

and Lord Shiva were unable to defeat

him. Therefore, all the gods, including the

Hindu Trinity, united their supreme powers

and created a divine named Ma Shakti or

Durga, the Warrior Goddess. With all the

accumulated power and the weapons

given by the gods, Goddess Durga set her

trail to defeat Mahishasura. To accomplish

the task, she fought against Mahishasura

in the war which extended for nine days.

After fighting hard with him for nine days,

Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura on the

tenth day. Consequently, she lifted the

tyranny of the demon off the innocent lives

on earth and restored the swarglok to the

devatas (Gods). Therefore, Navaratri is

celebrated to commemorate her victory

over the demon, which symbolizes the

victory of the good over the evil. The nine

nights of Navratri symbolize the nine nights

of the war between Goddess Durga and

Mahishasura.

Uma became SatiAccording to the story of Hindu mythology,

King Daksha of Himalayas was blessed with

a beautiful and virtuous daughter, named

Uma. She wished to marry Lord Shiva. In

order to tie the wedding knot with Lord

Shiva Uma worshipped him and pleased

him. Consequently, Lord Shiva married

Uma. One fine day, Uma, now the consort of

Lord Shiva, wished to take part in a Yagna

conducted by her father. Since her father

was not in good terms with him, Lord Shiva

refused her to witness the Yagna. Without

listening to Lord Shiva Uma alone witnessed

Yagna. When she turned up to the Yagna,

her father (King Daksha) insulted Lord Shiva

by his words. Uma was unable to withstand

the insult and she got angry and decided to

end her life by jumping into the agni kund

(Fire). Soon after doing this, she was united

with the eternity. Therefore, Uma came to

be known as Sati. Sati was reborn again.

In the second birth, Sati married Lord

Shiva and the divine couple lived happily,


thereafter. It’s a belief that Sati will visit her

native place and stay with her parents. This

occasion is celebrating as Navarathri.

Konjam RamayanamLord Rama, who wanted to rescue his wife

Sita Devi from the demon King Ravana who

abducts her to his place. To free Sita Devi

from Ravana he was in need of enough

power to defeat him. So, he worshipped

goddess Durga in nine different forms for

nine days. At end of the day he got enough

power to defeat Ravana. Tenth day Rama

killed Ravana. As a note of remembering

it first nine days we are celebrating as

Navarathri and tenth day we are celebrating

as Vijayadashmi.

Ten daysFirst 3 days for Durga who gives us

courage, power and energy.Next 3 days for

Lakshmi Mata who gives us Wealth, Peace

and Prosperity.Next 3 days for Saraswathi

who gives us Knowledge and Wise. Last

day i.e.10th day is celebrating as dussehra

Saraswthi pujaThe Goddess Saraswathi is worshipped

as the Goddess of Learning, the deity of

Gayathri, the fountain of fine arts and

science, and the symbol of supreme

vedantic knowledge. In a well-decorated

room, books and grandhas (holy books)

are tastefully arranged with a picture or an

image of Goddess Saraswathi in front of it.

Sometimes weapons and implements are

kept by the side of books and garandhas.

Then a Puja is performed to Saraswathi.

Fruits, beaten rice, roasted paddy (malar),

jaggery etc, are offered to her. These

offerings will be distributed to the people

who witnessed puja.

Ayudha PujaThe ninth day of Navaratri is also called as

Ayudha Puja. The Ayudha Puja is a worship

of whatever implements one may use in

their livelihood. On the preceding evening,

it is traditional to place these implements

on an altar to the Divine. Children

traditionally place their study books and

writing implements on the altar. On this

day, no work or study is done, that one

might spend the day in contemplation of

the Divine.

Dussehra Navaratri and Dussehra is celebrated

throughout the country at the same

time, with varying rituals, but with great

enthusiasm and energy as it marks the

end of scorching summer and the start

of winter season. The tenth day after

Navaratri is called Dussehra. On this day,

in the northern side of India, people burn

effigies of Ravana, marks the victory of

Lord Rama over Ravana. This day is also

called “Vijayadashmi” i.e. day of victory.

According to Scriptures, by worshipping

the ‘Shakti’ on these nine-days the

householders attain the threefold power i.e.

physical, mental and spiritual, which helps

him to progress in life without any difficulty.

VijayaDashami is considered to be an

auspicious day for the Indian householder,

protects and preserves ‘Shakti’ (power) on

this day. The ‘Ramlila’ - an enactment of the

life of Lord Rama, is held during the nine

days preceding Dussehra. On the tenth

day (Dussehra or Vijay Dasami), larger

than life effigies of Ravana, his son and

brother - Meghnadh and Kumbhakarna are


set to fire. The theatrical enactment of this

dramatic encounter is held throughout the

country in which every section of people

participates enthusiastically. In burning the

effigies the people are asked to burn the

evil within them, and thus follow the path

of truth and goodness, bearing in mind

the instance of Ravana, who despite all his

might and majesty was destroyed for his

evil ways.

We Indians believe that anything which

started on the day of vijayadashmi will be

end with success. So that students start

their new courses on studies in this day and

people use their implements and read the

books which are placed before the goddess

on the day of saraswathi pooja, on this day.

CelebrationsNorth India

The devotees fast for the nine days and

worshipped goddess durga. In Bengal the

bengalis worshipped a large idols of durga,

perform songs and dance and the tenth

day the idol will immerse into water. They

celebrate kannya pooja on the tenth day;

people worship pre-pubescent young girls,

known as ‘kanyas’, as the embodiments of

Goddess Durga.

In Gujarath, gujarathis perform songs and

dance - Dandiya Raas (dance by women)

and Garba Raas (dance by men) during

their worships. In Dandiya Raas women

place an earthen pot in the center and they

dance around it. The pot is considered as

goddess durga. Sometimes durga idols

also placed instead of the pot.

South india

In Maharashtra, people worshipped goddess

durga on all the nine days and the tenth day

they worshipped saraswathi. They keep

their books and implements before the

image or idol of goddess saraswathi. This

day is also considered auspicious to begin

any new thing or to buy new ornaments.

Kerala, they start the formal education on

these nine days and they celebrate the

saraswathi pooja on the ninth day.

Bommai kolu is arranged in Tamilnadu,

Karnataka, and Andhra Pradhesh. They

believe that goddess durga, lakshmi, and

saraswathi give their presence in the form

of kolu. Traditionally they arrange kolu

in 3 steps upto 11 steps. They follow a

traditional way to arrange the dolls or kolu

bommais. Usually this order is followed,

from the top in first step idols of god and

goddess (Ganesha, Shiva, Vishnu, Bhrama,


Saraswathi, Durga, Lakshmi, Muruga) are

placed. In second step they place avatars of

god (Dhasavatar, Ashtalakshmi). Third step

is for saints, yogis (munivargal). Followed

by this, in the next step human being dolls

Forms of GoddessForms of Durga

are placed. After this animals and birds are

placed in the next step. Reptiles, plants,

water and the things which are made by

man (shops, villages, cities, parks etc.) are

placed followed by the animal and bird’s dolls.

Shailputri

Kushmanda

Kalratri

Brahmacharini

Skanda Mata

Maha Gauri

Chandraghanta

Kathyayani

Siddhidatri


Forms of Lakshmi

Forms of Saraswathi

Adilakshmi

Gajalakshmi

MahaSaraswati

Vidyalakshmi

Dhanyalakshmi

Santhanalakshmi

Mahaneel Saraswati

Dhanalakshmi

Dhairyalakshmi

Vijayalakshmi

Mahavidya


Gallery!Golu @ Rtr. Meena’s Home Golu @ Rtr. Meena’s Home

Golu @ Shanmugam’s Home

Golu @ Rtr. Subbalakshmi’s Home



Golu @ Sriram’s Home with Republic Day Theme


Kitchen Zone...Here some special recipes of Navarathri for you…

Saboodana VadaaIngredients: Potato - 1, boiled, peeled and mashed.Green Chillies - 8-10 (crushed), Sago - 1 Cup, Peanuts - 1/2 cup (roasted and crushed crudely, Rock salt (for taste), Oil (to deep fry)

Method:• Wash Sago and soak it for about 3 hours. • Add all the ingredients to Sago except oil. Grind it all into a paste. • Heat the oil in a pan. • Make small vadas with the paste. Slip these into the heated oil on medium flame.• Keep frying the vadas till they turn crisp and light brown. • Serve with badaam chutney

Aval KesariIngredients: Rice Flakes (poha) - 1/2 cup, Sugar - 1/2 cup, Ghee - 2 teaspoon, Cashews – 5nos, Cardomom - 1/4 teaspoon, Safforn colour

Method:

• Melt some gheein a kadai • Roast the cashews in the ghee and put aside. • In the remaining ghee, roast the rice flakes until golden brown.• Pour safforn into some water and bring to a boil. Add the flakes and allow them to get cooked for few minutes. Pour sugar and cardomom to it.• Keep stirring the mixture until it becomes non-sticky. If required, add some more ghee. Add the roasted cashwes to it. Serve hot.

Sweet thukkadaIngredients: Maida flour/All purpose flour - 1 Cup, Sugar – 1 & 1/2Cup, Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon, Water - 3 Cups, Oil - For frying thukkada

Method:• Make dough with maida flour and roll it into small chappatis • Cut the chappati into small pieces and deep fry these thukadas .• Make sugar syrup which is in one string consistency.• Add the thukadas and cardamom powder to the sugar syrup.• Serve it.


Idhu namma area…Navartri Crossword:

Across:3) Navaratri commences on this day.

4) Goddess of wealth.

7) Gujaratis celebrates Navaratri with this famous dance.

8) The festival that sees nine nights of celebrations.

Down:1) One of the nine forms of Shakti, a prominent hindu goddess.

2) A demon whose death Navaratri commemorates.

5) The goddess of wisdom.

6) The festivals comes right after Navaratri


How is Your G.K?1) Which form of Goddess Durga is

worshipped on the first day of Navratri?

• Brahmacharini

• Chandraghanta

• Shailputri

• Kushmanda

2) Who wrote the great epic Ramayana?

• Veda Vyasa

• Valmiki

• Dronacharya

• Vishwamitra

3) Garba’ is the folk dance of which state?

• Gujarat

• Andhra Pradesh

• Maharashtra

• Tamil Nadu

4) Which place of Karnataka is famous for

its elephant processions on the occasion

of Dussehra?

• Hubli

• Bangalore

• Mysore

• Mangalore

5) In the given picture, the form of Durga

is called…

• Kalaratri

• Maha Gauri

• Siddhidatri

• Skanda Mata

6) Vaishno Devi shrine is situated in which

state?

• Uttaranchal

• Jammu and Kashmir

• Himachal Pradesh

• Rajasthan

7) Which state celebrates ‘Bommai Kolu’

that is the display of dolls during Navratri?

• Tamil Nadu

• Assam

• Maharashtra

• Himachal Pradesh

8) Dussehra commemorates Shri Rama’s

victory over whom?

• Surpanakha

• Kumbhakarna

• Bali

• Ravana

9) Which of these is not a form of

Goddess Durga?

• Katyayani

• Sita devi

• Maha Gauri

• Chandraghanta

10) Dussera is the state festival of which

state?

• Karnataka

• Gujarat

• Andhra Pradesh

• West Bengal

Collections from,

Rtr. PP Yuvabala,

Vice President,

Rotaract Club Of Zenith.


Find out...

Can you find out who are the goddess and the god?

What dance is this? One of the anti hero character of the navartri story…

By,

Rtr.Premalatha,

‘fest-In’ Project chairman

Joint Secretary

Rotaract Club Of Zenith

- Zenith Family

Editors:

Rtr. Premalatha,

Rtr. Saravanan

Have a blissfulNavarathri!

Fest in issue 5

Spiritual

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