91Èȱ¬

The festival of Navratri is a nine-day festival of music and dance when Hindus worship the female face of the divine. During this time goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are celebrated.

Navratri means nine nights, also known as Durga Puja in West Bengal and one of the biggest Hindu festivals celebrated around the world. Navratri celebrates God Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana, signifying the triumph of good over evil. During Navratri, the British Gujarati community performs a dance called Garba as a religious and social event.

I love that the digital space allows us to celebrate festivals like this online.

- Ashanti Omkar

Navratri is a very special time of the year for me, filled with the energy of the divine feminine. From the time we moved to London from Nigeria, when I was 12, we'd celebrate the festival at the Hindu Temples, especially the East Ham London Mahalakshmi Temple, where I've given a few singing concerts too.

I celebrate by being vegetarian for the nine nights of the festival, enjoying delights like dosas and idlis, as well as Indian sweets. This year, I've been counting my blessings by looking back at my life, and posting a daily photo in my socials - every day wields a different colour, so I'm using this as my celebratory theme while in lockdown.

Due to my endometriosis health condition, I have been mostly shielding, and am out and about only when absolutely necessary. I love that the digital space allows us to celebrate festivals like this online, in a time where going to the Temple is not advised. I also celebrate by listening and sharing Hindu spiritual music, blessings the timelines with ancient traditions and rituals, which give us peace and serenity.

To everyone celebrating Navratri, I know it's not the same without going to Garba, but enjoy this precious time with your families. Happy Navratri and stay safe!

The nine nights of Navratri are always filled with such colour, energy, dances and feasts! Every year I love to see how people who celebrate go into their local temples and do the Garba dances with family and friends.

This year obviously is very different due to the pandemic, but I know some are still managing to do their worshipping from home and socially distancing too.

I enjoy reflecting Navratri on my show every year with my listeners and it’s great to see that they are staying safe whilst observing the special 9 nights.

Easter, Vaisakhi & Eid have all be a little different to say the least in 2020. The global pandemic has forced every faith and community to celebrate their festivals slightly differently this year, and now it's time to have 9 Virtual Nights of Navratri.

Nine nights of gathering, reflecting and dancing as a community has always been the way of life and not being to do that is going to be one of strangest moments Hindu's will be experiencing. But if there is one thing that the pandemic had shown us, it's that when there is a hurdle in the way ... mankind finds a unique way to overcome it.

 So maybe Garba becomes a little more creative. Try filming your daily Garba sessions at home and then edited them together to create a TikTok or Youtube video? Mum's can collaborate in the kitchen via FaceTime while Dad's could whip up an exotic Mocktail for the family to enjoy. Maybe you won't have to do Pooja alone because you can all pray together via Zoom.

Whatever the situation, whatever the creative solution to connect, make sure that you and your family remain safe at home this year. Here's hoping that this is the first and only year where the community is away from each other and when we all come out the other end, it's the biggest celebration of life for years to come. Stay 91Èȱ¬ - Stay Safe