Durga Puja: Going traditional with a twist this Navratri

The Dhanmeher family has always celebrated Navratri the traditional way, but this year they've added a twist to it. The Borivli-based family decided to try out something new and bought only a mask of the goddess instead of the whole idol.

Preparing for the festival weeks in advance, the family prepares a variety of sweets to offer to the goddess daily.

Speaking about their celebrations for the nine-day festival, Supriya Dhanmeher, a 23-year-old college student, said, "We start preparing well in advance. As part of tradition, we also buy a new saree for the goddess. This year, we decided to buy only a mask of the goddess rather than the idol as it can be transported easily for visarjan. We prepare the body of the Goddess using a saree. Besides the goddess, we also keep a kalash along with a coconut and different leaves on top of it. Nine different varieties of grains are sown where the kalash is kept."

According to the family, friends, relatives and neighbours keep the aura of the festival alive. "Neighbours and friends join us for the aarti. While mostly we sing the aarti in Marathi, sometimes we also sing it in Gujarati. This mix of various traditions help provide colour to the cultural mood and brings everyone together."

While every day, a new types of sweet dishes are offered, they try not to repeat the same dish. Dhameher said, "For all nine days of the festival, we don't use onion and garlic in our food dishes. We also try to make a new sweet dish offering everyday. My father fasts continuously for nine days and eats eats only fruits and milk."