Kavish was eagerly waiting for his dada and dadi to arrive from Mumbai. They were coming to Bengaluru for the Dussehra holidays, and Kavish would get to spend 12 days with them.
After dinner, Kavish entered his grandparents’ room. Dada was working at his desk.
“Dada, what are you writing?” Kavish asked.
“A book about Dusshera,” dada smiled.
“Why did you choose this topic?”
“When I was younger, my father sent me to different parts of the country every month to train me in our business,” Dada said. "You have heard about your great-grandfather’s shop, Bharat Cloth House, haven’t you? It sold fabrics from all over India. I was in charge of purchasing the fabrics and had to travel across India. Thanks to this, I learnt about many festivals. My book is about how Dussehra is celebrated in different parts of India. The celebrations are varied but the festival is a single soul with many bodies.”
“What does that mean?”
“The single soul is the triumph of good over evil, when light emerges and destroys the darkness. The bodies are the different celebrations in various places.”
“Please tell me more about Dusshera,” Kavish said.
“Once, I travelled to Gujarat during Navratri. This refers to the nine days dedicated to the nine manifestations of Durga. I attended dandiya and garba nights. Though I wasn’t good with the dandiya sticks and kept knocking off my partner’s, I had a fabulous time dancing to the music. Everyone was colourfully dressed: the women in lehenga cholis and the men in kediyu and dhoti or pyjama sets.”
“Last year, our building hosted a dandiya night. Mum and dad won the dance competition,” Kavish said.
Illustration: Shivani Lakshman | Photo Credit: Illustration: Shivani Lakshman
“When I was in Kanpur, I watched a Ram Leela. Luckily, I was there for nearly 10 days. So, I saw the entire play showcasing the life of Rama: from his childhood, his time in the gurukul, his marriage to Sita, to his exile to honour his father’s promise to his stepmother. It also showed how he lived in the forest with his wife Sita and his brother, Lakshmana; Sita’s kidnapping by Ravana, the king of Lanka; Rama searching for her ... The young actor who played Rama was brilliant, especially in the exile scenes. My favourite was the day the monkeys helped Rama and when Hanuman flew to Lanka. The actors who played Hanuman and Ravana had a fabulous command over their voice, and their stage presence was outstanding.”
Kavish listened raptly, visualising the long battle between Rama and Ravana that ended in Rama’s victory.
“On the last day an effigy of Ravana was burnt. This is called Ravana dahan,” dada said.
“I have seen pictures of it. Effigies of his brother Kumbhakarana and son Meghnath are also burnt, right?” Kavish asked. “Evil is always destroyed by good.”
Illustration: Shivani Lakshman | Photo Credit: Illustration: Shivani Lakshman
“After our marriage I also travelled with your dadaji,” dadi joined in. “We were in Kolkata during the puja celebrations and went pandal hopping. They were so beautiful, and the statues of Durga were so towering and mesmerising. Do you know about Goddess Durga fighting the buffalo demon Mahishasura?”
Kavish shook his head.
“Mahishashura was a shape-shifting buffalo demon who terrorised the devas and the humans. To restore peace and cosmic order, Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu brought forth the physical form of Durga. Each god gave her a powerful weapon. Durga fought Mahishashura for nine days and defeated him on the 10th day. That’s why it is called Vijayadashami, the day of victory,” Dadi had a faraway look on her face. “I loved wearing my silk and tussar saris and dressing up to visit the pandals. The food was yummy and the crowds immense.”
Good over evil
“A day before Vijayadashami, people worship their tools, weapons, and vehicles; they pay their respects to what gives them a livelihood. This day is celebrated as Ayudha Pooja,” Dadi explained.
“Mummy always makes me keep my textbooks, notebooks, pens and geometry box in the puja and offer flowers to it and pray,” Kavish said, smiling. “Dad does the puja for his car and also his golf clubs. My best friend does the puja for his cricket bat and guitar.”
Dada laughed.
“Mom decorates the doorway with garlands and mango leaves, makes a colourful rangoli, and lots of desserts,” Kavish said, smacking his lips. “In fact, throughout Navratri, we have a different kind of food each day, as Mum and Dad fast for nine days.”
“Once we visited Mysore during Dusshera and watched the elephants in the procession. It’s called the Jumboo Savari. The heavily decorated elephants looked splendid,” Dada said.
“When we were in Madurai to buy fabrics for the shop, your dada’s friend’s wife invited me to her house for kolu,” recalled dadi. “Handcrafted dolls or figurines are arranged on an odd number of tiered steps. The top steps carry the deities; the ones below feature stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Puranas and scenes from everyday life.”
“Must have been cute,” Kavish said.
“I must tell you about Kullu Dusshera,” Dada said. “It’s a seven-day festival starting on Vijayadashami. Held in Dhalpur Maidan in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh, it attracts visitors from all over the world. Decorated palanquins carrying hundreds of local gods and goddesses arrive from the different villages to pay their respects to Lord Raghunath. The highlight is the grand chariot procession on the opening day. Devotees pull a massive and decorated wooden rath carrying an idol of Lord Raghunath to the maidan,” Dada smiled. “The crowds are massive. There is folk music and a traditional dance called Nati.”
“Sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to reading your book and the different celebrations of Dusshera,” Kavish said.