MUMBAI: Celebrating the victory of good over evil, devotees watch an effigy of Hindu demon king Ravana burn on the occassion of Dussehra, in Ghatkopar on Tuesday. An air of festivity pervaded the city as garlands of marigold and mango leaves were strung in homes and on vehicles.
People made nominal purchases of gold while some took delivery of new vehicles on this auspicious mahurat. After the nine-day Navratri, Devi mandals and Durga Puja pandals bid farewell to the goddess and performed immersion. Married women affiliated to the Bhoomi Park Durgotsav at Malad’s Jankalyan Nagar gathered for ‘Sindoor Khela’ ritual.
Member Bahnisikha Ray said, “We consider Ma Durga like a daughter who comes visiting her maternal home during these nine days a nd returns to her matrimonial abode on Vijayadashami. After the visarjan puja, we smear the Devi’s idol as well as the faces of ‘suhagans’ (married women) in the pandal with kumkum, especially made in Kolkata. After this, the idol is led to immersion.”Jewellery showrooms in the Marathi heartland of Girgaum saw moderate footfall. Prakash Pethe of Waman Hari Pethe was “reasonably satisfied” while Purshottam Kale of Vishnu Sakharam said buyers chose small coins or bars over ornaments.
The store even had 0.5gm coins. Both Pethe and Kale said people bought 1-10gm gold. Dussehra is also a day when people worship the tools of their trade. At Marol police headquarters, which supplies weapons and manpower reserves to police stations in the western suburbs, 350 constables and officers performed ‘shastra puja’ of their armoury, said a senior inspector. In Bandra, the IMCT (Initiative for Moral and Cultural Training) organised a ‘Kanya Vandan’ where 62 boys aged around 12 years felicitated 62 little girls aged 10-11 to inculcate respect for women among the young generation, said spokesman Mohankumar Nair.
People made nominal purchases of gold while some took delivery of new vehicles on this auspicious mahurat. After the nine-day Navratri, Devi mandals and Durga Puja pandals bid farewell to the goddess and performed immersion. Married women affiliated to the Bhoomi Park Durgotsav at Malad’s Jankalyan Nagar gathered for ‘Sindoor Khela’ ritual.
Member Bahnisikha Ray said, “We consider Ma Durga like a daughter who comes visiting her maternal home during these nine days a nd returns to her matrimonial abode on Vijayadashami. After the visarjan puja, we smear the Devi’s idol as well as the faces of ‘suhagans’ (married women) in the pandal with kumkum, especially made in Kolkata. After this, the idol is led to immersion.”Jewellery showrooms in the Marathi heartland of Girgaum saw moderate footfall. Prakash Pethe of Waman Hari Pethe was “reasonably satisfied” while Purshottam Kale of Vishnu Sakharam said buyers chose small coins or bars over ornaments.
The store even had 0.5gm coins. Both Pethe and Kale said people bought 1-10gm gold. Dussehra is also a day when people worship the tools of their trade. At Marol police headquarters, which supplies weapons and manpower reserves to police stations in the western suburbs, 350 constables and officers performed ‘shastra puja’ of their armoury, said a senior inspector. In Bandra, the IMCT (Initiative for Moral and Cultural Training) organised a ‘Kanya Vandan’ where 62 boys aged around 12 years felicitated 62 little girls aged 10-11 to inculcate respect for women among the young generation, said spokesman Mohankumar Nair.
