NINE NIGHTS
The 'nine nights' -- 'the Navratri' -- just concluded yesterday. And, today is the tenth day -- 'Dassera'. Like the Ganpati festival, in Mumbai, the Navratri festival has become a huge affair, and it keeps becoming bigger, grander, and more and more deafening. My own Society had programmes lined up on all th nine nights, which included the mandatory 'Mata-di-chowki' and 'mahaprasad' - which means a grand dinner sponsored by some generous soul. Just below our nose, live the MHADA residents. They are new-comers in this area and had just begun their Navratri celebrations last year. The Shiv Sena is their sponsor. This year, the size and scale of their operations would put any event manager into shame! That huge it was ... at least the sizes and the sound of their speakers and equipment. What a crowd-involvement - men and women, the children, young and adults,Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians ... Wow, what an exuberance, what a unity ... what...