Nine Divine Nights

Navaratri (Nava-nine, ratri-night) is a Hindu festival that invokes the feminine aspect of God in the form of Shakti. The nine nights are divided into three sets where the first set is dedicated to Durga, then Lakshmi and then Saraswati.  The 10th day is celebrated as Vijayadasmi where homage is paid to the Guru as he/she brings the student from darkness to enlightened state.

Durga is known to be the remover of obstacles. As you can see in this image, she rides a lion and is seen vanquishing the demon Mahishasuramardini, which symbolises ignorance or obstacles.   

 Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth is also the consort of Vishnu and is prayed to for prosperity. She sits on a lotus and rides a swan.

Last but not least is the Goddess of Knowledge or Saraswati. She plays a lute and is clad in white. Her chosen means of transport is the peacock and holds a book and rosary. She is also a patron of music and the arts.

As I was growing up, Navarathri was the one thing I looked forward to every year because it was during this time that I'd be able to perform in temples all over Kuala Lumpur. Ramli took this opportunity to allow his younger students to get over their stage fright and get used to preparing ourselves for performances, you know, make up and costume, etc.

My favourite night would have to be Vijayadasmi in Sutra. This is the one time that all the students and teachers come together, pray to become better dancers and give respect to our teacher that has made us the dancers and people we are today. Even till today, I'd stand in awe of Sivarajah Natarajan or the dancing Siva statue and meditate on his benign face illuminated with oil lamps that burn brightly representing our passion for our art.

Happy Navaratri everyone!