2024 Spring (Chaitra) Navratri Festival
Nawan Nagar, April 2024
Navratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga, the Divine Cosmic Mother and her nine forms. From April 9 to 17, 2024, Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK), celebrated the spring Navratri festival (Chaitra Navratri), with great joy and enthusiasm at its Nawan Nagar center in Haryana, India.
The Nawan Nagar center was decorated with twinkling lights, colorful flowers, and intricate traditional rangolis, creating a joyous atmosphere. Many attendees from different parts of India came and stayed at the center during the festival. VMRK offered free lodging to all the attendees. In addition, locals from nearby places came in throngs each evening to join the celebrations.
VMRK provided free meals to all the attendees. VMRK also prepared and served special fasting food for those who chose to observe fasting.
Preparations
The event was spread across two large areas on either side of the main road that lies adjacent to the Nawan Nagar center. One area was used for celebrating the event and the other area was arranged for parking facilities. VMRK security volunteers were stationed along this road and worked non-stop to manage and smoothen traffic flow. They guided people to park and depart their vehicles from the parking area, while also assisted pedestrians in safely crossing the road.
Three big tents, approximately spanning 80,000 sq.ft., were set up as the main event venue. These tents were divided into different sections to provide better seating arrangements for all attendees. A separate section with chairs was designated for the elderly and disabled attendees. Additionally, as a precautionary measure, a fire engine was stationed at the event grounds as well as several fire extinguishers placed at various locations across the Nawan Nagar center.
Evening Programs
Every evening, professional singers sang devotional songs which continued until past midnight. Several big LED screens and audio equipment were installed at different points in the tents so that attendees seated at a distance from the dais could enjoy the festivities comfortably.
Every evening, the arrival of Sant Baljit Singh Ji brought immense joy to attendees. They chanted “Jai Mata Di” (which means “Praise to the Mother Goddess”) as Sant Baljit Singh Ji walked up to the dais. The attendees clapped and sang as they enjoyed the devotional songs. The entire atmosphere was filled with spiritual bliss.
On several days, Sant Baljit Singh Ji walked amongst the attendees. Little children eagerly presented flowers to Sant Baljit Singh Ji, which he accepted and gave back to them, bringing smiles all around. In Indian culture, little girls below the age of 10 years are respected as a sign of the Divine Cosmic Mother.
The devotional songs concluded each day with an Aarti (veneration of deity) dedicated to Maa, the Divine Cosmic Mother. On many nights, Sant Baljit Singh Ji delivered insightful talks after the devotional singing. In one of the talks he said, “Do devotion and establish the connection with Her (Divine Mother), then you will begin to hear Her and then the communication will start.”
Celebrating kanya pujan
On Navmi, the ninth day of the festival, all VMRK centers celebrated kanya pujan to worship the Divine Cosmic Mother whose forms are represented in little girls. There is a brief description of kanya pujan in our blog post 2023 Autumn (Ashvin) Navratri Festival Kanya Pujan.
Charitable services at Chaitra Navratri 2024
It is customary for VMRK to conduct charitable activities during significant events, below are blog posts from recent charitable activities:
- Charitable services at Nawan Nagar, March 2024
- Charitable services at Nagpur, March 2024
- Charitable services at Pimpalner, February 2024.
To coincide with the Chaitra Navratri celebration, VMRK organized multiple charitable activities from April 8–20, 2024. Teams of VMRK volunteers ventured into remote areas in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana to provide these services.
Medical and hygiene camps
VMRK started its medical camp a day before the Navratri celebration began and continued until the day after the event concluded. Medical services were available around the clock by a team of 35 qualified medical professionals who offered free consultation, first aid, patient care, and medicines to thousands of patients. For patients suffering from muscular and joint pain, physiotherapy treatment was also provided. At the 22-bed Clinical Treatment Centre, more than 70 patients received in-house medical attention. Three fully-equipped ambulances were stationed on standby to transport patients with severe health conditions to the nearest hospital for further diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, nine medical camps were organized in slum areas within a 55-kilometer radius of Nawan Nagar center where medical facilities are few and far between. Each camp was served by 1 doctor, 1 pharmacist, and 7 VMRK volunteers. More than 1,250 patients received medical assistance.
VMRK also distributed hygiene kits in the slum areas to promote better health and hygiene practices within these communities. More than 2,550 hygiene kits were happily received by people in need living in these slums.
Blood donation camp
VMRK organized a blood donation camp at its event grounds on April 14 and April 17 in collaboration with Civil Hospital, Rupnagar and Indian Red Cross Society, Punjab. The camp started at 2:30 pm and continued until 6:30 pm. A total of 255 people who came to donate their blood were first assessed by doctors. After screening, 143 people donated a total of 143 units i.e. 57.2 liters of blood.
Educational material distribution
Weeks prior to the event, VMRK visited schools within a 222 kilometers radius of the Nawan Nagar center to discuss their students’ needs. In addition to needing educational materials, VMRK volunteers noticed that some students were wearing torn shoes. VMRK recorded their shoe sizes and purchased the right-sized shoes to fit the students. During the event, VMRK visited 110 schools and distributed stationery kits, water bottles, and school bags. Shoes were aslo distributed at some schools. Over 6,300 students received these distributed materials with joy.
Centre Head Teacher, Govt. Elementary School, Talwara Old, Punjab
