2025 Ashvin (Autumn) Navratri Festival
Nawan Nagar, September 2025
The Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) center at Nawan Nagar has been celebrating the eagerly awaited Navratri festivals for many years. Each Navratri festival brings fervor, merriment, and joyous devotional singing in praise of the nine manifestations of the Goddess Durga.
This year, the autumn Navratri festival was held from September 22 to October 1. Attendees from various parts of India converged at the Nawan Nagar center to enjoy the vibrant festivities in the presence of Sant Baljit Singh Ji.
VMRK meticulously planned months in advance to host this event. Teams prepared arrangements for accommodation, food services, main event tent setup, and other services such as medical camps, transportation, and emergency preparedness. The blog post: Spiritual Discourse, March 2025, Nawan Nagar, Haryana describes these preparations.
Daytime during Navratri
While attendees began arriving days before the event, the center welcomed the largest influx from the very first day of Navratri. The event grounds spanned 40 acres, with multiple speakers installed throughout. Early each morning, devotional songs played over the speakers and echoed across the venue, creating a festive atmosphere. Volunteers at the food preparation area sang along to the devotional melodies while they worked. Within the accommodation areas, attendees enjoyed themselves playing the dholak (a traditional two-headed hand drum) as they sang their own devotional songs.
As the sun set, streams of lights lit up the grounds, and devotees staying at the center were joined by local attendees who commuted to and from the venue. In no time, the event grounds were buzzing! The main event tents, spanning 84,000 square feet, were decorated with colorful bands of fabric and spherical pendant lights to match the festive ambience. In the middle of the tent, a pathway adorned with rangoli and flower garlands led to Sant Baljit Singh Ji’s dais. At the entrance canopy of the tent, a huge flag of God Hanuman was mounted. Attendees, upon arriving, often first paid their respects to God Hanuman before taking their seats.
Evening Programs
Each night, starting around 8 pm, professional singers, including Feroz Khan, Master Saleem, Sardar Ali, Masha Ali, Mani Ladla, Roshan Prince, Gagan Mehra, Lovish Love, Vaneet Khan, Vivek Mahajan and Sonu Surjit sang devotional songs. The attendees joyfully sang and clapped along while awaiting the arrival of Sant Baljit Singh Ji. Eight large LED screens and sound systems brought the event to everyone across the grounds.
When Sant Baljit Singh Ji arrived and made his way to the dais, a wave of joy swept through the venue. Attendees enjoyed the devotional songs even more enthusiastically in his presence. They danced with heartfelt exuberance and on some evenings, many danced nearly nonstop as they expressed their deep, heartfelt devotion. Watching with a warm smile, Sant Baljit Singh Ji appreciated their reverence. At times, he was seen humming along to the devotional singing, further uplifting the spirits of those gathered. The entire atmosphere was filled with spiritual bliss.
Each night, Sant Baljit Singh Ji spent over an hour walking among the attendees while the devotional singing continued. As he moved through the tents, little children eagerly offered him flowers, which he accepted with warmth. The crowds were delighted by these exchanges, cherishing the chance to witness them up close. After Sant Baljit Singh Ji returned to the dais, the devotional atmosphere endured, with everyone immersed in joy. Attendees rejoiced tirelessly, often wishing the celebration would last longer, and so the festivities continued well past midnight each day.
The program concluded each night with the crowd standing in their places to sing Aarti. Before and after the Aarti, devotional singers called out praises to the various forms of Goddess Durga. When the singers finished, some attendees continued to call out praises. Sant Baljit Singh Ji remained standing, patiently appreciating their devotion, before proceeding to give a short talk. The audience stayed until Sant Baljit Singh Ji left each night, and then paid their respects to God Hanuman as they departed the venue.
On September 30, as Navratri neared its end, attendees asked Sant Baljit Singh Ji to extend the celebration. He happily agreed, adding one more day so the festivities continued until October 2 to celebrate Dussehra.
Celebrating kanya pujan
In Indian culture, little girls, below the age of 10 years, are called kanya and are respected as a sign of the Divine Cosmic Mother. On October 1, 2025, all VMRK centers celebrated kanya pujan to worship the Divine Cosmic Mother through the worship of these little girls. There is a brief description of kanya pujan in our blog post, 2024 Autumn (Ashvin) Navratri Festival.
Charitable services at Ashvin Navratri 2025
VMRK carried out multiple Navratri charitable actions from September 21 to October 3, from medical camps and blood donation drives, to distributing personal hygiene kits and educational materials. This year, VMRK also conducted charitable services at nearby temples.
Medical and hygiene camps
VMRK organized a 24-hour medical camp at the event grounds every day from September 21 to October 3. A total of 65 medical professionals and volunteers were rostered to provide free consultations, first aid, patient care, and medicines. Thousands of patients received medical care, and more than 140 patients required in-house medical attention at the 22-bed clinical treatment center.
Next to the medical camp, VMRK’s three fully equipped ambulances were on standby to transport patients to hospital for further diagnosis and treatment. At the hospital, a team of volunteers stayed with the patients to provide continued support and assistance during hospitalization.
To support the underprivileged community, VMRK organized nine medical camps in villages and slum areas within a 20-kilometer radius of the Nawan Nagar center. VMRK returned to the locations of previous medical camps to provide the locals regular check ups. Each camp was staffed by one doctor, one pharmacist, and 5 VMRK volunteers. More than 810 patients received medical assistance.
At another location, VMRK distributed more than 170 hygiene kits to promote better health and hygiene practices among the local residents.
Charitable services at temples
From September 22 to October 1, VMRK expanded its Ashvin Navratri charitable initiatives with free medical camps to serve devotees at four temples dedicated to different forms of Goddess Shakti. VMRK volunteers surveyed possible temple locations in the hilly terrain of Himachal Pradesh state, and consulted the local administration who granted VMRK access at/close to the following temples: Shri Maa Jwala Devi Ji, Shri Maa Bajreshwari Devi Ji, Mata Shri Chintpurni Ji, and Shri Maa Chamunda Devi Ji.
Volunteers packed medicines and camp setup materials customized for each location. Late on September 21, trucks delivered the supplies and materials to each location. By the next day, the medical camps were operational, staffed with medical professionals and volunteers. Multiple banners were set up across the locations to inform passersby about the free medical services. At locations situated away from the temples, VMRK volunteers spread information about the camps to people in the surrounding areas.
This year, heavy monsoon rains caused floods and landslides across the northern Indian states, which impacted the turnout at these temples. VMRK operated each camp according to the temple hours and the flow of pilgrims; some were open from morning to evening, some provided service around-the-clock.
Since the four temples are relatively close together, devotees often traveled over several days to visit multiple temples. Many pilgrims arrived at the camps experiencing nausea, gastric problems, including traveler’s diarrhea, and body pain. Others caught colds, coughs, sore throats, and eye irritation due to the cooler weather in the hills.
The medical team attended to the pilgrims and prescribed them appropriate medicines and treatment. Dehydrated pilgrims were also given rehydration drinks. One camp also provided leg massages to relieve fatigue.
The medical team also provided first aid to many devotees with injuries and local food service providers who arrived with cuts and minor burns. Locals visited the camp to get their blood pressure and sugar levels checked by doctors.
Over the ten days of service, VMRK offered free medical consultations, first aid, and medicines to over 8,740 individuals.
Visitor feedback
Many people left comments in our visitor log, some are listed below:
I received medicine at the medical camp organized at Shri Maa Chamunda Devi Ji Temple for to my health problem. The doctor and staff were very kind. I sincerely thank Sant Baljit Singh Ji, for inspiring VMRK to provide free medical services to common needy people and pilgrims.
Free medical services are being provided at Shri Maa Jwala Devi Ji Temple for patients, which is a very good initiative. These services are helping a lot of people by offering medicines at no cost. This medical camp should continue every year to provide essential support to those in need. Thank you.
Blood donation camp
VMRK, in collaboration with the Civil Hospital, Rupnagar, and the Government Medical College & Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, organized a two-day blood donation drive at the Nawan Nagar center. The first camp was held on Saturday, September 27, the busiest day of the celebrations. The second camp took place on October 1, in commemoration of National Voluntary Blood Donation Day.
Both camps began in the afternoon and continued until the evening. A total of 187 people came forward to donate blood. Doctors assessed them and found 138 donors fit to donate. The medical team collected either 350 gm or 450 gm of blood from each donor, depending on the donor’s weight. At one corner of the camp, volunteers were stationed to serve refreshments both before and after the donation.
The hospitals expressed their gratitude and appreciation to VMRK for meticulously organizing the blood donation camps and maintaining a hygienic environment.
Educational material distribution
VMRK also organized charitable support for students from underprivileged families. VMRK coordinated with 63 schools located within a radius of 95 kilometers from Nawan Nagar center and then procured school bags and stationery kits for more than 5,440 students at these schools. At some schools, the students eagerly transferred their belongings into the newly received school bags. Their excitement and joy were palpable!
Headmaster, Govt. Middle School, Dhella, Solan, Himachal Pradesh