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Navaratri 2022: Rituals and festivities performed during Shardiya Navaratri

Another important component of the festival is the Durga Aarti which is the prayer performed twice a day to honour the goddess Durga.

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Navaratri 2022

The auspicious occasion of Navratri is a biannual festival celebrated by Devotees from all over the world. The first Navratri, known as Chaitra Navaratri, is usually performed from March to April. whereas, the second which is the primary Navaratri, Shardiya Navaratri, falls from September to October.

Navaratri is celebrated in honor of the nine avatars of the goddess Durga that she manifested during her 9-day-long battle with Demon Mahishasura, which ended with Goddess Durga defeating and killing Mahishasura on the tenth day, also known and celebrated as the day of Vijayadashami. During the nine-day-long span of the festival, the devotees and followers indulge themselves in rituals and festivities in devotion to Goddess Durga’s nine forms.

Rituals followed during Navaratri are as follows:

Ghat Sthapna Puja:

On the morning of the first day of Shardiya Navaratri, the ritual of Ghat Sthapna Puja is performed. In the ceremony, the devotee has to place a Durga idol or photograph at a place where it can’t be moved during the span of the festival. The ceremony also imposes the devotees to put a pitcher filled with mango leaves and coconut near a location and plant sorghum seeds around it. The devotees, who are expected to carry out the various tasks usually assemble and put everything in the morning and ask goddess Durga to bless them with wealth and knowledge.

Durga Aarti

Another important component of the festival is the Durga Aarti which is the prayer performed to honour the goddess Durga twice a day. Devotees usually perform the prayer early morning and late in the evening because that allows them to carry out different preparations during their free time. The devotees usually recite the prayer every day throughout the festival of Navaratri.

Durga Saptshati Path

Durga Saptashati Path is a sacred text or poem that imparts the teachings and beliefs of the goddess Durga in her own words. The devotees read the text or the poems to honour and absorb the knowledge the goddess has departed in the text.

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Kanya Pujan

In this ritual, the devotees prepare the Goddess Durga’s favorite food which is Halva, Puri, and Chane to offer to the girls from the neighborhood, who are invited and welcomed to feast during the time. The devotees also touch the feet as a sign of respect and to seek blessings from them. The girls are also given gifts after their feasts.

Navratri fast

Devotees usually practice fasting according to their convenience and health measures, Usually many devotees begin their fasting from the first day of Sharidiye Navratri and go on to fast for all nine days of the festival. Whereas, some only fast on the commencement and concluding days.

Dandiya Dance or Garba Raas

One of the most loved and iconic days of the festival is the day of Garba and Dandiya Raas, where devotees indulge themselves in the act of dancing with the help of two Bamboo sticks. The dance symbolizes the battle between goddess Durga and Demon Mahishasura. The dance is also known as the sword dance.

Navratri Jawar Visarjan

On the ninth day of the celebration, devotees while worshiping the goddess and take the grown Jawar, which was planted around the pitcher on the commencement day, is taken for immersion into the rivers, or sometimes, the followers even place them under Peepal trees.

Duga Visarjan

Much like its name, Durga Visarjan, or immersion of goddess Durga into the rivers, ponds, and lakes is also carried out by devotees. Many places that organize pandals with huge Durga idols get to immerse big idols of goddess Durga.

These are some of the rituals that one can witness during the festivities of Shardiya Navaratri. Shardiya Navaratri, this year, will commence on 26th September and end on 5th October.

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Former West Bengal deputy speaker and five-time Rampurhat MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead at a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum.

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57 mins ago

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Mamata Banerjee

Former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker and Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office next to his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday morning.

Police said his body was found hanging and was sent for postmortem. A large crowd gathered outside the Trinamool Congress office after news of his death spread.

Who was Asish Banerjee?

Asish Banerjee had served as the deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was the state’s chief minister. He was also a five-time MLA from Rampurhat.

He had served as Bengal’s education and agriculture minister after Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress first came to power in the state.

Banerjee contested the West Bengal Assembly election earlier this year but lost the Rampurhat seat to BJP’s Dhruba Saha.

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Banerjee stepped down as chairman of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee in June. At the time, he said he would continue as a general member of the party.

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BJP gains in Birbhum

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Police have sent Asish Banerjee’s body for postmortem as the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.

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IPS officer Nupur Prasad, who led the CBI investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has been recognised with the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) this year.

A 2007-batch AGMUT cadre officer, Ms Prasad recently returned to the Delhi Police after completing her tenure with the CBI. She is currently serving as Joint Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), where she oversees investigations involving financial and economic crimes.

The award is part of this year’s recognition for police personnel for distinguished and meritorious service. Such honours recognise contributions in areas including investigation, crime prevention, public service, law and order and administration.

Nupur Prasad’s role in Sushant Singh Rajput case

Ms Prasad came into national focus during the CBI investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14, 2020.

The case was transferred to the CBI in August 2020 following a complaint by the actor’s family and a legal dispute over jurisdiction.

During her tenure with the agency, Ms Prasad supervised key aspects of the investigation, including the examination of witness statements, forensic evidence and medical records.

In 2025, the CBI filed closure reports, saying its investigation found no evidence of foul play, abetment to suicide or criminal conspiracy in the actor’s death.

Career across Delhi Police, CBI

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Current role in Delhi Police

After completing her assignment with the CBI, Ms Prasad returned to the Delhi Police and took charge as Joint Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing.

The latest recognition adds to her career spanning investigations, policing and public service across several challenging assignments.

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Kharge, Rahul Gandhi skip Independence Day event for 2nd straight year

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

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Rahul Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

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The Opposition had criticised the seating arrangement, calling it an insult to the people. The Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said the arrangement had been modified to accommodate Olympians at the venue.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition is seated in the front row during ceremonial events.

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Relations between the government and the Opposition remained tense during the Monsoon Session, which ended on Thursday.

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The session began on July 20, with students marching towards Parliament on the first day. Twelve bills were passed during the session, while detailed discussion took place on only one legislation, concerning paper leaks.

The Congress, along with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die.

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