October ushers in India’s most radiant festive season. Sharad Navratri began on 11 October, devoting nine nights to the nine forms of Goddess Durga, and it culminates in Vijayadashami, or Dussehra, on 20 October.
Across the country, devotion takes many forms. In Gujarat, the nights come alive with Garba and Dandiya. In northern India, Ramleela performances retell Lord Rama’s story before effigies of Ravana are set ablaze. In Kolkata and across eastern India, Durga Puja transforms the city, with pandals that rival art installations and processions that fill the streets, a tradition UNESCO has recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The traditions differ, yet the spirit is shared: the triumph of good over evil, celebrated through Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura and Lord Rama’s over Ravana.
It is a memorable chance to see India at its most vibrant, where culture is not watched from a distance but lived in every lane, and a warm prelude to the Diwali weeks that follow.
