KARACHI: Girls holding hands decorated with henna, running around in glittery saris, women in equally pretty attire and laden with jewellery, some busy in pooja while others chatting with one another as they peeled potatoes, green peas and cut cauliflower into small pieces. The men, too, helped around the place as some were busy in worship of Lord Shiva during the Maha Shivratri festivities at the beautifully decorated Shree Ratneswar Mahadev Temple in Clifton on Monday.

“This is the celebration of Lord Shiva’s wedding with Mata Parvati. On this day, married women keep vrath or they fast for a long life of their husbands while unmarried girls do the same in the hope of being rewarded with a handsome and able husband,” said Vishal Rajput, a devotee at the temple.

“We fast for a day or even three, if we can do so with consuming of liquids allowed in between, for our Lord,” said Asha Jivadas, who was there with her husband and a small child.

In a corner, two friends Hansa Dhanji and Hiroo Govind were pealing vegetables. “We have been at it since this afternoon,” said Hansa. “And after we are done here, we will prepare our pooja thali of flowers, coconut, rice, incense sticks and diya to take to the beach at around 5am for Shiva’s aarti. We’ll walk there barefoot.”

When reminded that the beach was at a bit of a distance to be walking there barefoot, her friend Hiroo smiled and said: “When you walk in the path of the Lord, you’re looked after.”

About the Maha Shivratri festival, Ravi Maharaj at the temple said they slept on other nights but remained awake on this one night of the year to meditate and raise their conscious level. “From dusk to dawn we do Shiva pooja four times after every three hours. During this time we bathe Shiva’s murti with milk, curd, honey, sugar, ashes and bael patra, or special leaves, for the coming true of our wishes,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2015

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