KARACHI: Dussehra, the Hindu festival celebrated every year by setting the devil or Ravan’s effigy ablaze here at the Shri Swami Narayan Mandir on M.A. Jinnah Road, was celebrated a bit differently on Thursday as the festival date was clashing with Muharram 8.

“But we were expecting this from before, when the Muharram moon was sighted actually. So we didn’t even work on building the effigy for Dussehra this year,” said Subhash, a resident of the area around Shri Swami Narayan Mandir.

“All of us who live here will perform simple pooja at the temple instead,” he said. It was still morning and the young man surveyed his surroundings carefully before adding, “I think you also should get going now, as they would be closing almost all exit points soon.”

Ravi Dhawani, general secretary of the All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat, also said that although they had not faced this kind of a situation before, they would deal with it by concentrating on other activities one of which was to be extinguishing the Akhanda Jyoti, a lamp lit for nine days and nights during the Navaratri festival at the Clifton beach. At around 10.30pm on Thursday, devotees at Shree Ratneswar Mahadev Temple in Clifton stopped their dandiya dance and settled for aarti for as Ravi Maharaj of the temple sang Jai Jagdesh Hare and other bhajans before their deities decorated in twinkling red lights.

On one side of the mantle sat the freshly sprouted wheat just uncovered after nine days of celebrating different Hindu goddesses. According to Hindu belief associated with the sprouted wheat, the yield would be very good in the year ahead. All the more reason to be grateful to the gods. “May our country prosper and may its lands always remain green and fertile,” wished an elderly Hindu lady Ganga Devi coming out of the temple as she held her knees hurting from the steps.

Mr Dhawani said: “Setting the devil ablaze is a big part of Dussehra. Kids here make a huge effigy with the help of bamboo, hay, sparklers and other fireworks of the powerful Ravan, a devotee of Lord Shiva, according to our scriptures, and who himself became responsible for his downfall when he couldn’t suppress his lust and kidnapped Sita bringing out the wrath of her husband Ram Chander and his brother Laxman who then had to rescue Sita.

“The burning of Ravan’s effigy signifies the triumph of good over evil and an end to oppression. But there are other things to celebrate also such as the emerging of truth and the Sita’s loyalty to Ram, which we do through pooja.”

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2015

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