Navratri, the nine nights of dancing

Celebrating the power of Womanhood

By Hunaid Hussain

October 14^th, 2018

The nine nights of dancing is the celebration of women in the colors of fall. This is also a celebration of good over evil, particularly the defeat of buffalo demon with the hands of goddess Durga or Kaali. In the western state of Gujarat this festival is marked by fasting for the day and dancing in the night. People gather in their neighborhood and perform traditional Indian folk dances particularly Garba where some 100 or 1000's of people dance in concentric circle with undulating rhythmic dance movement. The frenzy of the fast graceful movement and music is like a sufi dance form taking the participant into a spiritual journey. There is also a lot of playfulness and fun which specially draws the young participants. Sankara Eye Foundation, a non profit, in Bay Area organizes Navratri nights every year in multiple locations, which draws thousands of revelers. SEF's mission is to eradicate curable blindness one person at a time.