Navratri celebrations take place across Slough with festive Garba

Community groups across Slough celebrated Navratri and Dussehra this week with rituals and festive dance performances.

The auspicious Hindu festival of Navratri is celebrated over nine days to welcome the Goddess Durga after her triumph over evil defeating the demon Mahishasura.

Slough groups, including the Rajasthani Welfare Society (RWS) and the Slough Hindu Mandir, hosted Garba events to mark the occasion.

Garba and Dandiya are folk dances originating from the Indian state of Gujarat, and the latter is performed with wooden sticks.

Around 200 people attended two days (October 21 and 22) of Garba and Dandiyas hosted by RWS at Langley Pavilion with live music by devotional group, Raghvir Mandal.

Culture and events manager Renuka Poonaji said: “We were delighted to see many of our local communities attend the Navratri Festival.

“The joyous festival brings together families and friends and provides an opportunity for young people to learn about our ancient culture and traditions.”

RWS chairman Inder Singh Poonaji added: “It was really positive, and we had a good attendance, with a lot of young people.

“It’s all about trying to keep the culture alive because our community are mainly from East Africa and have a slightly different nuance to other communities.”

Slough Hindu Mandir also hosted several traditional Garba and Dandiyas from the start of Navratri on Sunday, October 15.

Volunteer Ajay Murudkar said: “Every year the numbers [attending] are increasing. People who come from India, say this is like a home for them.”

At the end of Navratri, more than 2,000 people gathered at the temple on Tuesday (October 24) for a Dussehra celebration featuring a ‘Ravan Dahan’.

This symbolic burning of an effigy of the demon King Ravan is a dramatic and significant ritual during Dussehra, symbolising the victory of good over evil.

This was followed by a 20-minute firework display.

Dussehra is a prominent festival in the Hindu calendar, marking the victory of Lord Rama over Ravan and also marks the beginning of preparations for Diwali which falls 20 days later.

Attendees at Tuesday’s celebrations mostly wore traditional South Asian attire, but many youngsters dressed up in costumes depicting the deities, Rama, Laxman, Hanuman and Vanara Sena.

Ajay said the ‘spectacular’ event marked a significant day of festivity, unity, and cultural richness for the community.

The Slough Hindu Temple thanked the Indian Diaspora in the UK group (IDUK) for its support in bringing the traditions to life.