Devotees in Lucknow keep markets abuzz on Navaratra eve

LUCKNOW: Ahead of the nine-day festival of Navaratra beginning from April 2, markets in the city were abuzz with devotees on Friday. While some were considering the embroidered ‘chunaris and vastras’ (clothing items), others were searching for heavy sequins and glittery pieces this year.
The eyes of Rashmi Singh (52) were constantly searching for a designer chunari for the goddess.She said, “I prefer buying a different variety of clothes for myself every time I go shopping, which is why I make it a point to find unique attire for the idol.”
Similarly, Vibha Srivastava (40) who was looking for clothing items for the idol said, “I bought glitters and embroidery embedded clothes and also decorated my temple beforehand for Navaratra so that it gives a festive feel to the members of the family. I even bought a plain kalash, which I will be decorating with my daughter at home.”
Ratna and Komal Singh, who live in a rental apartment in the city, said, “We will definitely miss the rituals and other celebrations that becomes a part of day-to-day routine for Navaratra back in our home, but we are trying to fix it by getting hawan material at home.”
Working women were seen balancing between their work calls and festivities. Dr Divya Rai (36) was seen in her doctor’s coat as she stopped at a local store to purchase decorative items along with chunaris for the goddess. She said, “I want my daughters to learn about our festivals which is why I try visiting stores before getting back home from hospital.”
Dr Poonam Kohli said she will be managing to fast for the entire Navaratra period.
Satish Soni, who has been selling festive items for last 20 years, said, “We try bringing new variants of materials every year. This year we bought Marwari embroidered chunari as a special attraction. This tine the market seems to be better than the last two years. We are looking at pre-Covid like sales.”
(With inputs from Godhooli Sharma)