Muslim and Christian girls to perform Kumari Pooja

Adding a secular touch to Navaratri this year, a gated community in the city plans to honour a girl each from Muslim and Catholic Christian communities during ‘Kumari Puja’.

On ‘Kumari Puja’, performed on the ninth day of Dasara (Navami day), little girls offer prayers to goddess Durga. As per tradition, a Brahmin girl is worshipped as a demigod.

However, the Provident Harmony Apartment Owners Association in Thanisandra will be performing Kumari puja with 8-year-old ‘Kumaris’ or maidens of other communities to spread the message of ‘unity in diversity’.

“Swami Vivekananda first started Kumari Puja in Kolkata to hail women empowerment and ever since it has been performed with the same importance.

We are trying to diversify this ritual by involving children from different religions to make it non-religious with only a spiritual essence. We are trying to celebrate humanity through this event,” said Mayuk Patra, Management committee, Provident Harmony Apartment Owners Association.

He added, “In today’s era when #MeToo is trending, we would like to remind the society, that women have been worshiped since time immemorial and they deserve respect. The entire festivities are circled around the celebration of femininity, but
unfortunately, we as a society have digressed.”

The gated community housing more than 500 families is celebrating Durga Puja, Ayudha Puja, Navaratri, Bathukamma and Golu under a single banner of ‘Harmony Mahotsav 2018’.

“This is being done to connect communities celebrating the same festival with different rituals and practices from North, South, East and West,” said Ramachandran Nair VM, President, Provident Harmony Apartment Owners Association.