London's Hindus missing out on Navratri dancing for second year, due to pandemic restrictions

The Hindu festival of Navratri usually comes with nine nights of dancing to honour the triumph of good over evil. 

But Pandit Durgeshwar Tiwari, chief priest of London, Ont.'s Hindu Culture Centre, said he's been fielding a lot of phone calls about how the COVID-19 pandemic affects this year's festivities. 

"I'm receiving a question every day asking what we are doing for Navratri, how we are going to pray," said Tiwari. "This is like something which we have not experienced before, but to safeguard people's health and the community we have decided not to [dance]. Just come and meditate."  

Navratri — 'nav' meaning 'nine' and 'ratri' meaning 'nights' — is most widely celebrated in autumn, although it also comes again in the spring. This year's festival began on Oct.7. 

The Hindu festival is dedicated to Durga, goddess of the universe. She's also a revered mother figure, Tiwari said, 

"She protects us from all the negative forces and makes us grow spiritually," he said. 

Throughout the festival, there are strict guidelines for fasting, prayer and meditation. Many also participate in Garba, a traditional dance regional to the Indian province of Gujarat. 

Garba involves large groups of people dancing in circles around a statue of Durga. They'll dress in cultural clothing, often wearing different colours for each specific day. They'll also perform Dandiya, a form of dance using sticks to represent the swords of Durga. 

Tiwari said the basement of the Hindu Culture Centre, which has the capacity for up to 400 celebrants, is usually full to the brim with dancers for each night of Navratri.

However, this year's pandemic restrictions mean otherwise. Instead, events at the centre are limited to socially distanced prayer. 

"Everybody's health is the first priority," said Tiwari. "But we are taking it in a positive way of thinking that the mother Durga has given us a challenge on how we can modify this, and how we can accept it and move forward." 

Students mingle, share culture

For South Asian students at Western University, Navratri is usually an opportunity to have fun and mingle while taking part in cultural activities. 

The absence of events on campus is taking its toll. 

"Not being able to have that social aspect because of the pandemic is probably the hardest part of all this," said Daivik Shelat, VP of finance for the Hindu Students Association.

Keval Raval, co-president of the Gujarati Students Association, said plans for this year's event have been curbed by the pandemic safety measures outlined by the University Students Council.  

He said both associations are hopeful they'll be able to organize something later on in the term. 

"If we host it or not this year, only time will tell, but we're really trying to do so because I think it's one of the best events of the year and a lot of people look forward to it," said Raval. 

"Whether or not they participate in other events that we do, Garba is always an event that gets a lot of people together, no matter what religion or culture they're from."