Pune: Housing Society in Blue Ridge Township, Hinjawadi Celebrates Navratri in a Unique Way
Navratri 2024 was celebrated in a unique way in Unit B Blue Ridge, based on a theme called 'ShramDan 2024'
Pune/Hinjawadi: The residents of Unit B, Blue Ridge Township, in Hinjawadi, Pune celebrated Navratri 2024 in a unique way this year, with all the residents of the society coming together in a deep sense of community and devotion. All the rituals, creative events, and acts of service were performed for nine days by roping in the efforts of the society residents together.
A Celebration of Community and Devotion
The festivities began with the traditional Ghatasthapna and included a variety of events over the nine days, such as Mata ki Chowki on the first day, Golu on the fifth day, and Bhondala on Navami. The closing four days were celebrated with enlightening and entertaining special Ramleela performance, finally ending with the symbolic Ravan Dahan on Dussehra.
The residents also embraced the theme of ShramDaan 2024, which encouraged everyone to contribute their time, effort, and resources for a common cause, turning the event into a true community initiative.
Unique Cooking Competition – बल्लवाचार्य
The inspiration for ShramDaan 2024 came from an earlier event, बल्लवाचार्य, which was a cooking competition meant for men above 35 years of age. In that competition, the participants were asked to prepare nutritious dishes and tasty dishes, showcasing their culinary skills.. The competition helped to bond the residents together and created an idea which would eventually become the hub of the Navratri events: community members preparing Mahaprasad. Thanks to the efforts of residents like Mrs. Swapna and Mr. Vikas Apte, who helped coordinate the logistics and budget, Mahaprasad was offered to all devotees each day, serving 400 to 500 plates daily.
Check the photo gallery of ShramDaan 2024 – Blue Ridge Unit B
A Harmonious Effort for Mahaprasad
Every day’s Mahaprasad preparation was led by Asavaree Hanchate, a committed teacher and owner of a cloud kitchen, Teacher’s Kitchen and combined with the willingness of the residents of Unit B both in terms of donations and actual active participation, the community could offer prasad throughout the festival. Organizers emphasized that while prasad can easily be purchased, cooking it together fostered a special sense of harmony and togetherness, making it true “Mahaprasad.”
Taruna Chawla, a resident said, the whole event felt like a marriage in the household and has brought all of the residents together. Asavaree, recounting her experience said, “In order to manage a community event of this magnitude one has to speak softly and keep a cool head to ensure everyone feels connected to the event.
Suryakant Redekar, another resident shared, instead of outsourcing celebrations to an external agency, it is best to organize them internally with the help of the residents as it creates a community feeling and strengthens the bonds between residents. Vikas Apte said it was more important to contribute in any way rather evaluating the importance of task as every task eventually contributes to the overall success of the event.
Watch the complete video of the event:
Building Community Bonds through ShramDaan
Apart from being a festive occasion, the event was actually a bonding exercise among the residents. Organizing the BRUB Navratri Festival ShramDaan 2024 themselves by its residents meant that they would not need any external agency to manage the event and would bring the whole community closer. As described by the participants, the event was more or less like a family function, where all the residents showed cooperation got to better understand each other, promoting harmony in the society.
With the blessings of Devi Maa and the combined efforts of all involved, the Navratri celebrations in Blue Ridge Township’s Unit B were a beautiful testament to community spirit and shared devotion.
