Festival unites Indian community

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This article was published 11/10/2023 (937 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The vibrant and culturally rich Indian community in Brandon came together over the weekend to celebrate the Navratri festival — nine nights of dance, music and religious devotion.

The event, organized by the Sardar Patel Cultural Group, drew around 1,000 attendees to the Keystone Centre’s Manitoba Room, showcasing the unity and diversity of Indian traditions right here in Brandon.

“Navratri, which literally translates to “nine nights,” holds immense significance in Indian culture,” elder Jignesh Patel told the Sun on Saturday. “It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, with a focus on the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahisasur.

Jignesh Patel, one of the organizers of the event, explained the auspicious festival is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm — not just in India, but also among Indian communities around the world.

He said that the event is a spectacle of colour, tradition and energy with participants of all ages, including children, youth, married couples and elders, coming together in their traditional attire, creating a breathtaking visual display of cultural diversity.

“This event is so special because it brings us all together as the Indian community in Brandon. It adds cultural values to the young generation that sees this whole being passed down from the elders to the children,” one of the youth participants, Disha Pandya, told the Sun.

Pandya explained that the celebration featured various forms of Garba dances, including the three-clap Garba, two-clap Garba and Dandiya dances.

“We would all go together and celebrate the festival. So it felt really good and very connecting to the culture,” Ayushi Patel, an international student from Kenya, told the Sun as she shared her experience over the years.

Ayushi Patel said the beats that fuelled the festivities were provided by Yash Shah and his band (from India), who kept the participants grooving throughout the night. The air, according to her, was filled with joyous sounds as the Indian community of Brandon danced, celebrated and passed on their cultural heritage to the younger generation.

The centrepiece of the event was the display of various goddesses, including Goddess Durga, Goddess Amba, Goddess Khodiyar, Goddess Kali and Goddess Ashapura. Aarti plates with cotton diyas dipped in Ghee added to the spiritual ambiance, creating an atmosphere of reverence and devotion.

Meanwhile, Jignesh Patel expressed his delight at the growing participation in the Navratri celebration in Brandon, as he emphasized the importance of passing on cultural traditions to the next generation and the support they receive from the local community, particularly the Keystone Centre.

“It’s about teaching our kids what our culture is, what our heritage is, and keeping it alive even though we are far from India here,” he said.

Looking ahead, the organizers said they have dreams of expanding the event and celebrating Navratri outdoors, just as it is traditionally done in India.

“We also have a larger vision of building a dedicated East Indian community centre in Brandon, with hopes of support from local and federal governments. The Navratri festival celebration in Brandon serves as a testament to the unity, diversity and cultural pride of the Indian community in the heart of Manitoba,” Jignesh Patel said.

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