Ram and Lakshman, accompanied by Hanuman (above), set fire to the 26-foot Raavan (below) in the Swami Narayan Mandir on Dussehra which marks the end of the nine days of Navratri. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS
The nine days of Navratri ended with Dussehra as people from the Hindu community gathered in the mandir to see Raavan meet his fate. "It is the ultimate triumph. Ram and Lakshman are coming back victorious from the war, with Hanuman looking over them, and now they will end Raavan," said a middle-aged woman, Amrat, as she kept looking over her shoulder excitedly for the entry of their lords.
Ram and Lakshman, accompanied by Hanuman (above), set fire to the 26-foot Raavan (below) in the Swami Narayan Mandir on Dussehra which marks the end of the nine days of Navratri. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS
Kids and women waited keenly for Raavan's enormous effigy to burst into flames - and it did not disappoint. As arrow after arrow struck Raavan, flames and crackers burst loudly and the cheers of the people matched the spirit of the event. Young men, most of whom were volunteers of the Swami Naryana Sewa Garba Mandal, the temple's committee, danced around the flame as bhajans played in the background.
"The 26-foot Raavan has been made up of hay, wood and kapra and obviously, there are plenty of crackers to keep the people entertained," said 80-year-old Nand Lal Bhatia, the president of the temple's committee. "It took 26 volunteers to make this effigy over four days. We've kept in mind the fire safety as there are so many people today [Sunday]. During Navratri, we had 8,000 to 10,000 people come to the Mandir everyday."
Raavan burned for a good five minutes at least, but undeterred by the heat of the blaze, people danced, cheered and celebrated the triumph of good. "It's a sign that evil can never last long," said 12-year-old Kishore and hurriedly made his way to get a picture taken with Ram.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2013.
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great Effort by our members ! how work hard to bring awareness in people about religion and tradition :)
It is nice to see hindus being able to celebrate their religious festival in Karachi and artists from Pakistan decorating decorating the Durga Puja Pandals with their truck arts. The 8,000 to 10,000 daily visitors of hindus to the temple during the Navaratri days is also a big crowd. I am happy to see these celebrations in Pakistan. It is these kinds of celebrations by followers of other religion that would make them feel Pakistanis.