Navratri went by two weeks ago and Diwali is less than a week away. The season of festivals is here and I find this time very joyous. Navratri is celebrated with worship of Durga in her nine forms, Navadurga, and also by playing garba.

Navratri is a kaleidoscope of colours, with a different colour hue for each of the nine days. It is a celebration of Shakti, the divine feminine power that governs all creation.

There is fasting and pooja and dancing; garba being a eternal part of celebration in western India. In the Eastern part of India, the focus is mainly on the pandals, where idols of Devi are placed for nine days and is worshipped. When we were young, our friends group from the neighborhood used to go pandal hopping nad made sure to visit as many as we could.

Now, of course, I don’t have that kind of stamina and priorities have also changed. This year, with advent of Navratri, I was once again on the quest of a traditional dress for my Little Miss.

Market was full of beautiful lehengas for garba. I loved every one of them in the first shop I entered. But I also went to at least half-a-dozen shops to find the perfect one for her and I finally selected a very unique piece. For someone who is not a fan of shopping, I certainly spend a lot of time in the market when it comes to finding the perfect dress for Little Miss.

Since I love dressing her up, even though she doesn’t like it very much, I also got a few accessories to complement the look and I was pretty happy with the result. Of course, she did not smile for the camera but she was happy with her dress.

She had a fun day at school where the kids made dandiya sticks from paper and posed for photographs. The kids made a wonderful sight in colourful dresses and it felt so heart warming to watch them enjoy the festival in a manner they like.

At home, we played her favourite garba songs and I encouraged her to dance with me. We had fun all through Navratri, with our little dance parties almost every day.

I prefer partying with Little Miss at home because she doesn’t like crowds or loud sounds and I can control the level of sound at home. The sensory overload makes it impossible for her to enjoy anything in crowded places. Keeping that in mind, we ensure that she enjoys the festivities with family.