Navratri Celebrations Across India Highlight Spiritual Significance, Says ICC Head

New Delhi, October 11 – ICC president Jay Shah used his Navratri greeting to underscore the festival’s enduring spiritual importance. Addressing millions of followers, Shah pointed out how the nine‑day ritual serves as a conduit for invoking the protective energy of Goddess Durga and her myriad forms.

"May the divine blessings of Mother Durga equip us with the fortitude to embrace every hurdle and the optimism to turn each opportunity into progress," he wrote on the platform X.

The celebratory period, observed during the Hindu month of Ashwin, kicks off with the Kalash Sthapana ceremony, a rite that heralds a propitious start. Across the nation, families set up ornate altars, light lamps, and engage in traditional chants, all aimed at welcoming the goddess’s benevolence.

Shailputri, the inaugural incarnation of Durga, is honoured on the first day, symbolising the steadfastness of a mountain’s daughter. Subsequent days focus on other aspects of the goddess—each with its own set of prayers, fasting practices, and community gatherings that differ regionally yet share a common reverence.

The festival’s climax occurs on Mahasashthi (October 19), leading into Vijayadashami on October 20—a day that commemorates the victory of good over evil, thereby concluding the Navratri celebrations.