Vasanta Navratri

In Nasirpur slum, SW Delhi, the festival of Vasanta Navratri celebrates the victory of the Goddess Durga over the demons and devotees express their commitment by having their faces pierced with long steel poles, after which they are led in procession to the local temple accompanied by women carrying bowls of sprouting wheat. The residents of Nasirpur slum make careful preparations. They wear their best and brightest clothes, girls paint henna patters on their hands and feet, and women buy new bangles. Musicians accompany the celebrations, chickens are sacrificed and food is distributed for the whole community. These pictures were taken in 2009 while I was visiting the Saakshar school for slum children who have been working in this community since 2002.

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