National Unity Day is observed on October 31st in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who played a key role in unifying numerous princely states after independence. Events include administering a pledge of unity in schools, a 'Run for Unity' involving people from all sections of society, and an evening march past by police. Navratri is a nine-day Hindu festival celebrated differently in various parts of India but generally involving prayers, fasting and rituals dedicated to the goddess Durga. Celebrations include religious ceremonies, dance, drama, and community feasts.

1. National Unity Day
October 31, 2014

2. • Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Pledge to motivate
Them to strive to
maintain the unity and
integrity of the country.
• The Central Board of Secondary
Education has issued a notice asking
schools to administer the pledge.
• A 'Run for Unity' involving people from
all sections of the society, a march past
in the evening by police will also be held.

3. Born: October
31, 1875,
Nadiad.
Died: December
15, 1950,
Mumbai.
SARDAR
VALLABHBHAI
PATEL

5. “MANPOWER WITHOUT UNITY IS
NOT A STRENGTH UNLESS IT IS
HARMONISED AND
…UNITED PROPERLY, THEN IT
BECOMES A SPIRITUAL POWER.”

7. INDIA
NORTH
EAST
SOUTH
WEST

10. Northern
States
•Uttar Pradesh
•Delhi
•Kashmir
•Himachal pradesh
•Punjab

11. •In Northern India especially Delhi, even the
name of the festival is changed, this becomes
Navratras.
•This is a period of fasting for seven days, and
the people are said to keep their Navratras.
•On the eighth day or Ashtami, devotees
break their fasts by calling young girls home
and these girls are treated as the goddess
herself. They are called Kanjak Devis.

12. People ceremonially wash their feet, worship
them.
They offer them food.
Giving them the traditional puri, halwa and
chana to eat, along with bangles
People also give them red chunnis to wear
with a token amount of money as shagun.

13. People organize Jagrans to sing
devotional songs all night in praise
of the Mother Goddess.
Punjabis who do not keep a fast,
stop eating non-vegetarian and food
items like onion and garlic.
The Chaitra Navratri culminates in
Ram Navami and the Sharad Navratri
culminates in Durga Puja and
Dussehra.

14. •Another prevalent practice is of sowing
pulses, cereals and other seeds.
•On the first day of this festival in a pot
which is watered for nine days at the
end of which the seeds sprout.
•This custom is also indicative of
fertility worship and is known as Khetri.

16. • The Ram Leela is performed during
Navratri in UP. It is the stage presentation
of the Ramayana. This is the day,
according to the Ramayana, when Lord Ram
killed the demon Ravana and hence this day
marks the victory of good over evil.
• The day after Navratri is known as
Dassera.
• In many parts of India this is also referred
to Vijaya Dashmi and is celebrated with
equal pomp and glory associated with
Diwali.

17. Kashmir
• Hindu minorities of Kashmiri
Pandits celebrate this festival.
• They usually visit the temple of
their guardian goddess
KheerBhawani, on all nine days.
• Aarti is held on the last day of
Navratri after which, people
break their fast.
• Many devotees also go to the
mountain cave of the Vaishno
Devi Temple.

18. HIMACHAL PRADESH
• The Devbhoomi of Himachal
Pradesh celebrates Navratri
with devotion to Maa Durga.
• Kullu is the Dussehra festival
observed in the month of
October in Himachal
Pradesh state in northern
India
• It is celebrated in the
Dhalpur maidan in
the Kullu valley.

19. Food in north during navratri

21. • The Navratri is celebrated with much
devotion in South India too. But the
South Indians spiritual focus appears
to be slightly different from that of
others.
• The nine nights of Puja are devoted to
goddesses Lakshmi, Durga and
Saraswati equally.
• Saraswati the goddess of arts,
wisdom and learning - appears to be
getting a little more importance in
South India.

22. KERALA
•Kerala celebrates only the
last three days of Navratri.
Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya
Dashmi are of utmost
importance for the Keralites.
• This South Indian state that
tops the literacy rate in the
country.
• They place books, musical
instruments in front of
Goddess Saraswati’s idol on
the day of Ashtami.
• On the tenth day, the books
are taken out for reading.

23.  During Navratri, devotees of Mysore
worship their royal deity Chamundi,
who is considered to be the epitome of
Mysore royalty.
 According to tradition, a magnificent
procession of elephants, horses, chariots
and costumed attendants is observed on
the tenth day,when Maharaja goes to
worship the hilltop temple of the
goddess.

24. • Women belonging to the Iyer
community invite married
women to their homes in the
evenings and gift them with
accessories like bangles,
earrings and other items.
• A coconut, beetle leaves and
beetle nuts, and money are also
given as gifts to these women.
• A special recipe called ‘Sundal’
made of lentil seeds and pulses
is made on each day and served
to the guests.

25. •‘Golu` is an arrangement
made on a staircase with
nine stairs which
symbolises each day of
navratri.
• The dolls that are used
for the ‘golu’ are handed
over from generation to
generation.
•In a raised platform the
clay idols of vishnu, shiva
and brahma are placed
and worshipped.

26. ANDHRA PRADESH
• Dolls are placed in the puja
rooms of houses.
• Friends and relatives visit
each family to see the doll
collection.
• Everyone wears new
clothes.
• A special sweetmeat or
sweet rice or khir is made. It
is offered to the household
gods. Later the family
members eat them.

29. NAVRATRI
IN
WEST

30. •The Puja is performed daily by
adorning the deity with fresh
garland on each of the nine
days.
• On the tenth day, the
garlands are removed and the
idol is immersed in the sea.
• People invite young girls, who
have not attained puberty to
their house and offer them
food of their choice.

31. •People perform
devotional songs and
dances that are popular
by the names of
'Dandiya Raas' and
'Garba Raas‘ and
Jaagran to please the
Goddess
• Ambe Mata Temple at
Junagarh is a favorite
pilgrim for devotees,
during Navratri.

32. •Painted earthen pots are
used to represent the
Goddess and Garba dances
are performed by the
Gujarati women.
•The Rasa has its origin in
the life scenes of Lord
Krishna and is associated
with the agricultural rites,
while Garba is performed
only by men and is related
with the agricultural
fertility.

34. NAVRATRI
IN EAST

35. • It is celebrated with devotion
through public ceremonies
of“Sarbojanin Puja”.
•Huge decorative temporary
structures called “pandals” are
constructed to house.
• The eastern icons of Goddess
Durga, accompanied by those of
Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and
Kartikya, are taken out on the
tenth day, where they are
ceremonially immersed in the river.
• Bengali ladies give an emotion to
Durga amidst ululations and
drumbeats.

36. Assam
• In Kamakhya
,Guwahati Durga
Puja is celebrated
annually during
Navaratri.
• It is a three day
festival attracting
several visitors.

38. on the 10th day giant
effigies of Ravana.
Kumbhakarna and
Meghnad , are
publicly burnt. But
despite the various
ways in which this
festival is celebrated
the feature that is
common is that of
the worship of the
mother goddess.