Journalism of Courage
As Navratri is around the corner, preparations for the festival have begun. Along with buying garba, dandiya outfits, this year people are getting special body sketches with a message to celebrate the festival in a new light (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Ahead of Navratri celebrations, people are getting unique tattoos made (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
An artist painting Navratri special temporary tattoos on theme of upcoming Gujarat elections at a studio in Bodakdev (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
A woman gets a tattoo made on the theme of govt's Cheetah project at a studio in Bodakdev (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
While festivals in India are celebrated all throughout the year, the official festive period begins with Ganesh Chaturthi, post which people begin to prepare for Navratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, and such. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
The festival of Navratri, particularly, is a flamboyant and colourful affair that is celebrated in the honour of Goddess Durga -- same as Durga Puja -- for nine nights, during which nine different avatars of the goddess are worshipped, and devotees fast diligently. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
In Gujarat -- and among Gujaratis around the world -- Navratri is one of the main festivals that is celebrated with a lot of fervor. People take part in Garba and Dandiya celebrations, which are essentially dance forms dedicated to the goddess. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
While the Garba dance form is associated with heavy, opulent and colourful outfits, with matching head-gear and other such paraphernalia, Dandiya Raas is also a magnificent and coordinated dance form for which dancers use sticks as props, usually in pairs. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
In this photo gallery, Indian Express photographers captured some revellers trying on different Garba and Dandiya outfits ahead of Navratri celebrations, which will begin this year on September 26. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
In this photo, a couple tried on an opulent outfit featuring intricate mirror-work and colourful embroidery at a store in Ghatkopar near Mumbai. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
The preparations for Navratri celebrations start months prior. Dancers invest a lot of time and creative energy in their traditional attire. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
Elsewhere, people were seen trying on the traditional Garba costume at Bhuleshwar Market in Mumbai. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
This is the first time in the two years of the pandemic that the festivities are expected to go back to the pre-Covid scale, and people are leaving no stone unturned to look and feel their best as they partake in the merriment. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
