HYDERABAD: The festive season is not only back with a bang but also with style. After two lockdowns, Hyderabadis needed a reason break free and what better occasion than Navaratri — a festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil.
Here’s how some of the celebrities and prominent personalities in town are planning to celebrate Dasara this year. Actor Anasuya Bharadwaj, who loves spending time with her family, plans to do just that. “I am married into a North Indian family. My in-laws religious follow all the rituals and pray to Durga Maa. I haven’t been doing much of that as I am spiritual in my own way. But, before marriage, the festival at my home used to be just for three days. It was all about going to the temple, wearing new clothes and eating a lot of festive food,” she says.
Like many others, Anasuya felt lost during the peak of the pandemic. But things have changed now for her. “Now that things have opened up, I have taken on so many assignments that I have lost track of what is happening. This Dasara, I have taken off for three days to spend time with my family. I will stay at home, eat good food and wear new clothes,” she says.
Before Covid could wreak havoc in the city, she used to visit some popular pandals. “I am going to miss this. Dasara is all about killing the evil within you. I don’t know how big this evil (Covid) is, it just refuses to die. I hope that we all be good to each other, especially during these trying times. Be kind and do well,” she says.
Entrepreneur Shilpa Datla, who recently opened a dessert bar, Feu, in Jubilee Hills, makes it a point to celebrate the festival with family. “I also plan to gather my entire family for lunch, it’s been long since we’ve done that. We are also moving into a new house and I’ve been busy with that,” says Shilpa, who is looking forward to celebrate Diwali in her new house.
This year, Dasara is going to be all about getting well soon for actor Pragya Jaiswal, who has recently tested positive for Covid-19. “The only thing I am looking forward to right now is to be with my family. I just hope that I test negative soon so that I can celebrate Dasara with them,” she says. Pragya and her family mark the occasion by performing some rituals at home and having a traditional spread of home-cooked food. “Festivals are never a stress for me. I look forward to dressing up,” she says.