Media Release
Mangaluru, Oct 18: “We all belong to Prakruti and have the aspects of divine feminity. The celebration of Navashakthi is nothing but a transformation of ourselves,” said Dr Asha Jyothi Rai, chairperson of Aasare Charitable Trust (Regd), who graced the occasion as the chief guest, as part of the Navashakthi celebration 2024, organised at Expert PU College, Kodialbail on Friday, October 18.
A vibrant procession led by Kannada HoD, Karunakar Balkur, the chief guest, Dr Asha Jyothi Rai, the chairman, Prof Narendra L Nayak, the vice-chairperson, Dr Ushaprabha N Nayak, the IT director, Ankush N Nayak and architect, Deepika A Nayak and students set the mood for the programme, with an array of colourful umbrellas accompanied by the melody of the conch. A beautiful tradition celebrating the new harvest was observed by the guests, wherein they poured rice grains into the urn.
Honouring the legacy of ‘Navanarishakthi’, Dr Asha Jyothi, Dr Ushaprabha N Nayak, Deepika A Nayak, cultural co-ordinator, Sowmya K S, English HoD, Zita D’Souza, Physics HOD, Sreevidya, Chemistry HoD, Sandhya Rani, student welfare officer, Bhuvaneshwari Shetty, office staff, Leena and Preethi, lit the 9 lamps thus representing the 9 avatars of Goddess Parvathi.
Dr Ushaprabha N Nayak, in her keynote address, highlighted the immense strength of women, “Praying to a woman only on Navaratri is not enough, we must respect, take care of women every day.”
Quoting Purandaradasa, the chairman stated, “We were born as different creatures over 84 lac years, after which we get the human form.” He added, “Every human being is embedded with these navarasas, it is how you balance these can make you an extraordinary personality.”
The showstopper event of the day was the Navashakthi cultural competitions. Students of class XII left the audience in awe with their unique depictions of Goddess Durga’s legendary victory over evil through dance-drama. EX-Vogue, a glamorous showcase of ethnicity, allowed students to display their impeccable fashion-sense and elegance on the ramp.
Following a prize distribution ceremony, where the winners of the Navashakthi competitions were felicitated, an extravagant lunch was arranged. The vote of thanks was delivered by the programme director, Sreevidya.