Durga Puja, garba and dandiya to bring Gurugram alive this festive season

Dandiya evenings will bring residents together at Central Park’s Lifestyle Homes and City Homes in Sector 83

Garba nights, Durga Puja pandals, Dandiya evenings and food festivals are bringing a mix of regional traditions to Gurugram’s residential neighbourhoods this festive season, as communities across the city prepare to celebrate Navratri and Durga Puja with music, dance, rituals and shared meals.

Residents from Sectors 107, 108 and 109, including families from more than 10 residential societies, attended the traditional Khunti Puja and Kalash Sthapana ceremonies on October 10. (HT Photo)

At Club5 in DLF5, Bengal and Gujarat will come together under one roof, with Durga Puja and Navratri celebrations featuring a Garba night, a festive mela, cultural performances and an eco-friendly take on the traditional Ravan Dahan. The programme will offer residents an opportunity to experience traditions from different parts of the country while celebrating together.

Along the Dwarka Expressway, residential communities are preparing their own festivities, bringing together families from several societies.

At the Babupur Community Centre in Sector 108, Srishti Sangha has begun preparations for its fifth consecutive Durga Puja with the traditional Khunti Puja and Kalash Sthapana ceremonies. Residents from Sectors 107, 108 and 109, including families from more than 10 residential societies, attended the ceremony on October 10.

Khunti Puja, a Bengali ritual performed to seek divine blessings for the safe and uninterrupted construction of the Durga Puja pandal, marked the countdown to the celebrations scheduled from October 16 to 21.

Organisers are preparing a decorated pandal with elaborate artwork and lighting, centred around a sculpted idol of Goddess Durga. The programme will feature live music, theatre, classical and contemporary dance, children’s drawing competitions, fashion shows and quizzes.

Food will be a major attraction, with the Anondomala Food Festival bringing together home-cooked delicacies and street food. The celebrations will culminate in Sindur Khela on Dashami, a traditional ritual in which women apply vermilion to one another before bidding farewell to the Goddess.

“This year marks our biggest Durga Puja celebration to date. Srishti Sangha has organised a diverse range of cultural programmes and activities for the community. Residents from all generations are joining hands to celebrate, and we are set for a memorable and fun-filled five days,” said Swagata, an organiser.

Elsewhere along the Dwarka Expressway, Dandiya evenings will bring residents together at Central Park’s Lifestyle Homes and City Homes in Sector 83.

Enviro, an integrated facility management company, in association with Aegis Media, is organising the events on October 13 and 15, from 4pm to 10pm, with more than 1,000 residents expected to participate. The evenings will feature music, dance, food stalls and other festive activities, while local entrepreneurs and vendors are being offered discounted stall bookings.

For Gurugram’s residential communities, particularly those with families from different parts of the country, the celebrations are also an opportunity to get to know neighbours, experience one another’s traditions and turn shared residential spaces into gathering places.