It is about the National Unity Day .

1. National unity day
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
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. Sardar
Vallabh
Bhai Patel
Born: October 31,
1875, Nadiad.
Died: December
15, 1950,
Mumbai.

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

7. NORTH
INDIA
EAST
SOUTH
WEST

10. Northern
States
•Uttar pradesh
•Delhi
•Himachal pradesh
•Kashmir
•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. 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 of
Navratri.
• Aarti is held on the last day of
Navratri at the temple and it is
only after which, people break
their fast.
• Many devotees also go to the
mountain cave of the Vaishno Devi
Temple.

18. SOUTH INDIA
• 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.
• Though 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.

19. 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.

21. •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.

22. •‘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.

23. 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.

24. East

25. •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.

26. In Gujarat, Navratri is a community
event, where people perform
devotional songs and dances that are
popular by the names of 'Dandiya
Raas' and 'Garba Raas', and observe
Jaagran (waking through the night),
to please the Goddess. Amba Mata Temple at Junagarh, Gujarat, is a favorite
pilgrim for devotees, during Navratri. Here, painted earthen pots are used to
represent the Goddess and Garba dances are performed by the Gujarati
women around those pots, in circles. The pots are valued as the abode of the
Goddess. 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.

27. west

28. 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.

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

31.  on the 10th day
(Dassera) giant effigies
of Ravana.
Kumbhakarna and
Meghnad (Lord Rama's
enemies), 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.