Devan Chauhan

3rd Semester MBA

NITHM

Event Management.

NAVRATRI FESTIVAL’2009 – AHEMADABAD

Navratri or the festival of “nine” nights is the celebration of good over the evil. Goddess Durga is
preached in these nine days which is followed by dussehra, the 10th day. The concept of Navratri
festival is not new. It’s an age old custom celebrated every year in different parts of India. This
festival has different names in different place such as Durga puja in Bengal, Dussehra in other
places etc. But the celebration of Navratri in Gujarat especially in Ahemadabad is truly
mesmerizing experience.

Here, Navratri is celebrated with the famous Garba and Dandiya-Raas dance. Since the past few
years, the Government of Gujarat has been organising the "Navratri Festival Celebrations" on a
regular basis for the nine days of Navratri Festival, in Ahemadabad. People from all over Gujarat
and even abroad come to participate in the nine days celebrations. It is also popular throughout
India and among Indian communities around the world including UK and USA.

The Vibrant Navratri Mahotsav-2009 at University Grounds, Ahemadabad was inaugurated

by Chief Minister Narendra Modi on 19th September 2009. Traditional dressing was compulsory
for taking part in Sheri Garba. Necessary light, sound, parking, and drinking water arrangements
were made. The event was jointly organized by Gujarat Government and Gujarat Industries
Navratri Festival Society. Ministry of cultural activities and sports has organised state level
Garaba competitions, every day at 7:30 p.m on the ground. The entry pass for the event was free
of cost but the basic eligibility criteria for entry was “ Traditional Gujarati dress” i.e Chaniya
choli for ladies, and Kedia for gents.

The Vibrant Navratri Festival also showcased the tourism potential and important pilgrimage
centers of the state. The Theme pavilion displayed some of the development activities
undertaken by the government and its religious importance. Like,

- Saputara hill station is going to be developed in the coming days.

-State has initiated development program for Shakti-Peethas- Ambaji, Chotila, Bahucharajee and
Pavagadh - fully alive to the devotional faith to the religious sites

-“Vibrant Gujarat Colors of India” and “Vibrant Gujarat”- Where life itself is the Celebration”
were considered to be the special attractions of the event.

- Theme pavilion also showcased the World Heritage site -Champaner.

- Gujarat is front runner in conceptualizing Green Energy by maximum exploration of non

conventional energy resources. Theme pavilion presented a blue print for Solar and Wind Energy
production in the State.

SIZE /SCALE OF EVENT

This event was organized on a grand scale. As many as 40 to 50 thousand citizens attended the
event. The university ground is huge in Ahemadabad. Thus it provided a great opportunity to
display handicrafts, jewelries, hand looms and traditional toys. Exhibition cum sale covered
around 120 stalls. As many as 64 Food Stalls and Food-Courts served delicious Gujarati dishes.
Elaborate security arrangements were made for the Vibrant Navratri Festival-2009. Security
agencies kept strict vigil. They screened each and every visitor at the entry point. Prohibited
things and arms were not allowed at the event site. During the inauguration session, besides local
artists, artists from the other states like Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Assam, Haryana, and West-
Bengal presented their performances. The first, second and third winners got cash prizes of Rs. 1
Lakh, Rs.75000/ and Rs 50000/ respectively.

Key elements-
Place of event- University Grounds , Ahemadabad.

Vistors- 40,000 to 50,000 per day.

Entry fee- Nil

Organized by- Govt. of Gujarat, Gujarat Industries Navratri Festival Society.