• 
  Divyanka Tripathi
• 
  Sneha Wagh
• 
  Mrunal Jain
• 
  Tina Dutta
• 
  Roopal Tyagi
• 
  Himmanshoo Ashok Malhotra
• 
  Neha Kakkar
• 
  Ajay Chaudhary
• 
  Nalini Negi
• 
  Sahil Phull
• 
  Ssharad Malhotraa
• 
  Arjun Bijlani
• 
  Krishna Bisth
• 
  Aniruddh Dave
• 
  Shraddha Musale
• 
  Rishina Kandhari
• 
  Ankit Gera
• 
  Avinesh Rekhi
• 
  Shivin Narang
• 
  Gunjan Utreja

Festive season is always a busy time for television stars and the auspicious period of Navratri, is no different. Telly Stars talk about the Navratri festival and its significance...

Divyanka Tripathi - I love Navratri, it’s a festival where I rejoice and celebrate. I do go for appearances if I have the time. I love to dance and like the atmosphere of the festival. It makes me feel very positive as the whole atmosphere is very vibrant.

Sneha Wagh - Navratri is indeed special for us. My mom keeps ghat (Devi Ki Stapana) at home. I never fast though but I keep a check on what I eat. I wish I get time off to play Garba. I would plan to go to Kora Kendra Garba which is one of the popular places. If at all I get the time to play Garba, then I will buy a new set of chaniya choli for myself and my sister.

Mrunal Jain - I am a Marwari but have a lot of Gujarati friends. I used to do Garba and enjoy it to the hilt. It’s great fun to let your hair down and wear special traditional outfit and go with friends for Dandiya.

Tina Dutta - Navratri means Durga Pooja to me. It is the time when I spend a lot of time with my friends and family. This year too I am planning to go to Kolkata. During Durga Puja, it is the best place to visit. I am looking forward for some nice pandal hoping and eating bhog (prasad). Also I will attend the Sandhi Puja during Ashtami.

Roopal Tyagi - Navratri is special because it’s a long and fun filled festival. We pray and have fun at the same time. I just do a small pooja at home like in South India we do poojas. I don't believe in fasting and I am not going for dandiya appearances as I am shooting 13-14 hours almost everyday. But if by God’s grace I manage the time, I shall go to play dandiya for couple of days for sure. I have already bought a beautiful Gujarati style lehenga from my designer friend and it’s perfect for garba.

Himmanshoo Ashok Malhotra - Navratri as a festival brings great amount of joy and is full of celebration. It’s an amazing festive season of yummy food and dance especially in Mumbai and Gujarat where everyone gathers for Dandiya and Garba. Unfortunately, this year I am not in Mumbai as I am shooting in Delhi. I totally enjoy the festival. As far as fasting is concerned I don't fast but my mom does on all nine days. The only restriction is not to eat any non veg items during navratri and we abide by what mom says.

Neha Kakkar - Navratri for me is all about music and dance. It is a way of expressing our love, respect and reverence for the Goddess Durga. Well I try and visit the famous spots in Mumbai for navratri with my friends if I am in town. I don't particularly follow any rituals but yes we do a little Pooja at home on ashthami. I do believe that it’s a season to celebrate ones love for Durga Goddess and seek Her blessings. Well this year I am performing throughout the nine days in various cities and will dress up in a nice lehenga and choli which I will design myself and make it a personal statement.

Ajay Chaudhary - We believe in Vaishno Maata very much and celebrate it with great excitement. We all fast, do pooja and visit temples. This festival brings a lot of positivity and a divine feeling during those nine days. We will visit the Pandals that we see in Juhu and play dandiya. That’s how I celebrate Navratri. Frankly, I can’t fast but I shall try fasting on the first and last day of Navratri. As usual, I will not eat non-veg and I don’t have drinking or smoking habit, so these are the few things that I follow. Our Ahmadabad Express team is planning to perform garba in Gujarat and in Mumbai too! Clothes are something I may not buy here but might buy Gold since Gold prices have reduced lately.

Nalini Negi - It signifies good heath, wealth, prosperity, knowledge and auspiciousness. Well I will do little bit decoration of my Pooja ghar and will decorate my house with lights. I have never kept a fast I will try to keep it this time if I will not be shooting. No alcohol, non-veg and I avoid having garlic and onion too. Well, I have never been to any garba nights but this time I want to see how Mumbai people celebrate this festival because lot of gujju people stay here. So, I am excited to celebrate my first navratri in Mumbai. Well, I love shopping so every 2 or 3 weekends I go for shopping but I haven't bought specially for this festival but if I will go for garba definitely I would love to go on with my new gujju attire...

Sahil Phull - It’s a festival of celebration and totally divine. During my childhood days in Jammu, all of us in the family used to fast along with my Mom and it was very big festival for us and visit temples and different Pandals every night. Since I am in Mumbai from the past seven years, some of my friends are Gujarati and we do go for Dandiya, its so much fun! I might fast on the first and the last day and won’t eat non- veg not. During Navratri we buy new clothes, new electronics if any required simply just anything new we are intending to buy.

Ssharad Malhotraa - During navratri we have invoke the energy acted through God in the form of a universal mother and commonly we can refer to it as Durga which means removal of all miseries of life and So durga is also refered to as Devi or Shakti. It worshiping 9 forms of devi during these nine nights. Its a very auspicious time for all of us.Personally I belong from Kolkata,where Durga Pooja is the biggest and most important festival celebrated of the year. I remember going out with family and friends to visit Pandals which are so gorgeous there and we used to take blessings from different idols of Maa Durga. Since I have shifted to Bombay now, all we friend after pack up do visit pandals and see different idols. Well, the best part is the Bhog, we get after Pooja which is really mouth watering! This festival is so beautiful and filled with vibrant colours you get see people dressed in colourful Indian attire like Kurta pajanma, Dhoti, Saris, Lenhgas... It’s an amazing beautiful festival full of life!As a kid I remember back in Calcutta i used to fast on the first and last day along with my Mom but here in Bombay with busy schedule its going be difficult fasting. Though I’ll try fasting on the 8th day because it’s Astami. Most of my friends do play Garba and stand and watch them but this year I’ll try playing garba.


Arjun Bijlani - Navrati festival is important festival for me. My and my wife make it a point that we go to temple at least once in those nine days. Like every year even this year I will follow rules of not having non veg food and visit temple with my family. I will be celebrating Navratri with my family. I don't fast but I avoid eating non veg food for nine days. Before Navratri we clean our house and change everything from bed sheets to curtain and also do pooja for nine days. I wont be performing
Garba this year.

Krishna Bisth - I remember my childhood days in Navratri I and my firiends my friends� used to bunk school� and visit Mata ji's temple and have bandara food. Now I am in Mumbai so I don't do anything I just keep fast on first and last day of Navratri. I will be visiting Maha Laksmi temple with my friends. I wont be performing but I will be going to with friends to play Garba and have fun.

Aniruddh Dave - Navratri's nine days arelike full of masti and dhamal days for me considering garba and dandiya. We actors go for events also where I enjoy the great vibrant atmosphere over there full of energy, colorful dress with add on of worship with fun and frolic. This year I will be traveling to Surat and Ahmadabad with my Ahmadabad Express team.

Shraddha Musale - Navratri is v special for me always. As am from Ahmedabad and have always enjoyed this festival to the fullest. We all kids used to make mud mandirs in our building, decorate it, do aartis and then do garba till late night. It was a lovely get together for all the families.Eat phafda jalebi at 4 am a day before Dussehra. This year I am invited to Goa, by the Goa govt tourism for the dandiya.I will go for my building Durga aarti and garba for a day.

Rishina Kandhari - Navratri has always been special to me as my mother has always been celebrating it ! During Navaratri, we pray to " Durga ," who literally is the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred as "Shakti" I feel praying to her gives one strength . No I don't keep fasts , we follow strict vegetarian diet on these nine days and also drink wheat grass water as we grow wheat in nine different pots for the Devi (my mom does ) it has health benefits . My work does not permit me to have much fun outside set . I love to wear traditional lehenga and backless cholis on garba days my Masi lives in Vadodara and sends me gorgeous looking colourful dress for navratri including the oxidized jewelry. I look forward to my gifts every year!

Ankit Gera - The nine days of Navratri is really very special for me. I do cleaning at my place. I don't fast for entire nine days but on the second and last day I try to keep fast. I decorate my house temple with flowers and diya. I make it point that the diya be lighted whole night for nine days. We generally don't cut hair and do shaving for nine days but due to my profession I have to be up to date. This year navratri I am planning to visit Maha Lakshmi temple at least once and also I be will visiting pandals for the darshan. I will not eat non veg for nine days. No I won’t preforming Garba this as I will be busy shooting.

Avinesh Rekhi - Navratri festival is very special festival for me. I do clean my house and do pooja for mata ji at my place with my family. I don't fast but I avoid eating non veg food. This Navratri I am planing to visit few pandals with wife and kid to take mataji's blessings. I will be not performing at garba. Yes I will be buying new clothes for me and my family. The best memory is from Chandigarh when I had danced till 4am with friends at a dandiya party. Whole night dancing was awesome.

Shivin Narang - I belong to a Punjabi family and in my home town Delhi I remember my childhood days this festival is been celebrated in every house it used to be fun for nine days, I don't fast but my parents do fast for nine days. I used to keep fast when I was Delhi , but now I am in Mumbai so it’s very difficult to fast. But I make it point that I fast on the first and the last day of Navratri. I clean my house and decorate with beautiful flowers and diya. I won’t be performing at garba. I remember my dad used to and he still keeps Bandara for every one on the last two days of Navratri.

Gunjan Utreja - Festivals are great occasions to meet each other and savour upon great food. Till I was in college I used to keep fast during navratri and on the last day I would do the puja. But now because of my hectic schedule I am not able to keep fast anymore. This year navratri will be special as I am shooting in Ahmadabad. I m super excited as I have now formally learnt the art of Dandiya.



- Dharmishtha Dagia