Navratri 2018: Stop Worshipping Maa Durga During Navaratri If You Cannot Respect Women The Rest of Your Life

From October 10, India will see the beginning of the festive season with Navaratri 2018. Over the next nine days, people in different parts of the country will worship the nine different avatars of Goddess Durga. While we worship the Goddess, we need to ask ourselves if we have served justice to the Lakshmis and Saraswatis of the country. As we pray to the Goddess this Navratri, let's take this moment to first think how we treat the woman, the Lakshmi, the Durga around us, in our homes, in our workplaces, on the streets or even in temples. Maa Durga's 108 Names in Hindi: This Navaratri 2018, Chant Names of Devi Durga to Seek Goddess Shakti's Divine Blessings.

The statistics of crimes against women in India have always been appalling. Every third woman, since the age of 15, has faced domestic violence of various forms in the country, as per the National Family Health Survey (NHFS-4) released by the Health Ministry earlier this year. The incidents of child rapes rose by 82 per cent in the year 2016 as per statistics by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Crimes against women witnessed a 26 per cent rise in 2016 in the country. Women Fail Women When They Protest Against Their Own Entry Into a Temple; How Can We Then Expect an India With Equal Rights?

These are numbers out of just those cases that get reported or registered. Added to this is the Me Too movement that seems to have arrived in India and the horrific details emerging on the social media are disturbing, shocking and shameful. Survey Says Most Indian Girls Feel Unsafe While Going For Morning Walks.

These are acts of crime against the women in our country. The biggest stigma that women have been dealing with for years is inequality. Women have been pulled down, differentiated, restricted and bullied over the years. They're judged on the basis of what they wear, where they work, when they marry, how much they speak or smile and what not. In several parts, female foeticide is rampant.

If that is not enough, the Indian women is still struggling with pay parity. Women in workplaces are not paid as much as men in the same positions. Then there have been women who had to fight for years to ensure their entry into a temple.

During the Navaratri, many people will perform kanya pujan. They will worship girl children as they consider them to be an avatar of Devi. Are we supposed to worship her just that one day of the year when deep down in our minds we would still be thinking of why women in your family must give birth to a male child? We dilute our Navratri, we insult our own faith in the Goddess when this is how we treat the woman.

This Navratri, worship Maa Durga and make your woman walk every step with you. This Navratri, worship Maa Mahagauri and pledge to respect women for the rest of your life. If every man is devta, every woman is devi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 09, 2018 09:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).