The Bombay High Court on Friday ruled that contemporary sound systems such as DJs and loudspeakers are not required for performing Garba and Dandiya during Navratri. According to the Court judgement, the religious celebration of Navratri demands ‘one point focus’ and should not be celebrated in a raucous environment.
“Dandiya and Garba being an intrinsic part of a religious celebration can still be performed in a purely traditional and religious way, which do not contemplate the use of modern gadgets like, music system, loudspeakers, DJ sound and the like”, the bench led by Justices Sunil Shukre and Govind Sanap noted.
Navratri worship should be without disturbance to others; Garba, Dandiya doesn’t need loudspeaker, DJ: Bombay High Court
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) September 30, 2022
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The bench added that the Goddess cannot be worshipped during the nine-day festival if there is a disturbance to the devotee or if the devotee himself causes disturbance to others. The Court was hearing a petition seeking a directive prohibiting the deployment of a sound system for the ongoing Navratri celebration on a playground that had been designated as a “silent zone” under the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000.
“What is worshipped for nine nights is a form of `Shakti’. The worship to goddess of Shakti is effective only when it is done with one-pointed attention, without any hesitation, without any disturbance of mind coming from the atmosphere around us and without causing any disturbance to others”, the bench was quoted.
The court asked if directed worship and devotion to the presiding god of the ‘Navratra Festival’ is feasible if the celebration is raucous or done in such a way as to bother and disturb others. “No offering of one pointed worship and devotion to the presiding deity of Navratra festival is possible unless there is the full concentration of mind, all energies of body and mind are focused on nothing but the deity and there is gradual shading of once own identity till the realisation of the supreme reality or the truth”, the Court said.
The Court further stated that if a devotee’s act of devotion causes irritation or disturbance to others, there is a potential of rebounding action of the same or even greater disruption from others. It was stated that performing ‘Dandiya’ and ‘Garba’ is one of the traditional ways of commemorating the festival and is considered by a huge segment of the Hindu faith to be the greatest means of showing their devotion to the presiding god of the Navratri festival in its fullest form.
However, it was stated that this does not exclude any celebrations. Dandiya and Garba can still be done in a purely traditional and religious manner, according to the Court. Earlier, the government of Maharashtra had allowed the use of loudspeakers till midnight during the ongoing Navratri festival on October 1 also, apart from October 3 and 4, in Mumbai.
नवरात्रौत्सवात १ ऑक्टोबरला रात्री बारा वाजेपर्यंत ध्वनीक्षेपक वापरास सूट; मुख्यमंत्री @mieknathshinde आणि उपमुख्यमंत्री @Dev_Fadnavis यांच्या चर्चेतून वाढीव दिवसाचा निर्णय. मुंबईमध्ये यंदा नवरात्रौत्सवासाठी ३ व ४ ऑक्टोबर व्यतिरिक्त १ ऑक्टोबर हा आणखी एक वाढीव दिवस उपलब्ध होणार.
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) September 27, 2022
The Environment and Climate Change Department’s Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Revised Rules, 2017, permit the concerned district collectors to declare exemptions for the use of loudspeakers on any 15 days of the year from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m, the release had said.
However, the bench in the case on September 30 gave the sponsors permission to perform Dandiya and Garba, but only in a traditional and strictly religious manner, without the use of loud musical instruments, drums, tom-toms, sound systems, or DJ systems.
