It is that time of the year again. The ‘festive feels’ are getting in the way of our work, but aren’t we so used to that now. After Ganesh Chaturthi, Rakhi, Janmashtami and Teej, we have no time to start gearing up for Navratri. Navratri is a Hindu festival wherein people worship Goddess Durga and her nine incarnations. Navratri translates to ‘nine nights. Chaitra Navratri and Sharad Navratri are two of the most widely celebrated Navratri festivals, even though there are a total of four Navratris in a year. The other two are known as ‘Gupta Navratri and aren’t meant to be celebrated wide. Just like Chaitra Navratri, Sharad Navaratri also falls around the time when the season is in transition. With the suddepn nip in the air, and it is thus advisable to eat light and clean. Interestingly, this is also one of the rationales behind Navratri fasting, besides religious reasons, of course.
During Navratri, many Hindus give up on meat, eggs and alcohol. Slightly more devoted ones also observe ritualistic Navratri fasts. You can keep them for one day, two days or all nine days. The rules of fasting also differ from person to person, family to family. I have seen most people going for the ‘Phalahara’ fast in Delhi, consuming lots of milk and fruits. Since grains and pulses are also avoided, alternatives like kuttu (buckwheat), sabudana (tapioca pearls) and makhana (fox nuts) come into play.
Now, it can be a little cumbersome to keep track of what is permissible and what is not, so we decided to list all the items that are generally avoided during a vrat. Here goes:
1. Meat and meat items: The Navratri fast needs to be an all-vegetarian and Satvik fare; therefore, you cannot consume meat or poultry. Even eggs are barred.
2. No Onion or Garlic: Since Onion and garlic are not ‘Satvik’ but ‘Tamasic’ in nature or foods that aggravate aggression, onions and garlic are also not permissible.
3. No Table Salt: You can use rock salt or Sendha namak to add flavour. Rock salt is much more lighter, which is why they are used in place of table salt.
4. Lentils And Legumes: Think nothing can be lighter than your plate of dal and chawal? According to Navratri fasting rules, no pulses, lentils, or legumes can be added to vrat ka khana. Instead, you can turn to seasonal vegetables like potato, sweet potato, lauki, etc., for a filling meal.
5. No Rice: Now, this is where things get complicated; India is one of the largest rice consuming nations after all. But it is true, and you cannot consume regular starchy rice. There are alternatives; of course, you can have Samak ke chawal.
6. No Wheat: You cannot have grains like wheat, rice, sorghum, rye, barley or oats. More palatable alternatives would be kuttu or water chestnut flour or singhare ka atta.
7. No Hot Spices: Even some of the most common spices like turmeric, hing, garam masala, mustard are not added in vrat ka khana. They are significant to make the delicacies flavourful, but they also make them heavier to digest.
It is tough to say whether or not one can consume tea in fasts, and some people do, some people avoid. So, it is best to stick to what suits you the best. There are options aplenty as to how you can make you fasting a fulfilling affair. Here’s an ultimate plan that has recipe for your breakfast, lunch and dinner.