Nine-day fast is a stairway to heaven

The flavour inherent in each Navratra recipe is actually a sign from heaven. The nine-day `vrat' or fast is believed to lead the devotee one step closer to `moksha' or the deliverance of the soul from the cycle of birth and death. But given the constraints of modern living, religious scholars advise those who are unable to observe the entire nine-day `vrat' to fast on the opening and closing days of the festival.At a crunch, even the `ashtami' or eighth day fast can suffice.
"At any other time of year we live to eat,'' laughs singer Preeti of the Preeti-Pinky performing sisters. "But a rare willpower seems to descend upon the both of us during Navratra. Despite our hectic work schedule we only consume tea and water until `ashtami'. That night, after we are done performing, we visit a little temple in Borivli east around 2.00-3.00am where we sing devotional songs and then break our fast before the idol of the goddess.''
Most devotees eat one meal a day, usually at night and in one sitting. Typically, the food is seasoned with rock salt and the use of onion and garlic is avoided. Non-vegetarian items are taboo.
As if by blessing, prasad menu is apt to be more flavoursome than a regular household meal, even if the recipes are familiar. "`Sattvik' vegetarian delicacies like sago or sabudana vada, zeera aloo, sookhi arbi, aloo khichdi and vrat ke chawal are usually topped off by singhare ki burfi,'' says Preeti, listing the temptations that she manages to resist. Apart from fruit, milk and milk products are a mandatory inclusion on a fasting diet, so curd and boondi ka raita as well as kheer are prepared at home.
Sensing opportunity, a few weeks ago the management of the Rajdhani chain of thali restaurants called a workshop for its chefs to fine-tune their skills at Navratra recipes. "Each day of the festival, we will be serving a different menu,'' says spokesperson Yayati Sawant. "There are so many Navratra specialties and regional variations that one can comfortably go on for nine days without repetition.''
While the dal stuffed puri and singhare ki burfi are the highlights of a thali at an commercial restaurant, even the status of the common gourd, raw banana and cauliflower is elevated beyond the means of a humble household kitchen.
The end of the Navratra fast is marked by a touching ritual in which girls up to the age of eight or nine are invited to partake of a grand feast. Elderly devotees seek their blessings for they are believed to reflect the simplicity and purity of the Mother Goddess.