Maybe this will come as a surprise or maybe it won’t, it wasn’t entirely easy peasy to find entrepreneurs rushing to respond to a Navratri special. A lot of us don’t observe many of the rituals, we certainly can’t afford to fast for nine days. Nor can most entrepreneurs on the hustle-hustle.
Lakshmi was on our side because we did manage to find a few near extinct Navratri believers among #StartupIndia. Here they are talking about how they celebrate Navratri and who their devis are.
Archit Gupta, founder and CEO, ClearTaxHow are you celebrating Navratri?We will be doing some decorations in the office and get sweets for all the employees.
Who are the goddesses in your life?
My real goddess in life would be my mother who has taught me the key values of life - hard work, patience and constantly working to improve the human life.
Anisha Singh, founder and CEO of MydalaHow are you celebrating Navratri?Since I was 2 years old I have been going to one of my aunt’s (who is like a mother to me) house for kanjke. The tradition continues now with my daughters. So Navratri is all about getting together with my second family. I join my daughters and my mother at my aunt’s place straight from work for the best puri channa and halwa and quality time with my dear ones.
Who are the goddesses in your life? My two daughters, my mom, my mom-in-law, my sisters and my sister-in-law (my husband’s sister). To me, I see shades of Durga in my friends and most women I work with. In my daughters’ teachers and some of the mothers at school I see shades of Saraswati. I myself am Saraswati certain times, hopefully Lakshmi certain times, Durga the others and definitely Kali at times.
Vishwavijay Singh, cofounder of SaleBhai.com
How are you celebrating Navratri?
Staying true to our ethos of fulfilling diaspora needs, we at SaleBhai are celebrating Navratri by catring to the needs of our customers during this auspicious nine day period. We have hand-curated a special list of products like Upwas snacks, dried fruits and green tea especially for our fasting customers to ensure their Navratras are observed keeping a strict balance between spirituality and nutrition. We are also providing a wide collection of pooja items like puja packs, diyas, puja thalis and have also made available authentic, naturally ripened, and GI-tagged Alphonso mangoes directly from Ratnagiri - the perfect fruit to include in your offering or prasad chadava on Ram Navami.
Who are the goddesses in your life? Growing up, I saw both my grandmother as well as my mother being devout worshippers of Ma Durga. Having lived for a short time in East India where Goddess Durga is revered across the region and then here in Gujarat where she is celebrated in all her glory during Navratri, it is easy to guess why I have the deepest piety for Durga Devi.
Besides her, another goddess who is a big part of my life is Lakshmi. Here in Gujarat, we celebrate her in the highest manner during Diwali.
Swapnil Tripathi, cofounder, Paalak.in
How are you celebrating Navratri?
I take Navratri as a reason to go on a fruit diet and detoxify for at least 3 days. As a ritual the family gathers at 8pm for Aarti everyday.
Who are the goddesses in your life?
The Goddess in my life is my wife; she is my strength and the one who motivates me to be a better entrepreneur. She is a pillar that holds our family together and takes the entire load of upbringing our kids. In fact, all three ladies in my life are strong individuals - my wife, sister and mother are all goddesses in their own right.
Komal Agarwal, director of marketing, Pebble
How are you celebrating Navratri?
The nine days of Navratri are very auspicious for our family. We indulge in Pujas everyday, wherein all of us sit together to offer our gratitude to Goddess Durga. We fast on certain days during this blessed period, and try to do good deeds for our friends, family and strangers. On the last day of Navratri, we invite 11 girls to our house. They symbolise the prowess of Goddess Durga. We offer them home-cooked lunch, we seek their blessings and we conclude our day with gratitude in our hearts.
Who are the goddesses in your life? When I think of a goddess, I picture someone who is the epitome of knowledge, strength, power, justice, kindness, love and sacrifice- all in one. In real life, there is not just one person but several women who, according to me, is a goddess in their own way- my mother, who has been a constant support and backbone since the beginning; a few teachers who have really helped me explore my strengths and weakness; some inspiring personalities who have reached heights in their lives despite all odds, and even our house help who is up and running from 5am till 9pm every day. I think they all have a Goddess inside them and I bow to each one of them for this.
BW Reporters
Regina is a reporter for BW Businessworld. In her previous assignments, she has worked with Independent television Network as a news anchor and reporter in Sri Lanka
