Navratri, the nine nights celebrating the divine feminine Adishakti, begins on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada. Festivals are a means to connect with God and lead a dharmik life, but today they have taken on a commercial form. Malpractices have crept in, destroying the sanctity of the celebrations and detracting from the purpose. Navratri has fallen prey to this too. Celebrating Navratri is to awaken the latent energy of Goddess Durga within oneself. We have numerous examples where women channelled their inner Durga and changed the course of history. But today we see that atrocities against women are on the rise because women are losing the capacity to retaliate. It is time that we awaken Durga within and prepare ourselves to protect the Nation & Dharma. Let us pledge to maintain the sanctity of Navratri, celebrate it in a Dharmik way, and gain the grace of the Divine Mother!