Twice every year, more than 1,000 residents congregate at the society's community centre for a havan.
Residents of IRWO Westend Tower, a high-rise condominium on Sohna Road, Sector 47, have been performing havan towards the end of Navratra for the past seven years. Twice every year, more than 1,000 residents congregate at the society's community centre for the ritual.
The initiative was taken by the group of residents way back in 2010. Senior citizens of the society feel that a havan ensures positive vibes in the surroundings. The three-hour-long havan is popular among residents, with most inviting friends, colleagues and relatives to the ritual.
“We make it a point to organise the havan on holidays or on Sundays, as we want as many people as possible to attend," said AK Haldhar, an executive member of the RWA.
"The havan brings us all together," said DP Singh, a member of Sri Sri Durga Puja Samiti, a group of IRWO residents from different states such as West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi. "We don't have a temple in our society but the ambience created during the havan resembles that of a temple."
“We invite Acharya Triloki Gautam from Allahabad every year during Navratra," said Varun Sharma, a resident of the society. "He stays here with us for all the nine days to take care of Akhand Deep Jyoti and serve Ma Durga. He enlightens us with his words of wisdom and everybody feels blessed to have helped in the work assigned to them,” said Varun Sharma, a resident of the society.
The society spends over Rs 6 lakh in organising this bi-annual havan.
A havan is the ritual burning of offerings such as grains and ghee, which is held to mark births, marriages and other special occasions. It is believed that it helps kill various bacteria in the environment.
