VijayaDashami- Melting Pot Of Celebrations

Vijaya Dashami is celebrated for different reasons and observed differently in various parts of the country. It's known as Dussehra in theNorth, Dashain in Nepal and VijayaDashami in the South. In fact, many consider this festival as a true representationof our multicultural society.

Vijaya Dashami is the symbolism of triumph of righteousness over evil. What better time of the year to celebrate this occasion other than during the culmination of the fasting period for Hindus. Dussehra is derived from "dasha" and "hara",two Sanskrit words, which mean destroyer of the evil, the ten-headed Ravana. It carries a positive message that evil can never reign for long.

In North India, Dussehra marks the 10thepic battle between the exiled prince Rama and the evil king Ravana, who abducted Rama's wife Sitaand called for the battle. The festivities start with staging of Ram Leela, which is an elaborate drama based on Ramayan,followed by burning colossal effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkaranand his son Meghnath,which signifies end of evil.

In West Bengal, Dussehra is celebrated in form of Durga Puja. It is a 5-day festival celebrated with immersed festivities of aarti rituals, traditional dance performances and gala processions. This is the time of the year everybody gets together and the most exquisite sarees andsherwanis finally come out of closets to mark the pandalvisits.

Pandals are temporary pavilions that house the deities;almost every neighborhood builds their own pandal with their respective themes and decorations.In Maharashtra, it is an auspicious occasion to start a new venture or business.

In Gujarat, Dussehrais celebrated in the form of Navratriwhich encapsulates 7 days of garba, which is the folk dance and main attraction of the festival. After theaarti of the goddess, garba is played throughout the night to keep the festivities at the peak of their excitement.

Southern states have their own flavour of Dussehra, it is the most extravagant festival with most cities coming alive with lighting and festivities of grand processions. The most popular one takes place in Mysore Palace-which is official residence of the royal Wodeyarfamily.

In Kerela,SaraswatiPuja holds lot of faith forthe initiation of education of the younger kids in the family;whereas, in TamilNadu and Andhra, people tastefully arrange dolls of god and goddesses in their homes, which is calledBommaiKolu or Golu.

This exhilarating and inspiring festival provides ample opportunity to capture highlights of the best moments spent with family and friends. What better partner than the Selfie Expert Oppo F3 that comes with a dual front camera with a 16-megapixel lens and a wide-angle lens for taking the perfect group selfies. Besides the dual selfie camera, it comes with a built-in facial recognition to adjust focal modes as per lighting and surroundings.

From fasting,feasting to fireworks, there's plenty to treasure from this festive season. Happy Dussehra!