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Karva Chauth’s Appeal has Widened Thanks to its Glamorization and Romanticization in Bollywood Films

Karva Chauth’s Appeal has Widened Thanks to its Glamorization and Romanticization in Bollywood Films

  • The festival’s reinvention, with husbands joining wives in fasting and festivities also boosted its popularity.

It is that time of the year once again when many Indian American women gather to celebrate the annual festival of Karva Chauth by observing a fast from sunrise to moonrise and praying for the well-being and longevity of their husbands.

Dressed in colorful salwar suits and saris, henna on their palms, bangles on their wrists and a decorated thali in their hands, women gathered at homes and temples to perform the traditional rituals.

Above, blogger Vandana Malhotra Puri, of Edison, N.J., extreme right, celebrates Karva Chauth at a friend’s house, Oct. 12. Top, Dipika Khatri, an IT professional, right, celebrates Karva Chauth with her friends at her home in South Brunswick, N.J., Oct. 12.

The one-day festival is observed annually by married women. It is said that this festival began when women started praying for the safe return of their husbands who went to fight wars in far-off lands. It also marks the end of the harvest season.

Harmeen Dandona, second from left, with friends during Karva Chauth festivities at her home in South Brunswick, N.J., Oct. 12.
Fremont, Calif.-based entrepreneur and activist Papiha Nandy observes Karva Chauth rituals with her husband Tony Kazy, Oct. 13.

The festival falls on the fourth day of the month of Kartik and is primarily observed by people from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh. For many, it’s a day of fasting in celebration of love, marriage and partnership, a ritual that not only brings couples closer together but also the women who perform the pooja together.

While many Indian American women observed the fast on Oct. 12, some women observed it on the following day.

In South Brunswick, New Jersey, cosmetician Harmeen Dandona hosted a few of her friends on Oct. 12. The women performed the rituals and spent the afternoon catching up and posing for photos. Blogger Vandana Malhotra Puri of Edison, New Jersey, also met up at a friend’s home, while entrepreneur Sonia Sharma and a few friends attended the pooja at the Durga Mandir in Princeton, New Jersey.

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Shweta Agarwal of Santa Clara, Calif., celebrates Karva Chauth with her husband Vic Sharma.

Once mainly a Punjabi ceremony, Karva Chauth or KC as it is popularly known, is now a full-fledged festival celebrated by almost half of India, thanks to Bollywood. Films have made these rituals look cool and romantic: A woman wants to spend a lifetime with her partner and she is willing to sacrifice food for a day to make it happen. Add to that elaborate dresses, throw in an expensive gift or two and a day at the spa or a parlor — and you’ve got the whole nine yards.

Maybe because of its glamour quotient, more and more women appear to be embracing the practice even if it was never a part of their tradition. And the switch is always a personal choice rather than a social compulsion.

In its new avatar, the festival has reinvented itself from being a regressive ritual to a romantic and social celebration. Now, the husband fasts along with his wife and buys her expensive gifts. Some host Karva Chauth parties either to break the fast or a day earlier to apply henna or early morning on the day of the fast to eat the sargi.

Sonia Sharma fifth from left, participates in Karva Chauth rituals with friends at the Durga Mandir in Princeton, N.J., Oct. 12.
Mona Parikh of Houston, Texas. Mrs. India USA Texas 2022 and first runner up Mrs. India USA, with the Karva Chauth thali in Houston.
Blogger Vandana Malhotra Puri of Edison, N.J., seated fourth from right, celebrates Karva Chauth at a friend’s house, Oct. 12.
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