From 15–23 October 2023, Hindus from around the world will be celebrating the festival of Navratri. Navratri, which translates to ‘nine nights’, is a celebration of the feminine divine in all her glorious forms. Hinduism is comprised of many different schools of spiritual philosophy, each of which has its own unique relationship to the feminine divine but commonly, religious practises during Navratri involve worship of the mother goddess, Durga.  

Navratri celebrations originating from India differ by state. In the state that my ancestors are from, Gujarat, we celebrate Navratri with traditional communal folk dancing called garba. It is a semi-structured, often fast-paced dance which involves clapping, turning and jumping (if you are athletic enough) in a circular motion around the goddess’s alter. With Gujarati communities having emigrated to numerous countries, there are garba events all around the world where for nine nights, devotees will dance for hours on end in honour and celebration of the feminine divine.   

Hindu religious dates do not fall on the same day every year as we operate on a lunar-solar calendar, but Navratri usually falls towards the end of September or October. For those of us who work in higher education, that means one thing – the start of Semester 1!

For the past six years, I have worked in student-facing roles, mainly as a Placements Officer, which has meant that my ability to take annual leave for Navratri has been limited. Wanting to support my students through what is an important and often challenging time for them, as well as immerse myself in my spiritual practices, I would try to make it work.

I would attend Navratri celebrations each evening from around 8pm-midnight. I’d get to bed around 2am and take a half-day of annual leave so that I could sleep until around 9am. Then I’d pray, cook (some fast during Navratri; I do not) and get my clothes ready for the evening, starting work at 1pm. I’d work through to 5.30pm supporting students with their placement applications, go home, eat, get ready and do it all over again! Full disclaimer – there were some days when I did not take any time off and turned up to work with sore feet and even sorer eyes! 

I am now a member of the EDI Services team, where although I work to serve our whole University community, I do not work directly with students in the same way I did before. This will be the first year where I am taking a full two weeks of annual leave to celebrate Navratri. I recognise that I am in a privileged position to do this as a Grade 6-9 member of staff, as I have enough annual leave allowance to be able to do this without sacrificing other personal priorities.  

As ever, Navratri for me has involved significant preparation. At work, I am trying to tie up a few projects and get others to a place where colleagues will be able to continue them without me. I also have a remote volunteering role (seva) with my temple in Vrindavan, India where I am doing much the same.

Away from the laptop, I have been running to and from the Golden Mile (Belgrave Road) in Leicester to organise a traditional Gujarati outfit called a chaniya choli for myself. I have spent the last two weekends with friends practising garba dance, so that we can participate fully during Navratri. I am immunocompromised and have a long-term health condition, so I have arranged to have my flu jab (shout out to the Occupational Health team for providing this on campus!) and Covid booster before Navratri as I’ll be in close proximity to hundreds of people whilst dancing. Actually, last year I caught Covid from garba so I want to avoid that this time!

Some of you might better understand how I’m feeling by imagining that Week 1 of Semester 1 coincided with the Christmas and Gregorian new year period – it takes stamina and careful organisation! 

So, as I sit at my desk listening to garba music in my headphones, I wish everyone celebrating a happy Navratri and extend an invitation to the whole Loughborough community to consider the multifaceted lives of those we work and study with. Joy comes in many forms and sometimes I need a project plan to access mine.

Rakhee Patel, EDI Officer – Gender and LGBT+ 

Deputy Director of HR Alex Stacey-Midgley adds:

“The University has a number of closure days in addition to the UK bank holidays which are published annually. The HR team are currently undergoing a project which is reviewing annual leave, and this recognises that whilst most closure days fall on statutory bank holidays, from a cultural and religious viewpoint there are some closure days that tend to be based around Christian events.

“The project will be using the Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) tool to help the consideration of the diverse multicultural demographic of the UK and the impact of closure days being connected to the public holidays.”

EDI Manager Denise Coles shares her reflections below:

“As the University works towards becoming a truly inclusive organisation, where people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and religions truly feel like they belong, we must hear and reflect on the lived experiences of people from a wide range of religious and cultural backgrounds, such as Rakhee. 

“Whilst Rakhee’s story outlines eloquently the balance required to be a dedicated professional and honour one’s faith and commitment to one’s family and friends, it has struck me that the level of juggling tasks and responsibilities from a faith context is a lived experience seldom heard. Why is that?  

“From my perspective, as a woman from a Christian background, I have never had to consider taking time off to prepare for Christmas or Easter or to attend church; it was just so. I always had two weeks of statutory holiday.  

“Therefore, in our role as EDI professionals, we must remain aware of the fact that people of different faiths have different experiences during religious occasions, as illustrated in this blog. It feels like it can be a complex and tiring journey to actively engage in one’s faith and community at certain times of the year. Therefore, I am supportive of and welcome the review being conducted by HR which demonstrates the need to look at our policies and practices to ensure they are truly inclusive.”