Nava Durga: The Nine Forms of the Goddess

Durga, as this powerful warrior-goddess is known,
Has nine special forms-each one unique, not just a clone.
Shailaputri, Brahmacharini and Chandraghanta,
Kushmanda and Skandamata,
Katyayani and Kaalratri,
Maha Gauri and Siddhidatri . . .
They are the Nava Durga,
Worshipped during Navaratri,
The festival of nine nights and nine days
That’s celebrated across India and the world in myriad ways
To praise the goddesses and their glory.
This is their story!

Nalini Ramachandran’s works for young readers cover a variety of subjects and styles-from a textbook on history to tales of horror and mystery; from a graphic novel cum biography to narratives from mythology; from legend and lore to humour and more. She began writing for children when working with India’s only all-comics children’s magazine, Tinkle. Today, her short stories have appeared in anthologies such as Gifts of Teaching and Scary Tales. She is the author of Detective Sahasasimha: The Case of the Disappearing Books; APJ Abdul Kalam: One Man, Many Missions (which won the ’Best of Indian Children’s Writing: Contemporary Awards 2019’ in the ’Comics/Graphic Novels’ category); and the non-fiction children’s book Lore of the Land: Storytelling Traditions of India. She also edits children’s books and holds workshops on creative writing and storytelling. To know more about her work, visit www.authornalini.com.