Hundreds of women gathered at Vasudev Ghat in Kashmere Gate on Sunday morning and turned the riverbank into a wall of sound and resolve. Their collective recitation of the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram rose over the Yamuna’s water, creating a scene that mixed devotion with a sharp political message. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, leading the event, said no force that threatens the city will ever break its spirit.
The Mahashakti Aradhana Programme, held on the historic ghat for the first time since Independence, drew families, devotees, government officials, and cultural groups.
It was organised by the Delhi Government’s Department of Art, Culture and Languages through the Delhi Sanskrit Academy, along with the Vishwamangalya Sabha.
A large stage framed with marigold strings faced the river. Smoke from incense drifted low over the crowd. Volunteers passed lamps for the Maha Aarti of Goddess Yamuna, which lit the steps in warm flickers.
Speaking to the gathering, the Chief Minister said women hold the power to shape Delhi’s future. She told the crowd that if someone from an ordinary home can reach the Chief Minister’s office, then every woman in Delhi can aim as high as she wants. She urged women to step beyond their personal struggles and take responsibility for the society they want to build. Her address drew steady applause from the front rows, filled mostly with young students and senior citizens.
The Chief Minister also said that she is confident that the Yamuna will one day return to a clean and unhindered flow through the capital. Behind her, the river moved slowly, catching the reflection of the rising lamps as the crowd prepared for the aarti.
Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra and Delhi Minister for Art, Culture and Languages Kapil Mishra attended the event. Mishra pointed to celebrations of Teej, Navratri Garba, Diwali, and Chhath Puja, calling Sunday’s recital another example of a city reconnecting with its traditional practices on a large scale.
Mishra said maternal strength is often suppressed by a lack of opportunity, but once awakened, it shapes history. He compared the force of women’s power to Goddess Durga’s defeat of Mahishasura and other demons, adding that the same strength will stand against terrorism and extremist threats.
As the verses of the stotram echoed across the ghat, women beat their palms softly against their thighs to keep rhythm. Several had arrived before sunrise, lining the stone steps with steel plates of flowers. Children leaned on their mothers’ shoulders, eyes fixed on the priests preparing the aarti.
By evening, the riverbank had returned to its usual hum, but the air still carried a faint smell of camphor. Organisers called the turnout historic. Many women stayed back to take photos of the lamps floating downstream. For them, the day was more than a religious ritual. It was a public show of strength, voiced in unison on a river that has seen Delhi change but had never heard its women speak together like this.
CM Rekha Gupta said no force that threatens the city will ever break its spirit
