Kavita Sanil survives only on water at Navarathri

Kavita Sanil survives only on water at Navarathri

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 05, 2016: At this time of the year, bottled water is the only food she takes. Kavita Sanil, chairperson of standing committee on public health, education and social justice, Mangaluru City Corporation. A staunch devotee of Sri Durgaparameshwari, the presiding deity of Sri Kshetra Kateel, Kavitha observes this unique food habit on all days of Navarathri as her way of showing obeisance to the deity. This is a practice she has been following for the past 12 years. Her resolve is all the more astounding is that she abstained from taking any food even when she was in the family way for the second time last year, despite medical advice from her personal physicians. "I just supplemented my bottled water diet with tender coconut water to keep myself going," Kavitha told TOI. Needless to state, her second born five month old son Paartha is a bundle of joy for the family that has daughter Prisha, 8 and husband Arun Kumar.

Admitting that the water diet is demanding on her, Kavitha said, she tends to lose around 10-kgs during the Navarathri,  it does give her acidity problems though. She added the intensity of this problem has tapered over the past decade. The weight loss induced by this personal Navarathri resolve is made up through regular diet post the festival period, she said, adding in the first three years, she also had fruits to go with bottled water.

Other  resolve sge does is, she undertakes a padayatra from her house in Bejai to the temple, some 26-kms away. She did not undertake the walk last year on medical advice. This year, she left for Kateel at 2.45am and reached there at 9.30am on Monday. "I do all this is in reverence to the Goddess, who is also my family deity," Kavitha says adding she breaks her fast on the last day of Navarathri with a meal at the temple.