Life-size and life-like Narkasur effigies currently dot the length and breadth of Goa as groups of enthusiastic youngsters converge to showcase their artistic flair. However, what started out as a form of religious expression that most people looked forward to has now transformed into an over-the-top spectacle that many dread, reports Ramit Mehrotra

As the Hindu month of Karthika arrives, there’s a palpable shift in the air — an almost magnetic pull towards festivity. Tales of courage, triumph, and the eternal battle of good versus evil resonate through the local tradition, Narkasur Vadh, wherein effigies are burnt a day before Diwali, a ritual incomparable to that of any other state. The name Narkasur is a compound of two Sanskrit words — ‘naraka’ meaning hell, and ‘asura’ meaning

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