CM Rekha Gupta Performs Kanya Pujan, Gives 1,400 Girls Cycles
Synopsis
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta performed Kanya Pujan at CM Shri School in Shalimar Bagh during Shardiya Navratri and distributed 1,400 bicycles to schoolgirls to support their education.
Key Takeaways
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta performed Kanya Pujan at CM Shri School, Shalimar Bagh on Navratri, 16 October 2026 .
1,400 bicycles were distributed to schoolgirls at the event to ease access to education.
The ceremony honoured young girls as maa swarupa — a living form of the goddess — in keeping with Sanatan Navratri tradition.
The event was held within a CM Shri School , Delhi government's flagship public school brand.
CM Gupta framed the bicycle distribution as enabling girls to 'realise their dreams' by removing transport barriers to schooling.
On the auspicious occasion of Shardiya Navratri, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stepped into a school courtyard in Shalimar Bagh and bent to touch the feet of young girls — honouring them as living embodiments of the goddess. Then she handed out bicycles.
The Kanya Pujan ceremony was held at the CM Shri School, Shalimar Bagh, where CM Gupta performed the traditional ritual of worshipping young girls as maa swarupa (divine feminine incarnate) — a practice central to Navratri observance across northern India. In her post, she described the moment as param saubhagya — 'the highest fortune' — to seek blessings from what Sanatan tradition regards as the goddess made manifest in a child.
1,400 Bicycles for the Road to School
The spiritual moment carried a material consequence: CM Gupta distributed 1,400 bicycles to schoolgirls at the event, framing the gesture as clearing the path — literally — toward education and ambition. 'So that their road to education becomes easier and they can realise their dreams,' she wrote. The bicycles bridge a very practical gap: in many Delhi neighbourhoods, distance and transport costs remain quiet barriers to girls' school attendance.
Where Ritual Meets State Welfare
Indian political leaders across parties have long used festival occasions to anchor welfare announcements — Navratri's Kanya Pujan in particular has become a recurring tableau for girl-focused schemes. What distinguishes today's event is the scale of distribution combined with the setting: a CM Shri School, the Delhi government's flagship school brand, placing the imagery of reformed public education squarely at the centre of the frame. CM Gupta closed with a prayer to Maa Bhagwati that 'every daughter be blessed with knowledge, courage, and capability — and rise far in life.'
Point of View
CM Rekha Gupta is threading a needle familiar to BJP governance: rooting social-sector action in cultural idiom to maximise both electoral and symbolic resonance. The bicycle — a recurring prop in girls'-education politics across Indian states — signals continuity with a proven welfare grammar. Holding the event inside a CM Shri School also reinforces the Delhi BJP government's ongoing effort to redefine its identity around public-school reform, a space long associated with its predecessor. The scale of 1,400 beneficiaries in a single ceremony suggests a programme with institutional backing, one likely to recur across the Navratri calendar.
NationPress
16 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kanya Pujan and why is it performed on Navratri?
Kanya Pujan is a Navratri ritual in which young girls are worshipped as embodiments of the goddess Durga. It is observed especially on the eighth or ninth day of Navratri, with devotees washing the girls' feet, offering food, and seeking their blessings.
How many bicycles did Delhi CM Rekha Gupta distribute on Navratri 2026?
CM Rekha Gupta distributed 1,400 bicycles to schoolgirls at the Kanya Pujan event held at CM Shri School in Shalimar Bagh during Shardiya Navratri 2026.
Where is CM Shri School Shalimar Bagh?
CM Shri School is located in Shalimar Bagh, a locality in northwest Delhi. It is part of the Delhi government's CM Shri School initiative, a flagship programme to upgrade public schools in the capital.
Why does the Delhi government distribute bicycles to girls?
Bicycle distribution to schoolgirls is a common state welfare measure across India aimed at reducing transport barriers to education, helping girls from families without easy access to private vehicles or public transport attend school more regularly.
What is Shardiya Navratri?
Shardiya Navratri is a nine-night autumn festival dedicated to the divine feminine, celebrated primarily in the Hindu month of Ashwin. It involves worship of the goddess Durga in her nine forms and culminates in Vijayadashami (Dussehra).
