Dasara, the Navadurgas, and the Cyber Demons!
Happy Dasara/Navaratri to everyone! 🎉 When you say Mysuru, it’s Dasara; when you say Dasara, it’s Mysuru. The nine days of Navaratri are filled with the worship of the nine forms of Durga, doll displays, city-wide lights, the Jamboo Savari on Vijayadashami (the day Chamundi vanquished Mahishasura), and countless sweet treats. The festive atmosphere is boundless.
But times have changed. In today’s world, Mahishasura that torment us doesn’t come with horns. All it takes is a mobile phone, a laptop, and an internet connection to steal our private sensitive information and hard-earned money. These are the new-age demons—the cyber criminals! Let’s learn how to confront them, using the examples of the nine avatars of Durga.
Shailaputri – The First Step of Awareness
Daughter of the king of mountains, Himavanta, teaches us that our cyber safety should be as strong as a mountain. This means we must securely protect our private information, passwords, and PINs so that cyber thieves cannot guess or obtain them.
Brahmacharini – Concentration
Like Goddess Brahmacharini, focus your attention and do not react immediately to anonymous calls, messages, or emails you receive. Only respond after you have calmly understood the situation. For all digital transactions, always follow the principle of ‘patience, zero trust, and verification’. For example, only provide an OTP after knowing what is that OTP for and why I am giving it.
Chandraghanta – Stay Alert
Hackers try to steal our personal information. Stay as alert as Goddess Chandraghanta to prevent your smartphone or computer from being hacked, especially when using anonymous Wi-Fi or public charging points.
Kushmanda – The Creator
Cyber criminals use AI to “create” deepfake images, videos, or audios around trending news to gain your trust and then cheat you. Like Goddess Kushmanda’s creation which has both good and evil, we must carefully examine: is it real or fake? Always fact-check them before believing and reacting to it.
Skandamata – Care and Protection
Parents must play the role of Skandamata, protecting their children’s online lives. Safeguard them from cyberbullying, harassment, stalking, voyeurism, revenge pornography, doxing, catfishing, and other such cybercrimes.
Katyayani – The Warrior
Like Katyayani’s shield, use the law as your shield. If you ever become a victim of cybercrime, do not panic or remain silent and curse your fate. Report immediately—call the cyber helpline 1930, file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, or visit your nearest police station. Keep fighting until your money is recovered.
Kalaratri – Destroying Darkness
Darkness can only be removed with light. Similarly, the easiest way to protect yourself from cybercrime is by increasing your knowledge on them. I myself have written a book and over 120 articles, and produced more than 80 videos on cybercrime awareness. You can explore them at www.cybermithra.in to strengthen your awareness.
MahaGauri – Purity
This represents cyber hygiene. Use reliable antivirus, firewall, and VPN software on your smartphone and computer, and update them regularly. Protect your important accounts with strong passwords and enable multi-factor authentication.
Siddhidatri – The Giver of Knowledge
In the context of cybercrime, this implies continuous learning. Cybercrime techniques and methods are constantly changing. New scams, viruses, and online schemes are created every day. Therefore, like Goddess Siddhidatri, we must yearn for knowledge and stay vigilant by learning about new scams.
In Conclusion
Just as Navaratri is about choosing good over evil, our daily lives too demand vigilance. Let’s not allow these cyber demons to ruin us. This Dasara, remember the nine goddesses and on Vijayadashami, as Chamundi vanquished Mahishasura, let us defeat the “Mahishasuras of cybercrime” with awareness, knowledge, and alertness in all our digital dealings.
