A Narrative Case Series of Flame Burns due to Aarti in Navratri Puja in Developing Country

Abstract

Fire is very important part of Hindu rituals, such as being the central witness of the rite-of-passage ritual in Hindu weddings, in the Upanayana ceremony, as well being part of the deep in festivals such as Diwali and during Aarti poojan. Navaratri is one of the most revered festivals in Hinduism, celebrated in India for 9 nights, during which Goddess Durga is worshipped with great zeal and enthusiasm. During the performance of aarti, a ritual involving lighted lamps, sometimes the victim's clothes accidentally get engulfed in the flames of diyas. The loose-fitting inflammable clothes usually worn by Indian women are a major factor contributing burn injuries and are associated with very high mortality rates. At our centre, we present a case series of 5 patients who sustained second to third-degree burns while performing aarti, due to clothes catching fire from lighted diyas during Navratri in October 2023. All 5 patients were female, age ranging from 45 to 70 years with the presence of comorbidities sustaining major deep burns and a resultant mortality of 80%.