Rage! Rage! Where is that uncontrollable fury in your eyes?”u00a0Six pairs of eyes in the room dilate. Swati Bhosale’s grip on the lathi tightens. Pushpa Dandekar, who is at the receiving end, flexes her knee and inches her own lathi higher. Rani Dupte and Gayatri Shinde, both barely 16, gulp. But it is Gouree Vaze’s face which first tautens, then contorts besides the curled, yellowing photograph of goddess Durga on the wall.u00a0Kishori Kolekar, 50, is pleased at the surfeit of passion.u00a0“Yes, that’s it. This is the rage that befits Durga; and all you Durga Vahinis.”

Gouree Vaze and Swati Bhosale (in white) exhibit the martial arts training imparted to them at the Durga Vahini camps. Pics/Sameer Markande