2000
Thursday, 28 September 2000
In 2000 the tithi runs from 1:22 am on 28 Sep to 11:40 pm on 28 Sep; it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on Thursday, 28 September 2000, so that is the day of Sharad Navratri begins.
2001
Wednesday, 17 October 2001
In 2001 the tithi runs from 12:53 am on 17 Oct to 10:04 pm on 17 Oct; it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on Wednesday, 17 October 2001, so that is the day of Sharad Navratri begins.
How the date is fixed
Sharad Navratri begins falls on the first day of the bright half of the lunar month Ashwina (Shukla Pratipada). The date is the day on which that tithi is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi).
About
Sharad Navratri begins on Ashwina Shukla Pratipada, the day after Sarva Pitru Amavasya, in September or October. It runs for nine tithis to Maha Navami and is followed by Vijayadashami on the tenth. The first day is the civil day whose sunrise carries Pratipada, and the ghatasthapana is done in the forenoon, or in Abhijit muhurta if the forenoon is unsuitable, avoiding Chitra nakshatra and Vaidhriti yoga. In Bengal the same days are Durga Puja, with the main rites from Shashthi to Dashami; in Gujarat they are the nights of garba.
How it is observed
Ghatasthapana on day one, worship of the nine forms of Durga, nine days of fasting, and kanya puja on Ashtami or Navami.