A ritual of revelry

Come Navratri and Mumbai is at its vibrant best, says Rajshri Mehta

With the nine celabratory Navratri nights  this year begining on September 30, the  ritual of garba raas will have everyone riveted with anticipation of revelry. Men and women dressed at their ornate best during this festive season with bright chaniya cholis and kedias hand-embroidered in a laudable attempt to look their gavthi best.

That is where the link to tradition ends, says Navratri organisers.

From being a filial affair in which a group of ladies sang and danced to the mellifluous dholi and shehnai paying obeisance to goddess Amba, it has become laden with social overtones, diffused in essence. As for the actual dancing, gone are the days of puritanical enunciation of raas, garba, hudo and tippani—the dances of Gujarat. In the spirit of things they are being displaced by the more facilitative, if not skillful amorous song and dance rig. Today, the two traditional dance forms—Garba and Dandiya raas—have been influenced by the music of Bollywood as evident from the pulsating beats echoed out of the 10,000 watt speakers at the community Navaratri celebrations

Who would know this better than Ajay Parekh, a resident of Navyug Mansion at Grant road. The area like Bhuleshwar, C P Tank, Bazaar Gate have a tradition of ladies singing praises of the Goddess while playing garba-raas.

“Thankfully, we always had a crowd who love tradition,’’ said Pankaj Kotecha, organiser of the Navratri festival at Kora Kendra grounds at Borivali West. “Depending on the rhythm of the traditional song being sung, the revelers enjoy playing their own variation of dances, which is not indecent and something we do not mind. In addition, with the proceedings telecast live in the locality and even abroad, there is a hidden fear among the revelers of their reputation. Not to say of their urge to win the prizes we have kept for the best dancer, etc. during the festival,’’ said Kotecha.

Agreeing to Kotecha’s view, Musa Paik, a popular singer known for his Navratri songs said, “No raunchy or remix hindi songs for us. Traditional songs are still the main crowd puller. The modernisation if any, is in the way the music is composed to make the song more exciting and rhymthic for the revelers at the end.’’

The change does not end here. Emerging simultaneously is a trend of popular fusion creations as kamkha (the traditional Gujarati blouse) and denim worn with the chudla (bangles worn over arms, not just wrists). “But chaniya choli patterns remain the same. Their colours are usually bright,’’ points out Samad Gangadia, who owns a business of Navratri costumes and employs women who work round the year to make them. Chaniya Choli, the long flowing skirt worn with a flowing odhni or long stole, is the traditional costume worn on the occasion. Men wear the kedia, a high waist top.
Interestingly, there is also an increase in the per centage of older men and women playing garba.

But with terror attacks taking place in parts of India, security will be a major concern this time.

“Parking will be at a distance and not close to the garba venues. We will devise a traffic plan once the permissions for venues are issued,’’ said a police official. The security concerns have led organisers to book agencies for Rs. 300,000-600,000 for their services. This is apart  from the CCTVs installed at the venues.
m_rajshri@dnaindia.net