The Gujarati and Marwari communities are getting ready to celebrate Navaratri this year in a traditional way. In recent years, garba dandiya has become more commercialized, and people have forgotten the original way of celebrating. To attract people back to the traditional celebrations, organizers from both communities are coming up with various ideas for the nine-day festival.
Both communities celebrate the festival in a similar fashion, with a few specific traditions of their own. Some garba organizers have already started rehearsals and are arranging free workshops. In the Marwari tradition, wheat is kept in a new pot and watered for nine days. On the day of Dasara, the wheat leaves are used for puja.
Rajesh C Shah, trustee of Gujarati Pragati Samaj, has been organizing Navratri Utsav at Imperial Gardens, Secunderabad, for five years. He mentioned that people have forgotten the traditional way of celebrating Dasara by placing garbi. The Gujarati community celebrates Navaratri by dancing to folk songs that convey the significance of the festival.
Saloni Jain, organizer of Navkar Navaratri Utsav, stated that they have been organizing Navaratri in a traditional manner for the past five years. However, this year they have planned to give participants an extraordinary experience. The nine-day event will have different themes such as “Made in India” and “Health is wealth.” They will conclude with Maha-Aarti or Ganga Aarti on Ashtami Day.
Prakash Jadeja, who has been organizing these festivities in the city for several years, mentioned that garba is a popular folk dance of Gujarat and is performed with passion during these nine days. This year, they have received a huge response, with most passes already booked in advance.
