Big change in a little tradition

Till a couple of decades ago, Navratri celebrations were as low key as theycould get. “Garba was played to soft rhythms and soothing music and had theelement of grace, music and poetry,” explains Bhramagnya Trivedi, aresearch scholar in garba. “The garba was essentially sung by women, whodanced in a circle to the music. The dance by men is known as garbi.”

Garba today, like several folk festivals, means big money. There are fancyrents to be paid for the venues and big banners, food stalls and productdisplay stands to be spent on. This year, giant wheels and merry-go-roundscould be spotted at the venues. Also on display were large stages with bandsequipped with drums, synthesisers, samplers and other modern music gadgetswhere singers belted out the latest numbers.

While the women dazzle in their traditional mirror-worked, embroideredchania-cholis that are set off by heavy oxidised metal jewellery, the menare equally eye-catching in their dhoti-kurtas or kediyus (a short, swingingtop) with a choini (a loose salwar), turbans draped around their heads andfeet crammed into mojdis.

“I love it here. You don’t need to know garba, for if you can do a littlebit of jhatka like Govinda, it’s enough,” says Shefali Modi, an Artsstudent. “We dance with our friends and have a lot of fun,” adds herfriend Kashmira Mehta. Several such small groups perform the garba,improvising on traditional styles like popatiyu, dhodhiyu, teen taali,paanch taali and heench. “We love doing the Amitabh step, the Govinda andMithun numbers and even Macarena. We begin with traditional ones and as thetempo picks up we shift to these steps,” says Paresh Panchal, a bankexecutive.

In the past, garba and raas were performed in praise of goddesses. Garba isattributed more to Shakti, the goddess, while raas has a relatively modernreference from the times of Krishna. “Garba is performed in praise ofGoddess Jagdamba, who killed the demons Shumbh and Nishumbh,” says Uma Oza,an authority in cultural dances of Gujarat. “References of garba date backto Harappan civilisaion,” she adds. “Usha, the wife of Krishna’s son,learnt the Lasya form and taught it to Gopis in Dwarka,” Doordarshanprogramme executive Rupa Mehta, who has done extensive research in Garba andBhavai, says.

“The peace associated with garba has been lost,” laments Trivedi. “Garbawas never like this. It was meant to be a local celebration where music wasminimal and the songs sung by dancers themselves. Most importantly, therewere no difficult steps or such powerful gyrations.”

Garba derived from garb (womb) is usually performed with a pot withnumerous holes that has a lamp (depicting life) inside. Garbas performed inlanes sheri garbas would have women coming out into the open and“dancing in circles.” “The circle, life, has to do with fertility, morefrom the farmers’ point of view as at this time small saplings new lifehave sprouted,” says Rupa Mehta.

During the middle ages, these garbas took on a new meaning when poets likeDayaram and Vallabh Dhola gave them a social connotation. “Avinash Vyas andNanalal used the medium to convey social messages. They wrote on relationsbetween mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law as well as commented onpolitics. Songs like Madi taru kanku khariyu ne suraj ugyo are legendary,”says Bhramagnya Trivedi. Now it is Dholi taro that dominates, followed byParee hun main and a slew of film numbers. “Singers sing only remixes ofHindi songs interspersed with traditional ones,” says Shreelinee Chaudhari,a garba enthusiast.

But not all is lost. A revival has been witnessed at the competition levelwhere performers are expected to perform with rhythm and with stepsreminiscent of the past, when garba was a symbol of life and freedom for thelife bearer, the woman.