Garba fever

In a dingy lane in the heart of Pune8217;s Budhwar Peth, infamous as a redlight area, stands the Shri Siddhamata mandir.

In a dingy lane in the heart of Pune8217;s Budhwar Peth, infamous as a redlight area, stands the Shri Siddhamata mandir. The tiny temple comes alive during the ten days of Navratri, with its courtyard becoming the venue for some of the most lovely garba dances I have seen.

The recent stampede at Pavagadh kills a dozen devotees during the festive season, in a sad sense, reflects the faith and fervour with which garba dancers commemorate the Pavagadh deity. Pavagadh is a small but tall mountain, about 46 km from Vadodara. Folklore has it that the Mahakali joined the garba 8212; the traditional Gujarati group dance 8212; assuming the form of a woman during the Navratri festival.

So much for the folklore, but when the women start dancing the dandiya raas, garba, matukadi and other artistic forms around the garbi, it is not just the swirl of the ghagaras and the fancy cholis laced with mirrors that keeps one rivetted. The mellifluous singing by a motley group of women is equally appealing. Mothers, aunts, grannies in their lovely zari-bordered saris, swing and sway to their own rhythmic chanting, 8220;Rang taali rang taali rang taali ke rang ma rang taali8230;8221;

They beckon us to join in but we shy away. But the 8216;oldies8217; continue to clap their hands left, right and centre and bending despite aching backs and creaking knees. What do these women know of the latest steps of disco dandiya? But they know all that needs to be known about the traditional form.

My mind harks back to 30 years ago when mummy too dressed up in her chiffon sari with a heavily embroidered blouse, locked the door of the house and purposefully strode towards the mandir with her three daughters tagging behind her in their chaniya cholis. Mummy sang lustily, pushed us forward around the garbi so that we could form a small circle of girls even while the women danced around us.

Then we grew up and joined the bandwagon of teenagers swinging to disco dandiya and catchy Hindi film tunes and even western pop music. It is with longing that one recalls another era of women singing their devotional songs and backslapping each other. Yes, the time has come to remember pavagadh ni mata once again.