Get set and go for garba

The exercise, of course, has been hampered somewhat by the sudden, sharp spells of rain, though Sunday was relatively dry. But organisers hope garba enthusiasts will overlook the occasional slippery patches; the festival, they know, is as important for the people as it is for them.

Only two garbas are known to have been cancelled so far. The organisers of the festivities at Govindrao Park, Panigate, and Vrindavan Park, Waghodia Road, were reportedly prompted to take the decision because of water-logging.“Usually, by this hour, preparations are all over”, says Vinod Bhatt, editor of Sandesh, a vernacular daily that organises a garba at Karelibaug.

“But this year, only 30 per cent of the work has been done.” People shouldn’t expect large-scale decorations, warns another organiser.“Our first priority is to set right the dancing arena”, says Giridhar Vaswani of the United Way of Vadodara, whose garba proceeds go to charity. “Next comes the viewers’ gallery, while the parking lot is third on the list.”

Navin Chauhan, editor of Gujarat Samachar, another vernacular daily that hosts a garba, too, reiterates that people should not expect grand decorations, given the time constraints. “The garba will be simple this time”, he says.

Shailesh Mehta, one of the organisers of the Suryanagar-Chandranagar garba on Waghodia Road, says they have permission to shift the arena to the road grounds if the skies open up again. The District Administration, to be on the safe side, has postponed the inauguration of its Navratri festival at the Vaccine Institute Ground by a day because the preparations are still incomplete. Collector and chairman of the District Tourism Development Committee Anil Mukim told Express Newsline that their festival would begin from Tuesday rather than Monday.

Meanwhile, Additional Police Commissioner M K Tandon told Express Newsline that adequate security arrangements had been made to for a peaceful Navratri.