Navratri Inc is up for grabs

“We’ll soon meet Chief Minister Manohar Joshi for an extension. But the government may not be able to help, as the time limit has been fixed by the court. We may have to file a petition,” Mukesh Gandhi, president of Navratri Mahasangh, said. The Sangh, however, is banking on the Shiv Sena for help. Gandhi has approached Sena leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Gajanan Kirtikar. No, they won’t go to BJP MLA Kirit Somaiya, his own Navratri Mahamandal notwithstanding. “He says ho jayega and nothing happens,” Gandhi said. The ideal timelimit, according to him, is 1.30 am. “People in Mumbai come home late. They need that much time,” he said.

But there’s a fight of another kind as well — between Navratri mandals trying to be one up on others. The biggest fest is organised by the Sankalp group on Goregaon’s NSE grounds. The entry fee to their garba is Rs 1,150 for the season. With popular singer Falguni Pathak as their main artiste for the fifth consecutive year, the amount comes as no surprise. This year, Sankalp’s entry passes can be booked on the Internet. The address: http: // showbizindia.com/sankalpnavratri/. The group has arranged for air-conditioned tents as well. Sankalp’s prizes for the best dancers and best-dressed dancers, sponsored by Coca Cola, include diamond rings and cell phones.

The Borivli-based V group and Gajendra Gadvi’s troupe have recreated Gujarat’s villages at the venues of their celebrations, Kora Kendra and M K High School respectively. The V group has even covered its ground with a wooden floor toprotect dancers from knee injuries. Its prizes for the best dancers include gold chains, and the first 250 couples dressed in chania-choli and kediu will be given a free entry to the venue on the first evening.

The Navratri at Wadala Sports Complex, organised by ASES Group, will be a starry affair, as Feroze Khan has taken it over as a publicity ground for son Farheen’s debut film Prem Aggan. Banner ads here are priced at Rs 5,000, and entry tickets at Rs 3,000. Knoxs jeans, T-shirts, audio cassettes and household items are among the prizes.

A fair share of the heavy transactions goes to the once-a-year wonders, the garba singers, as well. “Falguni Pathak charges Rs 22 lakh per season,” Dinesh Kothari, president of Sankalp, said. Other organisers won’t reveal the amounts given. But singers admit it’s enough for a year. “We don’t have to do anything else throughout the year,” said singers Sheela Shethia and Daksha Vegada.