Few revellers opt to dance at garba venues

MUMBAI: As the festival of Navratra began on Saturday, garba venues reflected the changes that have crept into the event during the last few years.
First dandiya sticks gradually faded from the scene, now garba is making an exit as well. Few people dance at all, they simply observe the singers perform as if they were there to attend a live music concert.Some like Vidhi Shah of Goregaon say there is no designated space to dance in big grounds.
“One cannot dance with four members of the family when everybody else is standing still or jostling you about. You need a large group of 10-15 people to do so. The organizers do not organize a garba, they never ask visitors to dance in one large circular formation. They just sell tickets to a musical show and leave the rest to us,” the Goregaon resident says.
Singer Musa Paik, a veteran of 40 years, says that people now “come to listen”. “I am singing only what they want to hear. For over two hours I sing authentic Mataji ka garba and they appreciate that this is the essence of Navratra,” says Musabhai, who is in Malad this season. Organizer Manoj Kotak, whose event at Kalidas ground in Mulund is a popular draw, agrees that fewer people dance. Kotak’s star attraction Kirtidan Gadhvi is no mean performer either. “People buy expensive tickets and come to listen to good singers. The excitement of a live show is irresistible,” says Gadhvi.