Garba fever grips Raipur and Bhilai

RAIPUR: With just days left for Navratri to commence, garba and dandiya enthusiasts of the city are leaving no stone unturned to perfect their steps. With time, garba has also undergone radical change and has become very popular all over the globe. Also the traditional songs are now laced with remixes and pop versions. This year, apart from the traditional raas garba and dandiya, newer dance forms are emerging as favourites.The dance aficionados have already started attending classes to enjoy the nine nights of revelry with gusto. As a result, garba workshops are in full swing and are experiencing overwhelming participation. Here’s what Raipurites and Bhilaians are up to this year.
Free garba classes
Shiva Kumar, an engineer by profession, who along with his group conducts free traditional garba classes in various parts of the township area, said that people are showing greater interest in garba these days, “I’ve been teaching garba from the last nine years. Year by year we see an increase in the number of participants here. One can see equal excitement amongst all age groups, be it small kids or even the senior citizens. It’s real fun teaching them and seeing them all jump together to the beats,” he added.
Energetic bollywood songs
In the nine days of revelry, many youngsters and college students are all set to groove to Bollywood garba, this year. A few garba classes are ready with the latest hit songs like Honey Singh’s Dheere dheere se and Mika Singh’s Mast kalander. Ria Sharma, who is helping garba enthusiasts perfect their Bollywood garba steps, said, “The young generation is mad about Bollywood music. It’s both energetic and catchy. Everyone enjoys the filmi twist to this traditional dance. All we’ve done is mixed dandiya and garba beats with the original sound tracks, which have become an instant hit among the city youth.”
Western garba
Traditional garba with a western touch! Instructor Shruti Nanda, who has also judged many garba competitions, shared, “We teach hip-hop garba, belly garba, Russian garba, et al. All these forms are very energetic and lively. The young generation finds it far cooler than the traditional forms. Hip-hop steps are choreographed to suit the beats of traditional songs.”
Fusion garba
Ballroom-style garba is gaining popularity, especially among young couples. Priya Bhatt, who teaches various garba forms, informed, “A lot of people are learning fusion garba, which combines traditional dance with western forms and those of salsa and jive. Though garba is performed in groups, in this style, the duo holds hands while performing. So, the dance starts with all mixed steps and ends like a traditional garba. Young couples are very excited about this and also participating in unexpectedly large numbers.”
Distribution of passes
All over the city, numerous grounds and halls are being occupied for the celebration. They are being decorated by the best of the designers. The passes for entry to these places, including BTI ground, Samta Colony, Aashirwad Bhavan, are already being distributed. Chirag Thakkar, who is a part of the managing committee of the function at Aashirwad Bhawan, revealed, “Because the passes are free of cost, we make sure that we start distributing them as early as possible, to ensure and limit the number of people and avoid overcrowding.” As the main garba session starts late, around 10.30 pm, the managing committee is taking steps to ensure everyone’s safety.
New twist in dresses
The usual traditional ghaghra and choli are also experiencing many twists this year. Hetal Nathwani, another garba teacher, who is also passionate about designing dresses, said, “Heavy blouses are being replaced by cool, light and colourful shirts this time. We’ve smartly combined these shirts with the typically embroidered long skirts. Jeans have been stitched in traditional patterns, making them light.”
Going light on make-up
College girls have already booked their make-up artists for all nine days. Meenal Solanki, a make-up artist at a local women’s parlour, said, “We have plenty of appointments for Navratri. But this time there is a difference in the type of make-up women are expecting. Young girls usually prefer light make-up, but this time, even the ladies want it that way. A basic coat over the face with eye make-up and a dark coloured lipstick is sufficient.”
Exciting themes for different days
To avoid the function from getting monotonous, the managing committees have come up with different themes this year. Rekha Raja, a beautician who is helping girls to get ready for the festival, shared, “We have kept different colour themes for all the nine days; along with that, the use of particular accessories are part of the theme. Some of them include the use of decorated matki (earthen pots), katori (bowl), khanjari, et al. We’re also conducting different games for both men and women to make the function lively.”
Prizes and surprises
Based on their performances, many prizes will be awarded to all age groups. Those not so good at garba, have hordes of other opportunities to win. Chitra Sahu, a college student, said, “Because garba is not my cup of tea, I participate in different competitions like rangoli competition, thali decoration, dandiya stick decoration and chunri designing. I have been winning a lot of competitions over the past couple of years and this year too, I want to secure the numero uno position.” The prizes range from small items like tiffin boxes and crockery sets to large ones like scooters, owing to which the competitions have become a major attraction for all.