Garba moves to residential societies of Ahmedabad this Navratri, following club restrictions

By: Shruti Paniker and Anushree Vijaya Harshan

Trust the true-blue Amdavadi to find a silver lining in every situation. While club garbas this time are restricted to members following the parking issue, residential societies are going all out to ensure nobody misses the clubs this time. And how? Societies, that are known for their brand of sheri garba, have hired garba choreographers this time to take Navratri a notch up. For more than a month now, they have been training the residents -- Gujaratis and non-Gujaratis, men and women -- in dodhiyu, popatiyu, raas and hinch moves. The societies want this year’s Navratri to be not just bigger and better, but also an exemplar of what Gujarat stands for -- harmony.

Garba classes in the societies are dominated by non-Gujaratis who are most excited about dancing as perfectly as Gujaratis do, say choreographers.

“Locals have the ‘lachak and grace’ when it comes to garba. It is just like how a fish takes to water. I take pride in the fact that I have more non-Gujaratis keen on mastering garba moves. They want to dance just like Gujaratis do,” says Ankit Panchal, 30, who has been giving garba lessons across societies in South Bopal.

Panchal and 20-year-old Vraj Panchal have been teaching students of all ages – from children to senior citizens – different styles of garba. “We have different batches for different levels. We have the basics for beginners, and for those who wish to go a step further, we have the advanced sessions,” explains Vraj.

ASHOK NAGAR SOCIETY:
Garba or Thiruvathira, they’re together
In Satellite, residents of Ashok Nagar Society are having a ball matching their steps with trainers Riya and Purva. Sunetra Deshpande, a resident, tells Mirror, “Many of us felt left out during Navratri since we didn’t know the dance form well. So, the 17 of us decided to bring in a professional to help us out. We came in touch with Riya and Purva through an acquaintance. They taught us the basics of garba like bey taali, tran taali, dodhiyu, heench and raas. Most of us are non-Gujaratis, but the group also includes a few Gujaratis who have never had the opportunity to learn the local dance.”

The 10 days that these women spent together not only brushed up their dance skills, but also let know each other better. “Also, it has created a beautiful vibe in the society which otherwise remained quite dull during these nine nights,”said Deshpande. Another Ashok Nagar resident, Rashmi Nair says, “Our motive behind hiring a choreographer was to involve everyone in the celebrations, especially the non-Gujaratis, who would not readily participate in the festival. To make everyone feel a part of the Gujarati community and culture is what transpired the idea. Out of the 23 participating in the classes, only one is a Gujarati. In fact, during Onam celebrations, the Gujaratis join us in Thiruvathira. We are a small, close-knit community, who like to have a good time together.”


VISHAL RESIDENCY, ANANDNAGAR:
Basic and advanced lessons
Kosha Joshi’s search for a good dance teacher ended when someone put her through to Neel Vaidya. A resident of Vishal Residency in Anandnagar, she got him as a tutor for the women keen on learning garba. “We were initially a bunch of 11-12 women wanting to enhance our garba steps. I was looking out for good choreographers when a friend suggested Neel Vaidya. After a quick phone call and meeting, Vaidya agreed to teach us garba moves. Our participant count has gone up from 12 to 27!” The group – with an average age of 35 years – started off with basic steps. “When the choreographer realised we are quick learners, he moved to advanced choreography. We have been dancing to the tunes of traditional garba songs and a few Bollywood numbers for a month-anda-half now. The steps are a mix of both traditional and contemporary dance,” adds Joshi.

Vaidya says, “I blend traditional garba with Bollywood styles to make it interesting. Couple garba is also popular. Must say, I have a very enthusiastic bunch this year.” Meanwhile in Green Park society in SoBo (South Bopal), Neelam Vora and 12 other residents have been learning from Vraj for the past 40-45 days. “We are only a couple of Gujaratis in the group. The rest are all non-Gujaratis who are well-versed with steps of local dance forms from their states. They want to do garba with us and we are more than happy to get everyone on board. The oldest member is 52 years old,” says Neelam. “Now after all these sessions, I feel like I belong here now,” says Yasha Kochar, a native of Kolkata, who has been living here for three years.

LA HABITAT, THALTEJ:
11 pm batches for men
Such is the craze of learning Navratri that men have joined post-office batches, some as late as 10pm or 11pm. Shalin Sheth of La Habitat Society in Thaltej says, “Being a true Gujarati, I have always been enthusiastic about Navratri, trying to incorporate current trends and steps in my moves. Ankit used to teach us yoga and aerobics and we knew how good a dancer he is. So, we persuaded him to teach us unique and interesting steps. We are all set to rock the moves.”

“Owing to busy schedules, it is difficult for us to attend classes during the day. So, our classes are generally at around 10 pm. If I miss any session, I take special lessons to catch up with everyone else,” Sheth added.

NEELKANTH 2, MEMNAGAR:
Garba with umbrella and ribbons
In Memnagar, residents of Neelkanth 2 flats too are preparing for the garba in a big way – complete with traditional umbrella and ribbons with LED lighting -- thanks to choreographer-Janmejay Kothekar. “We wanted all to participate and decided to rope in a choreographer this year. Those who didn’t know could pick up basic steps, and for those who are born dancers, this would be the just right warm up before Navratri sets in, in full flow. Kothekar taught us a range of steps comprising Bollywood garba, garba on beats and fusion garba,” said Honey Raj Rathore. Such is the enthusiasm here that septuagenarians too have enrolled for the garba classes. “It was a wonderful experience and we are planning to continue with this practice. And then, once we become pros, we also plan to enter various competitions!” Rathore adds.

ARJUN ELEGANCE, NARANPURA:
Kids, men, women – all join in
In Naranpura, Monish Mehta – a resident of Arjun Elegance – and members of his society have mastered the hiphop garba. “Children, women and men alike have participated in the garba classes in our society. Janmejay Kothekar, our choreographer for the past one month, taught us varied forms of garba including hip-hop and Bollywood garba, besides the evergreen traditional styles,” says Monish.