Garba venues in US go big for nine nights of Navratri revelry

Ahmedabad: Lakhs of Gujaratis living in the US cannot stop themselves from joining in the dance and devotion when the dholis start playing garba this season. Such is the fervour that several of the venues are hosting all nine nights of the Navratri festival. Almost all cities and towns with a sizeable population of Gujaratis are hosting garba events, but in states such as New York, New Jersey and Kansas, there is a high number of commercial garba venues and revellers.
Ankur Vaidya, president of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), said that traditionally, the Gujarati community members gather on weekends at covered venues to adhere to the noise level and timing regulations."But several of the temples and even some venues are now hosting garba for all nine nights. Hundreds are flocking to the venues especially in New Jersey and New York where several temples are celebrating Navratri," he said.
Weekday garba is not taboo even for the commercial organisers. Kunal Joshi, one of the organisers for the United Rishabh Group in Edison, said that they have booked one of the major grounds in the city for the event where they hosted some of the biggest names in Gujarati performing arts in the run-up to Navratri and are also hosting several of the local talents to sing garba. "Even in the middle of the week, people gathered to perform aarti and play garba. The events are attracting all groups, from the parents of those who have settled here to the first-generation children of Gujaratis," said Joshi.
For the Gujarati Samaj of Kansas City, it is the 25th year of organising garba events. Dev Bharwad, president of the organisation, said it has been part of the tradition for Gujaratis settled in the US. "We have organised events ahead of Navratri where several celebrated singers participated in weekend events, and during Navratri. For the new generation, we organise special coaching classes ahead of the festival. We have another grand event planned for three days from Oct 10 to 12 to cover the end of Navratri and Dusshera," he said.
For the past few years, India Square in Jersey City has been hosting ‘sheri garba' where the enthusiasts dance to garba tunes in part of the locality. This year, too, the event is being live-streamed for the community. An entire ecosystem, right from sound systems to chaniya-cholis and kediyas to dandiyas, has also developed parallelly, said organisers, adding that it is also giving a chance to the local talents who are carrying forward the legacy of garba in a foreign land.