Non-Gujaratis gearing up to add zing to Navratri
As the Navratri fever catches on, the non-Gujaratis living in the state are also gearing up to dance in tune with the garba crazy crowd of Gujarat.
Gujarat has a sizeable percentage of non-Gujaratis, who are flocking to the garba training centers across the state to learn the traditional dance steps. Even the ones who are barely acquainted with the culture of Gujarat are more than excited to play garba in the nine-day festival. “Around 95 per cent of non-Gujarati candidates come to us every year to learn the traditional garba styles. This year my batch consisted only of non-gujarati population. Most of them do not even know the local language, but are equally enthusiastic to play garba this year,” said Dharmesh Soni, who runs Rhythm Dancing Hall in Ahmedabad. In order to learn a folk dance, one needs to have the knowledge and understanding of the traditions and culture of that particular land. And despite being migrants to the state, the non-Gujaratis have coped up with the Gujarati culture.
“Garba is a very unique dance form. I wanted to learn garba as I was very impressed with the energy of this festival. Being a non-Gujarati I cannot dance as flawlessly as Gujaratis. But that has not stopped me from enjoying the festival. The verve of Navaratri encourages me to pick up my dandiya sticks and dance all night,” said Meenu Shekhani, a trainee at Rhythm Dancing Hall.
Surya Singh, a homemaker, said: “I came to Ahmedabad to work. I do not know their local language. But the Gujarati culture gets on to you and encourages you to adapt it. Every non-Gujarati should learn garba to know this rich culture better.” The training institutes in Ahmedabad have welcomed the non-Gujarati population with open arms. “There is a high percentage of non-Gujaratis coming to our institute. They are not familiar with the culture and language of the state, but their enthusiasm to learn garba is commendable. It is little difficult to train them as they are not aware of the traditional Gujarati dances. However, they grasp the dancing styles very fast,” said Soni.
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