At Gayatri Vihar, the evening gathers its own rhythm. Gujarati folk beats fill the air and circles of dancers move in festive sync. Every swirl of the lehenga and every clap in time with the music adds to the magic of the evening.“The music carries the pure, unfiltered rhythm of authentic Gujarati garba, keeping you swirling for hours,” says Sonal Sethi, a software engineer with Deutsche Bank and a member of the Thangaat Garba group.Navratri celebrations being held at Gayatri Vihar, Gate No. 4, Palace Grounds, is among the city’s large-scale festive gatherings this season. The venue has separate covered areas of 60,000 sq ft each for food and garba and dandiya raas.Music, Food And Community The programme features live singing, including Gujarati and Bollywood songs, along with dhol performances by Mumbai artistes Chirag and Paresh. Organisers say there will be no DJ. The event begins around 7.30pm and ends with an aarti at about 10.30pm.Pankaj Kothari Jognesh, who is part of the organising committee, says the venue has volunteers to manage crowds and ensure that mobile-phone photographs of women dancing are not taken. An official photography team will cover the event and visitors will be able to access their photographs through a scanning and face-recognition system.The entry ticket opens up more than just an evening of garba. It includes an unlimited festive spread, with over 400 varieties across cuisines — from South Indian staples, pizzas and pasta to Mumbai-style street food, Delhi chaat, Kolkata snacks and Agra favourites.City’s 102-Year-Old Celebration Bengaluru’s 102-year-old Navratri celebration, organised by Shri Vaishnava Seva Samaj (SVSS) and Chandramoulaeshwara Temple Trust (CTT), has moved to the larger, fully air-conditioned Tripura Vasini venue this year.The 100,000-square-foot venue has 80,000 sq ft reserved for dancing and 20,000 sq ft for a food court. The celebration brings nearly 38 Gujarati community organisations together and seeks participation from Bengaluru’s other communities.An image representing Maa Durga’s nine forms has been worshipped since the celebration began 102 years ago. The event began at a small venue in Gandhinagar with a dhol before moving to Nalapad Pavilion, and then Tripura Vasini, as attendance grew.Several contests are organised for Gen Z and younger participants, says Pankaj Parekh, media chairman and core committee member of SVSS. “Independent judges will assess dancing and traditional attire over successive rounds and select the event’s best male and female performers as ‘Prince and Princess’,” says Parekh.Stars of Music from Rajkot, described by the organisers as one of Gujarat’s leading bands, will perform. About 15 to 20 artists will play live on a large stage, with no DJ.Gates open at 8.30pm and festivities continue until about 12.30am, says Parekh.Tradition Meets Fusion As evening settles over Bengaluru’s apartment complexes, courtyards fill with the rhythmic clapping of garba, the click of dandiya sticks and instructors calling out dance steps aloud: “Five, six, seven, eight.” Rehearsals are held a month before Navratri and have become a familiar part of community life.Garba and dandiya raas originated as local folk traditions performed by Gujarat’s agrarian communities and have since spread to many parts of India. Navratri celebrations have increasingly taken on an organised form in Bengaluru’s housing societies. Choreographed and disco-style performances, themed costumes and social media-friendly finales now accompany the festival’s traditional dances and feature high-decibel soundtracks and fusion music.Shefali Mehta, a veteran of Garba festivities in Bengaluru for almost twenty years, has witnessed a transformation in dandiya influenced by Bollywood. Traditionally, the sequence began with garba, followed by precise dandiya steps, all set to lively Gujarati folk tunes.Malleswaram resident Ruchi Dwivedi says performances in her cosmopolitan community have also shifted from traditional garba to fusion. “Our group, Fusion Taal, performed garba to South Indian songs last year and is practising folk dances from Northeast India this year,” says Dwivedi, adding that the group seeks to showcase India’s diversity while respecting all cultures and traditions.Dandiya events are also becoming a celebration of creativity. “What makes me happiest is seeing people respect and appreciate what has been passed down through generations while still finding their own way to express their creativity,” says choreographer Priyanka Shetty, who adds that traditional outfits have also acquired a fashionable Indo-Western touch.Cosmopolitan TwistDandiya raas has made its way into the Bengali Durga Puja celebrations too. North Bangalore Cultural Samithi, a Bengali organisation, is organising a dandiya and DJ night on Oct 18 at Mahalakshmipuram, says Kalyan Pathak of NBCS.As the night deepens, the venues become more than festive addresses. The circles of dancers and the sound of live dhol bring together memory, community and celebration. For old-timers, it is a return to tradition; for younger Bengalureans, it is an invitation to step into it.……………………………………………………………………………………………….The festive food spread brings the true taste of Gujarat straight to your plate. What’s more, one can have unlimited foodSonal Sethi | MEMBER, THANGAAT GARBA GROUPImmersing myself in the Navratri celebrations with Shree Bangalore Vaishnav Samaj was more than a cultural experience — it was a powerful reminder of how shared devotion and deep-rooted traditions can unite and uplift our entire societyJalpa Ajmera | DIRECTOR, CLINICAL DATA MANAGEMENT IN AN MNCWith participants from diverse cultural heritages swaying to energetic music, the event has become a vibrant spectacle.While the classic charm of chaniya cholis remains, many prefer contemporary fashion. The annual festivities draw dancers, showing how cultural practices adapt in today’s fast-paced worldShefali Mehta | EDUCATOR
