Earlier this week, over 500 college students in traditional garba finery gathered for what was, remarkably, an exam. For 90 minutes they danced in age-old concentric circles, with the Mataji sthapana at the centre, as the singer Bhoomi Trivedi lifted the evening with her presence.
Bhoomi said she felt a touch of Vadodara in the formation, one of the few places where Navratri is still danced this way. For Jigar Soni, the senior garba instructor that was the whole point. “The young generation has to learn to celebrate garba as a festival, not an event,” he says.For the students, the experience was a lesson in culture, devotion and community. Anahita Thageshwar, one of the participants, says, “Dancing with more than 500 students in authentic Garba form, in curated concentric circles with Mataji at the centre, was something we had never experienced before. Learning about our roots and culture through our college curriculum was both meaningful and fun.” Akshay Desai believes the devotional aspect of Garba is increasingly being overlooked. “Garba is more than dance and music. Traditionally, Mataji is placed at the centre and the celebration happens around the goddess. At many modern Garba events, that traditional touch has been lost,” he says. For Ritwisha, performing the aarti together was among the highlights. “It was my first experience of something so devotional yet fun. The authenticity was remarkable, and all 500 students performing the aarti together was truly special,” she says.Another participant, adds, “As more than 500 of us danced together, I realised Garba is more than just a dance. Despite coming from different backgrounds, we moved in synchrony as part of one celebration.”
DID YOU KNOW?
“Since the last three years, every student pursuing an undergrad course has to take a co-curricular subject like sports, theatre, yoga, classical, dance, folk dance etc and colleges like Somaiya, Mithibai, NM, Thakur have given options that include 30 hours per semester of garba and the are evaluated on it on it for academic credit. Students take structured classes to learn traditional, authentic Garba forms taught by professional garba exponents,” explains Jigar Soni, a professional garba instructor who teaches around 4000 students per year.
