BIGTICKET DANDIYA EVENT IN GHATKOPAR AFTER 3 YEARS

MUMBAI: After a gap of three years, Ghatkopar will host a big-ticket dandiya event. However, it will be held only for six days.

Considered a hub for Navratri celebrations during the late 90’s and early 2000, owing to its vast Gujarati population, Ghatkopar has not witnessed a grand celebration in a long time.

“We decided to provide a different package this year. We will have Sriram Iyer performing for the first two days followed by Manisha Savla on Dussera and Naitik Nagda over the weekend, after Navratri,” said Nitin Shetty, organiser, Garbotsav 2018.

The organisers said the amount collected through sale of passes, around ₹15 lakh, will be donated to rebuild floot-hit Kerala.

“We want to promote the culture among youngsters so that they learn about giving back to the society. Also, we don’t want them to forget traditional dance forms,” said Shetty.

Jitendra Mehta, president of the Ghatkopar Gujarati Samaj, one of the main organisers of Navratri in Ghatkopar until three years ago, said strict noise pollution norms makes it difficult for organiser to host grand events.

“It is difficult for organisers to recover the cost because a lot of people demand free passes. Amid financial crisis, it is difficult to recover the crores spent on organising the event just by selling passes available,” Mehta said.

Last year, dandiya queen Falguni Pathak had performed in the suburb, but after Navratri. This year too, Ghatkopar Gujarati Samaj will host her event after the festival ends.