DANCING TO THE BEAT
Celebrities share their Navratri memories and tell us how the revelry of the nine nights has changed over the years
SURBHI CHANDNA
Navratri is very special to me. As a child, I was always excited to get an opportunity to dress up and dance with my friends in our society. I would also look forward to participating in the garba competition every year. All the kids would try to win prizes for titles like best costume, best dancer, etc, and I also won some. That is one of my fondest memories of the festival. Today, due to the hectic schedules, I don’t have the time to celebrate festivals the way I used to. I try to be a part of the festivities around me in some way. Also, due to space constraints in Mumbai, at some places, people play garba on the streets, which may become a bit of a hindrance for vehicles to pass through causing traffic jams. As a society, we should be aware of our moral responsibilities. Let’s try to spread smiles every time we celebrate any festival.
DHEERAJ DHOOPAR
I shifted to Mumbai 11 years ago and had accompanied a friend to a Navratri event. That was the first time I was at a garba and dandiya night. What impressed me the most was that people made an effort to get dressed in their finery and enjoyed dancing their hearts out. Nowadays, the celebrations are commercial in nature and well-planned, too.
GIA MANEK
I remember enjoying the Navratri celebrations in the society that I used to live in earlier. Most of the families were Gujarati and we all enjoyed doing garba together. It felt like we were one big family. Though the celebrations these days have become very commercial, but to each his own.
SHRENU PARIKH
Back home in Vadodara, (Gujarat) we still celebrate Navratri by doing garba in a huge circle. But my first Navratri celebration in Mumbai was an eyeopener. I was part of an event and saw that people danced only with their friends and stuck to their own dance steps. I had never been to a garba night like that, but then I started to enjoy it. These days, the songs played during garba are remixes with modern tunes, which may get mixed reactions from listeners. Moreover, the intermittent rains this year must have hindered the festivities for some.
ROHIT ROY
When I was working on (the TV show) Swabhimaan, I was invited to be a chief guest at a Navratri celebration in Mithibai college. I saw an ocean of people moving in tandem to the energetic beats. I am from Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and was used to intimate Navratri celebrations, so that blew my mind. That image has stayed with me even 25 years later. Those days the songs were original folk ones and not the remixed versions of Hindi film songs. Now, times have changed. When I was promoting my Gujarati film, I.M.A Gujju (2018) at various Navratri functions, I realised that the personal touch was missing.