Mangalore Resonates to Tunes of Garba and Dandiya

Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
 
Mangalore, Oct 24: That Mangalore has become melting pot of cultures is evident especially during Navaratri festival. During Navaratri the Gujarath and Rajasthan Samaj located in Alake, Mangalore reverberates with the thumping beats of haath grabha and dandiya raas.

The entire area on Bhoja Rao Lane in Alake where both Gujarath and Rajasthan Samaj are located wear a festive look and there is celebration in the air during the Navaratri festive season. Multi-colour Dandiya sticks, traditional, colourful and beautiful costumes, elaborately embroidered and embellished with blouses with mirror and bead work, equally fascinating embroidered ballooning skirts with eye catching accessories, puja, aarti, exhilarating and enchanting music, electrifying atmosphere etc., form the essence of the Navaratri celebrations by these communities in Mangalore.
 
The community celebrates this festival as a crowd in clubs, societies, schools or in community halls and there is a feeling of bonhomie that gets strengthened during occasions like this. While Gujaratis feast and enjoy during all the 9 days of Navaratri Rajasthanis celebrate the festival for 4 days altogether i.e three days prior to Dussera or Vijayadashami as it is called in the south, which is celebrated today. After four days i.e on October 29, on Sharad Punamni people assemble once again to celebrate through folk dances and songs to provide lively entertainment.

These celebrations start after dinner at 9.30 pm and continue till 12.30 or 1 am with many choosing to dance non-stop. “It is a high voltage energy consuming dance and tests the stamina of the dancer”, says Mona Vasani. At Rajasthan Samaaj both men and women dance together Gujarati men and women prefer donning the dance floors separately at the allotted hours. They place a garba deep or an image of goddess amba in the centre and dance around it in a circle to the rhythmic tunes of folk songs.
 
There are about 500 Gujarati families and 400 odd Rajasthani families in Mangalore and Navaratri (90% of them in business) is a perfect occasion for this community to come together, bond and celebrate together. “This festival gives us an opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate unlike other festivals which are celebrated individually. We don’t feel that we are away from our homeland as we have assimilated with this part of the country without losing our identity”, asserts Sangeetha Maheshwari, a home maker.
 
Though Garbha and Dandiya is a folk dance of Gujarat it has spread its charm to the length and breadth of the country and today the entire nation dances to the tunes of Dandiya and Garbha.
 
Anil Bansal, former President of Rajasthan Samaj, who is also the one among the member of the committee that oversees this year’s celebrations, says “about 500 to 600 people of our community participate in this navaratri utsav. We hold garbha, dandiya, traditional Rajasthani dress competition, games for children and elders. On the whole, it is an opportune for us to amalgamate and celebrate in unison”.
 
Garba and dandiya have evoked the interest of the entire nation and this mania has transcended the borders of the country as Gujarati Diaspora in America, UK, Canada and other European countries have spread the flavor of infectious dance form in the countries they live. Even in India the youth have developed a special affinity to Garba and Dandia.
 
For Mangaloreans who want to have a refreshing time enjoying an outing, witnessing a dandiya night and gobbling up some traditional delicacies, is a perfect recipe to disport and rejuvenate.