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Welcome to Navratri in Ahmedabad Wednesday, October 24, 2001

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: Bolo tara ra come the strains from a building complex. Now everyone knows that Daler Mehndi has not yet become Dalerbhai, that his music is not part of the 'garba' tradition and not even part of Gujarati tradition. But so what? A lot of Navratri is about having fun and judging from the number of children dancing their hearts on, the tune was working.

Welcome to Navratri in Ahmedabad. It may not be 'sanskar nagri', but it is Gujarat's biggest city and Navratri here covers the gamut, from Mumbai-ishtyle 'dandiya dhamaka' to traditional 'ras garba'. An evening at the Hutheesing Centre showcases the folk dances of Gujarat and Rajasthan and sets the mood for the festival.

Next door, the CEPT ground resounds to the beats of the dholak and the sounds of the first invocation to Goddess Amba lead you into an older time. The dancing starts in a small circle around a collection of 'diyas' on a open brick altar. The circle slowly grows and then another larger one forms around it. In the corner, a boy gets a quick refresher on the steps. Soon, concentric circles sway and swirl to the music. From afar, it looks like a colourful field of grass on a windy night.

Out on the highway, though, it's goodbye 'diyas' and pots and welcome to high decibels and bright lights. At the Amitara grounds, Jayesh Panchal and his group take the dancers to a frantic pitch. On the huge lawns, groups do an energetic hudo, no delicate movements here. High energy, high adrenaline and an audience charged up for more.

The dancers, too, perform to the crowds as they form circles, moving around their collections of shoes and bags. Kathiawari dress dominates for the men and 'kedio' and 'dhoti' can be seen in every colour and combination. Indeed, for sheer brilliance and style, the men compete with the women, backless cholis, banjara-style bangles and carefully applied make-up notwithstanding.

But it's not necessarily the same story everywhere. Some grounds, along the highway, are so well organised that people are practically attacked by security men, armed with whistles and sticks. Rules are meant to be strictly adhered to here, but only for some people. "You can't go into the rink in a sari," this correspondent is told. "That's not a traditional dress."

Which would be all right, except for the fact that the sari is the national dress for women in India and that the rink is full of women in salwar kameezes, certainly not the traditional dress of Gujarat. So much for the YMCA. "We will fix it tomorrow," promises one of the rosetted men. Politeness lessons for the security staff would help.

Then there's the Hindi film music, the varying degrees in quality in sound systems, the increase in disco dandiya... but enough grouses. From the clubs like the Sports or Karnavati and Rajpath, to grounds like Zarna and Nova Village, to building societies across the city, Ahmedabad is throbbing. From 8 pm onwards, the little children are seen, in their festive gear. being ferried from place to place by harried fathers. More than anything else, it is the children who make the lasting impression.

And the fact that come Navratri, Ahmedabad rocks. A little tradition, a little razzmatazz, a little Mumbai, a little Vadodara. A good bhelpuri of customs, traditions and fun.

News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]

 

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