Beyond dandiyas and garbas

Dancing barefoot to connect to Devi

Gujaratis look forward to Navratri all year. Navratri is all about the Garba for us. The celebration hinges on dancing together. It is a significant occasion not only for the Gujarati population, but also for non-Gujaratis in the city who flock to the pandals to watch the dance. Garba, as a religious practice, is performed barefoot, as are other Hindu rites and worship. Walking barefoot shows reverence for the earth beneath one’s feet. The earth is a generative force. Another method to connect with Devi is to dance barefoot. First, we place a garbi, which is a decorative matka with a diya within, at home. Every evening after puja, the women dance around the garbi, which is why the dance is named garba. I am thrilled to add that our PM himself penned the garba song Maadi. — Bina Mehta, a socialite and traditional garba choreographer

Flowers and fruits loved by Maa

We have our own set of rituals that include cleaning the homes, lighting earthen lamps (aarti), singing folk songs and performing the Dandiya to specific beats. We Rajasthanis offer flowers and foods which are favourites of every form of Shakti on a particular day. We also fast for nine days and consume a special dish called khichdi. There’s a lot of sentiment linked to the celebrations. We also have a life-size idol of Goddess Durga, to whom we pray and do pooja for nine days before performing visarjan on the last day. — Kavita and Saloni Jain, entrepreneurs

Fasting and feasting

Our most anticipated festival is Navratri, a nine-day festival filled with exciting Garba and Dandiya dances every night. We worship Goddess Durga with zeal during this time, beautifying our homes to welcome  her heavenly presence. Every day, we make various offerings to the Goddess and fast. Each day has a different colour and we pray in different ways. — Arthi Shah, Chairperson FICCI YFLO, Hyderabad

Sweet & spicy connection

They have an extremely sweet and spicy connection. Marwaris celebrate Navratri by praying to Goddess Durga in her Sherawali form, whilst Gujaratis worship her as Mahagauri, Maa Amba. The rituals are similar, and we both wear colours representing different matas for nine days. Ghoomar is performed by Marwaris, while Garba and Dandiya are performed by Gujaratis. It is culturally similar in many ways, yet historically distinct. On the ninth day, Marwaris believe in burning the effigy of Ravan as a message of good triumphing over evil, whilst Gujaratis bid Maa Amba farewell with great pomp and display. — Sheetal, Jewellery designer & founder, Zaveri