Surat garbas to get insurance cover

With the nine-day-long Navratri festival two weeks away, major groups organising Navratri garbas in Surat are busy insuring the events.

The Rangeela Group, one of the biggest groups to stage Navratri garbas on the banks of the Tapi River since the past one decade, has decided to buy insurance this year.

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"We have been taking an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) and this cover also includes the people who come to participate in the garbas," says Rangeela Group chief executive officer Manoj Shinde.

The Rangeela Group is buying the insurance cover from the New India Insurance.

"Rangeela stages the biggest garba show on open grounds in Surat," Shinde said.

Similarly, Nitin Talati of Harvick Enterprises also opts for insurance. Harvick, which had organised two major garba festivals in the past, is organising the show this time on the sprawling St Xavier's School grounds.

"Last year we had taken an insurance of Rs 50 lakh covering almost all aspects right from the artists to the participants to the property. This time as we are in an open ground, I will opt for a smaller cover," Talati said.

"We are also thinking of taking an insurance cover just like other groups. We are likely to finalise the total insurance cover within the next two to three days," says Firoze Malick, who earlier used to organise garbas under the name of Destiny Group.

However, this time they would be holding the nine-day festival under the name of Creative Group at the Mahalaxmi Grounds on the Surat-Dumas Road.