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'The most famous dance is called the garba'
October 6, 2008
Gujaratis, known for their business acumen, sense of industry and inherent entrepreneurial spirit, are by and large a sober people (Gujarat is the only dry state in India). But come Navratri, for nine days straight, life is one big party and all else takes a backseat, as Mumbai's enormous Gujarati community comes together to celebrate and dance.
"This type of Navratri celebration began in Ambaji, Gujarat, hundreds of years ago," says Chetan Goradia, a 44-year-old caterer from Borivali. His stall is set up inside the Prathamesh grounds and his workers dish out veg grills and Mumbai chaat as fast as hungry revellers can order them. It's hard to hear with the music pulsing uninterruptedly at triple-digit decibel levels, but Chetan's a Navratri expert, and has no trouble making himself understood.
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"The most famous dance, the one you are seeing here, is called the garba," explains Chetan, waving his hand over the vast crowd of wheeling, spinning youngsters. Two blonde-haired girls from the US, who work here in Mumbai for an NGO, are practicing the dance, prodded on by their impromptu instructors. "The ones who are twirling the sticks," he shouts, pointing out a group of teenaged males whose dance is particularly lively,"That's called dandiya."
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