Navaratri in Gujarat

Contributed by Siddhartha Shaw

As a child I was very anti-social. I would show up at the Indian parties my parents would go to with a coloring book and crayons or something to read, anything to avoid hanging out with other children my age. Or, I would follow my mother around, clutching to her sari while she made simple conversation with all her lady friends. I dreaded these functions with a passion as I always felt very different from the other kids…for various reasons. It was only as we approached Navratri that I would impatiently await these gatherings. This holiday was always centered on dancing!

Navratri is the most important celebration in Gujarat and, most specifically, in Baroda (the city where my family is from and where I spend most of my time in India). People from all over India come to Baroda to celebrate the Nine Nights of the Goddess because, for us, this is a time for dancing. Each night, the streets are filled with literally millions of people in their most colorful clothing, dancing to beat of drums and singing devotional songs to Amba.

Garba is the most popular women’s folk dance of Gujarat that was originally associated with hunting and later transformed into an agricultural ritual dedicated to the goddess Amba. During Navratri, the tradition in villages is for a pot to be decorated with attractive designs and then placed on the heads of young women who go from door to door. At every step they gracefully bend to the sides, their arms sweeping up and down, each movement ending in clap. The movements and gestures seem to dispel negativity and invite great joy and prosperity for the future. Today, in cities like Baroda, garba is a ceremonial dance for all to join in together, irrespective of their caste, religion, or social standing.

The traditional dance of men during Navaratri is raas or dandiya raas in which each participant holds two wooden sticks and reenacts the battle between Durga and Mahishasura through a complicated rhythmic pattern of movements. It is also a sacred dance in the cults of Krishna in northern and western India. The dance, that can feature hundreds or thousands of participants, takes place in two concentric circles, with an inner circle of dancers facing the outer circle of dancers. The circles move in opposite directions with each dancer having the opportunity to dance with each member of the facing circle. The dancers strike their own sticks as well as those of their partner, mimicking a sword dance between two warriors, beginning in a very slow tempo and eventually rising to a highly charged, loud, and fast rhythm.

Today, both men and women can participate in either or both dances. For many, it is through this celebration and the repetitive, ecstatic dances that they gain access into the energy of goddess Amba. Fury, heat, power, and riotous forces are invoked and embodied during Navratri in Gujarat, and it is certainly the most exciting time for millions of adults and children each year. While we may seek to honor Amba or all the goddesses at this time of year, it is essential for us to understand that this is also the time for us to experience victory and celebration within ourselves for the battles we have overcome in our lives. This is a time of great happiness and revelry! Fortuitous times are still to come…

Siddhartha V. Shah is an art historian, dealer, and lecturer who focuses on the function of contemporary art in spiritual practice. Numerous paintings by artists he represents can be seen at Yoga Mandala Studio and at www.TantricArt.net

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