NAVRATRI - c

[Guest guest]

As alterations have been made in other folk arts,

the garba has proved no exception. The garba dance

was very scientifically performed. The newer

generation has altered it to suit their own convenience.

They have done away with the lamp and instead placed a

photograph of the Devi. Even if they are able to group four

people, they start the garba in every by-lane. In the

earlier days, the garba used to be played to the tunes of

shehanai and chawghada, creating feelings of veer-rasya.

Today the garba is played to loud filmi music, which is

very harsh and loud to the ear. Garba is supposed to

be danced to a melodious pattern of body movements.

Nowadays people dance in anyway they like making funny,

peculiar expressions and movements, bumping into one

another. The dandi stick is to be gently touched to

another’s dandi, but now it is hit in any

fashion.<br><br>The garba dance is a ritual to appease the Goddess

and must be considered sacred. While dancing the

spiritual emotion of the ritual must be maintained. It is

very sad to see people today consuming alcohol while

dancing, wearing their shoes and slippers etc. All this

causes the dance to lose its purity. Thus, instead of

increasing the spiritual emotion of the ritual, there is a

spirit of one-upmanship. A huge amount is charged as

entrance fees and prizes are given.<br><br>Here, a special

mention must be made for the benefit of college students.

As per the science it is essential that men and

ladies dance the garba separately. Instead, today, it is

viewed as a platform for young boys and girls to come

together as at a social gathering which has subtle and not

so subtle sexual connotations to it. They remain

outdoors until the early hours of the morning, even till 4

a.m. It was published in a Gujarati newspaper that in

Maharashtra and Gujarat, the incidence of abortion in young,

unmarried girls increases for a few months after garba.

Thus, the purity of a festival like Navaratri is lost

by collecting money forcibly, playing loud recorded

music, vulgar dancing etc. <br><br>Tolerating all this

in a religious festival is like disrespecting our

Religion, Nation and State. Today we are under the grip of

a national crisis. The nation is passing through

financial, social, political and defense crises. Allowing

this is like permitting Nero to play the fiddle while

Rome was burning. In the last 10 years we have been

under the grip of terrorist activities. We are more

intensely aware of it after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

on USA. In such difficult times it is prudent for us

to use Navaratri as a platform for public awareness

and all-round national progress. This is the need of

the hour.<br><br>Continue...<br><br>With

love<br>Sanatan <br>Glenn-Sampada