Garba keynote flip test font 27th july 2014 two

the heritage and culture of garba and raas

nish patel 1 Sunday, 27 July 2014

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introduction Words do not easily capture the vibrancy, the energy, the ecstasy and so much more of a Garba happening and its blissful blend of music and dance, glowing and flowing with grace and radiance.

Every year around late September early October, Gujaratis all over the world dissolve and dazzle in dances of delight and devotion in their nine day festival of Navratri. These happenings are filled with the noise and swaying of people, the tinkling and jingling of the dancers and the delighted faces of the people amazed by the rapture.

Though Garba and Raas are generally associated with Navratri. their scope and reach is far wider than the devotional worship during Navratri. As dances they can be done for other celebrations, and many times just for joy and for the sake of dancing them. Their delightful traits make them suitable as universal dances, for most occasions during many seasons, amidst diverse places.

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In additional to its devotional aspects engaging in this circular and cosmic dance provides a wonderful chance for mixing and mingling with friends, families and our wider society and sustains a healthy and enjoyable way of refreshing and rejuvenating ourselves and the people around and about us.

Garba and Raas are not restricted to Gujarat. They are danced wherever there are Gujaratis. They are not the exclusive preserve of Gujaratis either, they are a common enchantment for people over all continents and many places in between.

Conceived in Ancient Times these dances are immersed in abundant heritage and amazing philosophy

For this spiritual happening Gujaratis gather in small and large numbers, from a few hundred to over tens of thousands. People from all classes, castes and sections of society. The dancing takes place in community halls, in temples and sometimes vast auditoriums 7 Sunday, 27 July 2014

Dance is a stunning achievement of humanity.

Dance is universal, it reaches, rejuvenates and refreshes.. everyone...everywhere. and Garba and Raas are the highest intoxication, the ultimate devotion

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Garba Garba and Raas dances take place in the main during a period of nine nights known as Navratri ( literally meaning nine nights ) Navratri is a festival of dance and devotion in honour and praise of various forms, aspects and manifestations of Hindu Mother Goddesses.

The Garba dance is over two thousand years old and was derived from the Raas stick dance. The Garba dance was traditionally performed by women though in modern times some men also take part.

In popular conception a reference to garba means a reference to the dance that is Garba. Garba has other definitions as well. Garba literally means a womb. Garba can also refer to a perforated pot with a light in it. The name Garba is also given to the songs which are sung when garba is danced.

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the charm of

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The Perforated Pot- known as Garba The pot is usually made of clay and is decorated and embellished on the outside ( PIC ) Great care is taken in creating and decorating the pot. A hand made Diva made of ghee and cotton wool is lit and placed inside. This pot is also known as the Garba Deep. The word Garba is derived from the Sanskrit word Garbadeep, Garba meaning the womb and the Deep means light. The light represents the Divine shining through the perforations and the pot symbolises the womb universe. The light may also be taken to be the foetus in the womb.

The Dance - known as Garba This is the circular dance that is performed around the pot. Initially women will start dancing in a circular form around the pot. The steps are quite simple. Each dancer follows more or less the same step, with different vigor. They will clap at the end of several steps in time and rhythm.

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The Songs- known as Garba or Garbi The songs and tunes to which the Garba dance takes place, are also known as Garba or Garbas.

These compositions have been handed down over the generations and their words and themes range from the spiritual to the social, and are mainly in praise and honour of the various mother goddesses associated with Navratri.

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history The garba dance was evolved from the raas dance.

When krsna and the yadavas settled in dwarka , the men were into a culture of drinking quite a bit.

Krsnas grandson Aniruddh married Usa a princess of assam who was an accomplished dancer She added elements of lasya dance to the lata dance Lata meaning entwined dance Sine the yadavas were drinking and then dancing it was not graceful for women and men to dance together and so the haallisaka dance developed mainly for women and danced in a circle freedom of movement and less sexual connection and then later became a mainly female dance

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Aarti At a Garba event, the first two hours or so are devoted to performing Garba dances. There is then a short period of communal worship known as an Aarti, in which the gathering stand in a circle around a image or sculpture of a deity and sing and chant a devotional offering, whilst clapping hands, and waving small lighted wicks ( Divas ) in a gentle swaying motion.

It is believed these Divas acquire the spirit and power of the deity, and they are then circulated amongst the worshippers, who will lightly cup their downturned palms over the flame and then raise their palms over their forehead so that the divine blessing passes from the flame to the devotees.

It is quite a sight to see gatherings of a few hundred to over tens of thousands all actively engaged in this devotional worship, with an abundance of small flickering flames radiating all around.

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Raas After the Aarti has concluded , the Raas dances start.

The Raas is a dance played with two sticks. The sticks are known as Dandiya. Raas is also known as Dandiya Raas or sometimes as just Dandiya.

The players face each other in a large concentric circle or at times form smaller groups. The players facing each other, click their sticks with the other , in defined movements and then move on to the next facing player. The dancers may twist, turn and sway, and even change places, depending on their ability, enthusiasm and inclination. The Raas dance is performed and played by men and women together.

The songs and tunes played when dancing Raas have different connotations and meanings and many of them refer to the escapades of Lord Krsna in his youth. The dance took its most popular form during the Raas Leela dance which took place between Krsna and the Gopis in the forests of Vrandavan by the banks of the Yamuna river.

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dandiyas

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dandiyas Dandiyas refer in the plural to the two sticks with which the Raas dance is performed. It can also be performed with one stick if the other is lost or broken or just for greater freedom of movement.

The simplest dandiyas are two wooden sticks around 40 cm long and with a radius of around 8 cm, though these sizes will vary. The dandiyas should be easy to grasp and be long enough to reach out to click with the dandiya of the facing dancer.

Very often the dandiyas are embellished with decorations or are wrapped in cloth of colourful patterns and designs. They will also have small bells attached with give off a tinkling sound when clicked.

Care has to be taken when playing and clicking the sticks and it is not unknown for injuries to be caused. When they are held in the hand they evoke the holding of small swords, appropriately given that they can be used to clash and whip, hit and strike, albeit in a playful manner.

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navratri 22 Sunday, 27 July 2014

navratri Navratri, which means nine nights, is a devotional and spiritual event. As the name suggests, Navratri takes place over a period of nine nights, during which various rites and rituals take place.

The festival of Navratri falls four times a year, in line with the change of the seasons. However the majority of people usually only celebrate the main Navratri, known as Sharana Navratri, which occurs in late September or early October.

The nine nights signify the gestation period of a pregnancy over nine months. The symbolism of the garba pot as a womb is thus further highlighted.

The devotion during Navratri has several aspects.

During the day there are recitations and chanting of scriptures in praise of the mother goddesses.

There are also ceremonies which involve the feeding of young girls, the worship of the tools of trade and of books of learning. Many people fast before and during Navratri.

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There are various festivals of Navratri in different regions of India, each with their own particular elements , rituals and ceremonies.

Garba and Raas dances are the most significant devotional element of Navratri for Gujarat and Gujaratis. These dances take place during the night amidst decoration and vibrant lights. The dances are danced by most women and a substantial number of men. Navratri is a mainly feminine occasion as this was the one occasion during which women could partake in acts or worship, as for many years religious rituals and practices were mainly male preserves Traditionally, people dance in a circle around a central lit lamp or an image of the Mother Goddess. The lamp is called Garba Deep, which means a small earthenware lit lamp. People dance around the circle accompanied by folk musical instruments, swinging and sweeping their arms, bending sideways at each step, and clapping in rhythm and beat.

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the divine femminine The primary significance of Navratri is the worship of the energy known as Shakti, which represents the power of the Divine Feminine.

Shakti takes numerous forms, the three primary forms being Durga, Saraswasti and Lakshmi.

These three Goddesses or Divine Mothers, also have various forms and manifestations which are known by several names and signify differing powers and energies.

Durga is the goddess of power and strength.

Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth.

Saraswasti is the goddess of the arts, wisdom and knowledge.

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nine days and nights Navratri is divided into three periods of three days and nights each.

The first period of three days and nights are dedicated to Durga who is the goddess of power and strength, She has several manifestations such as Kumari , Parvati and Kali. These three aspects represent the stages of womankind, from a child, to a mother and wife and lastly as a accomplished and powerful woman.

The second period of three days and nights are in praise and worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

The last period of three days and nights, are dedicated to Saraswasti the goddess of arts, wisdom and learning. Books and items of knowledge and learning are gathered and wo r s h i p p e d , t o i nvo ke t h e b l e s s i n g s o f Saraswasti .

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people

The greatest blessing that Garba and Raas events bring is the wide age range of the people attending and participating. It is fortunate that here are dance forms which have people from the age of two to the age of eighty, all gathered in one place for an evening of dancing, singing and playing.

It is their Devotion ‌.. It is their Dance !

And not just dance, but moving and blending amidst great devotion, the devotion for the elders, devotion for the divine, all participants in a sacred and spiritual happening, whether dancing, sitting or posing.

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natyashastra As the Natyashastra says; “ Yo u n g p e o p l e a re p l e a s e d t o s e e t h e presentation of love, the learned a reference to some religious or philosophical doctrine, the seekers after money topics of wealth, and the passionless in topics of liberation. “ “ Heroic persons are always pleased in the odious and the terrible sentiments, personal combats and battles, and the old people in Puranic legends, and tales of virtue. And common women, children and uncultured persons are always delighted with the comic sentiment and remarkable costumes and make-up” (59-61)

At Garba happenings there are representations of love for the youth, religious themes for the older, philosophy and arts for the learned, Goddesses for assurance of wealth and prosperity for the business minded. There is also the power and might of the goddesses worshipped and the mock 33 Sunday, 27 July 2014

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onlookers The importance of the people who look upon the dance cannot be over emphasised. They are an integral part of the event and should be catered for in every comfort and convenience.

And not just dance, but moving and blending amidst great devotion, the devotion for the elders, devotion for the divine, all participants in a sacred and spiritual happening, whether dancing, sitting or posing.

And here are the children and the teenagers, hopefully not all bored or on their phones and pods and pads, but many flowing and fluttering, beaming and grinning, enthralled by the extravaganza, enchanted by this dancing, surprised at this devotion, gazing in wonder upon the splendor.

The older people are delighted in seeing the children and teenagers engaged in a devotional and cultural activity. They see a whole community of their family and friends and wider society immersed in communion, all having a wonderful time taking this chance to meet and greet, tease and please, all in tune and harmony with all others.

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children Children many flowing and fluttering, beaming and grinning, enthralled by the extravaganza, enchanted by this dancing, surprised at this devotion. Gazing in wonder at this spectacle and splendor.

Children do not generally get a chance to dance a n d p ra n c e a s m u c h a s t h e y s h o u l d o r would..They like to play and jump around but they do not generally get that much chance to do this and dance is ideal to express their exuberance and release their energy.

Children are generally told to behave and keep still and their natural exuberance is, discouraged, damaged, dampened .

Children having fun,running around energetically jumping , twirling, and a leaping? God forbid !

The greatest gift and legacy we can leave is our heritage, with it’s elegant ways, immersed in amazing philosophy and abundant devotion

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philosophy

In Hinduism, dance is the most exalted of the arts, the pinnacle of many form of worship and devotion. The classical dance as well as the folk dance was performed in a mood of ecstasy and in praise and appreciation of the divine. Not only is dance allowed to hindus, as are many other wonderful things, dance is also admired and promoted, as is music and singing.

Indeed music and song is very much an essence, if not the essence of Hinduism. The path of Bhakti ( devotion in music, poetry and song ) is a path well followed in this day and age by almost a billion people, one fifth of humanity.

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best things Socialising Devotion Mixed Sexes Music The Dance Romance Exercise Devotion Transcendence Worship Easy Circular

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socialising The socialising and mingling nature of Garba and Raas dances are of great worth and value and their benefits cannot be overemphasised. Within a short time of your attending the event, you will start to connect with some and then assimilate and blend with many others pleasantly and easily.

By the end of a Garba and Raas evening you will have connected with many others. If the event has been well organised, you will have clicked sticks and engaged with everyone who takes their place on the whirling dancing circles . There is rarely any other dance form that can lead you into making some connection or contact so quickly with most everyone present.

The socialising nature of this dance is rarely equalled. move wherever you want, sit wherever you wish and mingle with whomever you wish.

You are not just caught up in your own world and individual thoughts, you soon become a part of this whole refreshing and enjoyable play.

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the dance Garba and Raas dances are relatively easy to do.

After just a short while, within 15 minutes or less, you will easily pick up the basic steps and get into the rhythm and the harmony. You will pick up enough in this short space of time to make sure that your dance is not awkward or embarrassing, either to yourself or to others.

With other dance forms it is not usually easy to achieve this level of mixing and mingling, even in a hall full of people known to each other. Here people will soon be dancing and connecting and clicking with each other. Here you will be, side by side and face to face, moving, flowing and dancing. fooling around.

This form of dancing smoothly takes your mind off many troubles, and soon releases you from part of the toils, troubles and worries of day to day life.

There is also the magical nature of the circle and circle dances. The circle as a shape has significance.A circle of your friends, your friend circle. You can engage as a doer and as a watcher, both, as and how you choose. You can join and leave the circle as and when you wish.

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the music The songs and tunes for Garba and Raas are each twenty to thirty minutes long not just a few short minutes as is the case with most other dance music. The length of the tune is tailored so that the dance has a mellow beginning, a sumptuous middle and a rapturous ending. It is not over in a few shakes but has time to reach a crescendo. The time taken over the tune allows the dancers to be immersed in a symphony of spinning splendor, concluding in a fast and vibrant pulse Musical Instruments Damru, Tabla, Nagara, pot drum, percussion, Ektaro, Ravan hattho, Jantar, Pavo, shehnai, murli, turi, and taturi are the musical instruments used in Garba Dance.

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health

Recommendations from the National Health Service of the United Kingdom show that engaging in dance has numerous and significant benefits for physical and mental well being.

There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.

Reading - 35% reduced risk of dementia Bicycling and swimming - 0% Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week - 47% Playing golf - 0% Dancing frequently - 76%.

That was the greatest risk reduction of any activity studied, cognitive or physical.

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benefits of dance There are innumerable benefits in dance and dancing.

Dance can make us fitter and healthier, mentally and physically. Dance can also increase our social interaction and bonding with like minded people.

Dance is something that can be done by all ages from infants to the elderly, Even the infirm can enjoy dance to some extent. Dance can be done as part of a group or even alone. It can be done in a variety of places and settings, and for different purposes and reasons.

Dance is the fastest growing of the art forms. In Britain surveys have shown that the demand for dance is greater than the resources available for dance. In this day and age more people are leading physically inactive lives and rates of obesity are on the increase. There is an urgent need to improve the physical health of people.

Dance can have a profound effect on health and well being. It is therefore important that the benefits of dance are available to as many people as possible.

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Dance has an impressive number of styles and forms and themes and there is something to suit most people. A community which blends and bonds better in dance will also be more enriching and caring. For the individual depending on the nature of the chosen dances, there can be personal and mental growth and a more fulfilled life.

Dance also exposes you to more music. Studies have identified that good forms of music can improve our mental well being. Dance improves rhythmic and creative expression and enriches our imagination and innovation. Dance is also a fusion of many forms of art. Including music. literature and the visual arts.

Dance can assist in reaching a better understanding of culture, our own as well as the culture of other people and such appreciation helps to strengthen the spirit of harmony in a multicultural society.

In comparison to other repetitive forms of exercise, it is far more pleasant to engage in dance. Dance also has fairly minimal requirements in terms of equipment and resources.

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fashion The clothing and adornment of Garba and Raas is fabulous. When gazing upon a garba happening you see an ocean of glittering and colourful garments.

Women Women generally wear heavily embroidered and embellished three piece outfits, consisting of a long flowing skirt, a tight midriff baring blouse and a a form of flowing scarf known as an Odhani or dupatta.

The Chaniyas and Cholis have differing patterns , with a wide range of motifs. Quite often there will be vast numbers of small mirrors ( known as abhla ) sewn into the garments which reflect the colours all around and about them.

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Men The men also dress splendidly and colourfully.

They wear pyjamas which are tight towards the ankles but flowy and billowy from the hips to the knees. They wear a tight fitting top which is widely flared at the midriff and swings around as they dance. Some will wear colourful and extravagant turbans. The mens attire is also embroidered and embellished with colourful patterns and small mirrors. Men will also wear colourful scarves

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When dancing footwear is taken off and the dancers dance with bare feet.

The ideal dancing garments are those which are flowing and allow freedom of movement.

Modern, Traditional Women Men Children

Jewelry Range of Garba Jewelry Accessories Make up and beauty Best Footwear Hairstyles Shola Shringaar Different sized people Patan Patola

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natyashastra

The Natyashastra is not an easy work to take in. It is not written as a narrative but in phrases and short passages and these have to be pondered and wondered over carefully for their meaning and message to become clearer.

The Natyashastra is a treatise on dance and drama attributed to the sage Bharata Muni. It is believed to have been composed in In the Fifth Century ( check ) AD Bharata established artistic principles and a system of training. These rigid rules of the language of gesture were laid out in his treatise the Natya Shastra. Sanskrit has a single word for dance and drama, the two being considered inseparable: Natya.

Bharata speaks of Nritya the expressive dance that tells a story through pantomime; and Nritta, the pure dance performed for its own sake, in which the dancer surrenders to intoxicating rhythm.

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the nine rasas The Amorous The Pathetic The Valorous The Furious The Repellant The Jovial The Terrible The Wonderful The Pacific SANTARASA The Primary Rasa of peace and the others merge into this Rasa

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The Natyashastra is important as it is a treatise on the various human emotions and longings that exist in us and how they can be awakened, brought out and expressed. According to the Natyashastra creating plays and paintings, writing poetry, making sculptures, chanting, meditating, even religious discourse and listening to myths and legends and communal singing, are some of the acts and behaviors, that can help to beckon, engage and awaken the Ras. Dance, of course, is the greatest of the devices for the Ras to be awakened and Garba and Raas are the greatest of dances.

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devotion and ras It is very much the essence of the human condition that it seeks the union of its individual soul and being, with the cosmic soul and infinite existence. In order for this union to sparkle, moods of great passion and ecstatic emotion have to be brought into play. For some, powerful intoxicants ( such as the Ras of the Soma Plant ) serve as a tool to reach this divineness. For the majority however this is not possible without also endangering the reality of day to day existence.

When men and women engage in powerful forms of art or devotion, some of the Ras/sap that can connect them with the divine awakens and flows.

This is why religion exerts such a powerful hold on the human condition and imagination. It is a means to awaken this union. Also why Art, despite, perhaps because of, its abstract forms, also grips the imagination so deeply.

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Accomplished classical dancers, through the rigorous practice of their art and craft were, on more than a few occasions, able to awaken this essence, this sap, this Ras, the Ras�a within. To reach such accomplishment rigorous training was required and such dancing became the preserve of very few. It became the asset of those who ex p e n d e d co n s i d e ra b l e t i m e, e f fo r t a n d dedication to become accomplished. Such accomplishment was not, and is still not within the reach of the majority of people; those onlooking and appreciating.

Garba and Raas were brought into existence and developed in order that the majority of people would have a simpler way of seeking this union with the divine, to have their Ras flowing and glowing. And the flow of Rasa has to be handled with care, it is a powerful potion of emotion.

Sensibly care was expanded to ensure that the many emotions and longings awakened through Garba and Raas, did not so enchant and excite the people that the Ras overflowed and made them too wildly ecstatic, too much out of control.

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After all when you have the devices to awaken such profound and deep desires, some element of restraint has to be put in place, hence some pattern and some form was instilled, to keep the rasa in check and control. Or to let it lose as well, depending on the mood to be encouraged, the morals to uphold, the decency to maintain, the purpose to be served.

At Garba and Raas dances, some rare few will flow into ecstatic trance and lose control and appear possessed. They will dance and move as if they are no longer themselves, as if some mysterious thing has happened to them and they can no longer be held accountable for their actions and movements.

The path of Bhakti is very much the awakening of the Ras within you and allowing your being to connect and play in togetherness with divinity.

This is the reason for its endurance and expansion.Of course the majority of the people will not ascend into trance, but it shows the power of dance, that but for the lack of a little more Ras, many more would float and fly in trance.

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The significance of dancing in a circle is that, some of this flow of ras is kept in flow and check, so just when you might fly off and away, the mighty swirling circle draws you back and the spin and the pattern resumes. And not just a circle, but one that is moving spinning dazzling and dancing. Invoking ras and performing rasas When we dance garba and raas we have the divineness in us, playing with the divine in those around us, in those facing us, in those dancing with us. The divine seeks to have us dance, so that the divine can connect and click, shine and show, flow and glow, ascending and transcending us and itself. We owe it to to all forms and aspects of the deliciously divine, in whatever shape or form or being, to flow in and around and all over us, dancing and leaping, swaying and swirling, prancing and trancing, moving and grooving.

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saraswati Saraswasti has been identified from earliest times with the Vedic Saraswasti river. Her name literally means “ The One who Flows�

Saraswasti is a Vedic River Goddess. Whenever when you lounge by the banks of a graciously flowing river you realise this suitable association for the Goddess of Wisdom, Learning and Arts.

She carries the breath, the sustenance that is life within her, she takes oxygen from the ether and blends it with hydrogen and creates water, she is the flowing river as well as the water, they are inseparable the flowers bloom, the crops grow, thirsts are sated, garments are washed, bodies are cleaned, and on and on, radiating her glory, showering her gifts.

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Fishes swim in her, plants arise in her, she lets her essence be carried up into clouds so that her radiance may shower from above and rejoin the river to continue this cycle. This circular dance of water, this enriching element ever flowing, ever enriching, an ideal of energy and matter, never diminishing, always revolving and deliciously dancing. Hers the most cherishing, nourishing countenance in existence.

Civilisation flourished along her vast banks . The most learned people of the ancient world gathered and settled along her banks. They thought and pondered on many things, the stars in the firmament, the deepness within man, the music, the dance, the knowledge.

She is the Goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. The arts and crafts and poetry and prose all lie within her domain. Without her we would not have the scriptures and the music, She is the one through whom we praise and devote ourselves to all other divinities

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Saraswasti is graceful, glowing flowing, through her, all others are contained, all philosophies and messages, inspiring us to spread‌..

The Word !

The Music !

The Devotion !

And of course The Dance !

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She is the scriptures which are chanted, the shastras which are studied, the revelations which are followed, the melody that is played, She is the translation and interpretation, the debate and discussion

In modern terms Saraswasti is the world wide web. She is the code that creates, sustains and nurtures the web. She is the force that creates and fashions and crafts the iPad and the many other awesome and amazing gadgets and gizmos of our age.

Saraswasti is there to inspire us with grace, beauty and wisdom. To engage in any intelligent, learned or artistic passion we need capability and ability, passion and creativity. Saraswasti instills and fills us with that ability, that longing and yearning, without which nothing much of any value would be achieved.

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shiva The mighty Shiva is the King Of Dance Natraj.

That does say it all that the greatest of the gods has as his main essential attribute that of Dance .

Unsurpassed in any other faith and culture. This representation of dance and its foundational character.

Shiva is many things , the Creator, The Preserver , The Destroyer, above all else he is the Lord of the Dance. The ultimate in dance and dancing. With his mighty cosmic dance the universe and parallel multiverses, the entire quantum cosmos rocks and rolls and razzles and dazzles .

His dance reaches to the depth of every atomic reaction and cosmic explosion.There is no end to the depth of his dance, no end to the reach of his dancing rays and wonderfully weird ways. our ancients came up with many conceptions of the divine, however this conception of the Mighty Dancing Shiva takes some beating.

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durga Goddess Durga is the mother of the universe and believed to be the power behind the work of creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Since time immemorial she has been worshipped as the supreme power of the Supreme Being

There are many incarnations of Durga: Kali, Bhagvati, Bhavani, Ambika, Lalita, Gauri, Kandalini, Java, Rajeswasri, et al. Durga incarnated as the united power of all divine beings, who offered her the required physical attributes and weapons to kill the demon " M a h i s h a s u r ". H e r n i n e a p p e l l at i o n s a re Skondamata, Kusumanda, Shailaputri, Kaalratri, Brahmacharini, Maha Gauri, Katyayani, Chandraghanta and Siddhidatri.

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lakshmi

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krsna He of the lilting gait, he of the beaming eyes , the charming face, the teasing manner, the sweet melodious teasing lines. He drives all wild with love, lust, lusciousness. His delicious delights now dallying then dancing, now playing, seducin, squeezing ‌. always tantalising‌..

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the raas leela

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styles of dance Fudadadi Fudadadi is done at the end, when it otherwise seems that the dance has finished. Along then comes this wonderful bonus.

The fudadadi with its spinning and swirling in an exhaustive and dangerous manner has few other equals,

Ranjanyu The ranjanyu is a dancing march . Moving in a march of dance backwards and forwards and moving their bodies in time and rhythm and balance. This has its origins as the lasya creeper dance. The ranjanyu happens at end of the evening just after or before the Fudadadi. By this time everyone is sweating, as the last raas finishes and there are some moments to relax and then the ranjanyu starts.

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singers There are many excellent and accomplished Garba and Raas musicians and singers .

Hemant Chauhan, Praful DavePamela Jain, Soli K a p a d i a a n d N i s h a U p a d h ay a h , Fa r i d a Meer,Falguni Pathak, Appu, Forum Mehata, Suchita, Shankar Ganguly and many others AIshwaria, Farida Meer

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places

Gujarat Gujarat in India is the home of Garba and Raas.

Every year Garba events are organised in the most splendid ways in vast grounds under the open sky, beneath radiant stars, under the gaze of a glowing moon. They go on till late. local politics permitting, and the resolve and buzz is there to continue dancing till the dawn rises for another day.

They are also held in small villages and courtyards. The range on offer is wide from intimate family type gatherings to events with upwards of 30000 people attending.

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96 Sunday, 27 July 2014

America Garba and Raas take place on a major scale in America. Many of the Universities and colleges have Raas Garba teams who compete nationally s e ve ra l t i m e s a ye a r, i n we l l o r g a n i s e d competitions.

In America the Gujaratis mix across the different castes and communities. There is less of a distinction , in the main, between the different types of gujaratis. Hence the best of the different ways of this dance are smoothly mixed and mingled.

Britain This is the onset of winter and the weather is damp and cold. The people having just enjoyed the summer months are preparing to stay in, during the cold winter nights and it becomes difficult to build up the enthusiasm and passion 97 Sunday, 27 July 2014

98 Sunday, 27 July 2014

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