From Mumbai Local To NY Times Square Garba Takes Over Global Stage

Navratri celebration, which marks the victory of good over evil, has been bringing people together regardless of ethnicity with one common factor - love for the dance form Garba. The festive season is here with a big bang, with celebrations in full swing. The Garba may have emerged from Gujarat but it has garnered notable attention across the world. The dance form, which is a Navratri special, has taken over the world with people performing Garba with friends, families, and strangers, through different mediums. Social media has surfaced several videos over the past few days showcasing people indulging in Garba dance form whether it is in a Mumbai local, at a dress rehearsal in Ahmedabad, a full-fledged Garba event in Ireland, dance groups revelling in performances in New Jersey, or a 2 am performance at the New York Times Square.

In a world divided by politics and opinions, people coming together in unity through the Garba dance form feels overwhelming and much-needed this festive season. While Garba may be the holy grail in Gujarat, its reach is beyond international waters and the extravaganzas across the world prove that tremendously and in the most celebratory way ever.

Suggested reading: Five Films Which Had Actors Performing Garba

Garba is in full swing

The latest video featuring the festive celebration in the form of Garba dance is doing the round as a group of women are seen dancing to their self-sung tunes of folk music at a Mumbai local train. The clip has been largely shared ever since it was first uploaded and is garnering some precious attention.

Several dance groups in Ahmedabad had been conducting dress rehearsals of Garba performances much before the first Navratri day kicked in on September 26. A recent ">video of a group of people performing Grab on the popular hit song Chogada at a swimming pool in Udaipur has won hearts on the internet.

Garba takes over the global stage

It’s not just India, the love for Garba resonates with the people of the United States as well as people in New Jersey and NY City who have been revelling in the dance form for decades now. The vibration of the streets of New York is always something else whenever people come together for celebratory events whether it is flash mobs or festive dances.

With Garba in full swing, two girls recently performed the dance form at The New York Times Square, and their video is proof that the zest people hold with festivities and celebration, and their love for culture is unmatched, wherever they go. The girls are seen dancing at 2 am and their energy is applaudable. The duo is seen donning ethnic attire to dance to the tune of the popular Gujarati song, Dakla.

A few days back, the choreographer Jainil Mehta was seen dancing to the beats of various folk songs on the streets of New York. The video showed Mehta showcasing his dancing skills and surfacing the Garba feel amidst the festive season. Wearing a Kurta and a skirt for the dance, his attire was majorly inspired by the Gujarati Garba dance attire, and the tunes he moved to resonated with several social media followers across the world.

Garba has been a force in bringing communities together in places including Oman, Kenya and most of the UAE as well. Several groups come together to organise performances and dandiya nights, and the nine-night celebration has been a huge part of the culture in these countries. Kenya, for that matter, even organises the ritualist Navratri celebration in a lot of its temples. Several cities in Canada, on the other hand, have been hosting Garba events for decades now with thousands of people participating with full zest. Several people of Indian origin in Ireland have been involved in organising cultural nights during Navratri for years now.

The Garba dance videos pouring in from across the world and trending on social media with a great positive tune to it make us feel like we should have Navratri all year long.

Photo credit: @_misthel, @mumbairailwayusers, VO!