"Chogada tara, Chabeela tara, Rangeela tara, Rangbheru jue tari vaat re, Haah!"
Well, that is not just a line from the hit "Chogada tara" song from the movie "Loveyatri". The entire nation was dancing to the tune during Navratri, 2018. The song became a Garba favourite because the beats were the familiar Garba beats.
Garba is the folk dance of Gujarat. Over the years, it became very popular. Today, Garba nights are celebrated everywhere during the nine nights of Navaratri.
Garba is the dance form to worship the mother goddesses and celebrate women-hood. It is essentially a community dance gathering. Many people assemble at a location to swing along the signature circular Garba dance moves. People energetically swing to and fro while generally moving in the anti-clockwise direction.
It is no doubt a great idea to celebrate Navaratri, grooving to a Gujarati folk music at a Garba night party. The late night parties can be a great place to hang out with friends and family, meet old friends and make new ones.
If you are planning to swirl and clap around at a Garba party, then you must read the following tips and tricks for that perfect Garba night.
- Dress Up Right
Everyone tries to look their attractive best at the party. Most people are dressed up appropriately in traditional Gujarati clothes. While women wear chaniya-choli, men wear kedia-dhoti with a turban.
The basic idea of the perfect Garba dress is a flowing dress which does not obstruct your dancing and swinging moves. Mirror works are an essential part of the dress. The shiny mirrors add glitz to the glamorous festivities.
It is very important to keep your belongings safe while dancing. Men should buy a dhoti or pyjama with pockets and keep their essentials there. Even investing in a kedia with pockets is a great idea. For women, it gets a lot trickier. Purses might spoil your entire Garba look. It is also very cumbersome to dance with a purse or bag. Hence, investing in a embroidered sling bag can be a wise decision. The bag embroidered with mirrors and shells would be the perfect accessory to accentuate your entire look.
The petite bags are spacious enough for all your immediate essentials. You can sling it across and dance through the night without worrying.
As you would hop, skip and jump all night, you would sweat a lot. Thus, it is necessary to wear minimal make-up. You should make sure that the cosmetics are water-proof, else they might smudge as you sway along.
Silver accessories compliment the traditional attire really well. This is that time of the year when gaudy silver jewellery look extremely fashionable with a heavily embroidered ethnic dress. Try to get as many accessories as possible. Earrings, noserings, necklace, chokers, bangles, anklets, rings and others. The list is not exhaustive and entirely depends on your tastes.
Last but not the least, you should remember the small black bindi to complete the traditional attire.
If your Garba location is a bit far off, then it might get tiring to travel after dressing up. You can always book an hourly hotel near your destination and get ready to groove.
2. Energy
All the fun and frolic can be tiring. But, you need to keep up your energy for all the nine nights.
People generally tend to breathe through their mouth as they get hyper-active. Try to breathe with your nose. It would make you less tired. Well, stamina is influential. As people would see you dancing with a lot of stamina, they would consequently be inspired to dance with zeal and enthusiasm. The music is very energetic. It is indispensable to energetically move with the flow.
So, yes, keep up your stamina to unleash the Deepika Padukone in you.
3. Stay Hydrated
It is very important to stay healthy to fully enjoy the festivities of the nine nights. Staying hydrated is a key step to stay fit. As you would sweat a lot, you need to replenish to avoid dizziness and fatigue.
4. Exercise
Dancing is a wonderful exercise in itself. Definitely, you won't get extra time to exercise your muscles after dancing all night. But, you should try a few simple stretches and yoga to avoid accidentally straining your muscle while twisting and twirling.
5. Wear your Smile
It's the festive season and you are having a great time. So, please wear that million dollar smile of yours. There is no need to sulk fretting over your dance steps. It is absolutely normal not to dance like a professional dancer. Be happy and enjoy the party.
6. Clap Along
Remember the old nursery rhyme, "When you are happy and you know it, clap your hands". Well, its applicable in Garba as well.
Clapping is a major part of Garba. You can clap at every alternate step or otherwise. You can also design your own signature clapping style. You can also see a few basic garba steps on Youtube for the initial hand-leg coordination. Soon, you would find yourself swinging along with the flow.
No matter how or when you clap, do remember to smile and clap happily.
7. Stay safe
Pick-pockets and eve-teasing are rare but not unheard events in these public gatherings. Hence, its important to take charge of your safety and stay close to your friends and family.
Sometimes, if it gets really late, its safer to stay put in a hotel near the Garba function instead of travelling all the way back home. It is unnecessarily expensive to book a hotel room for the entire day. Booking the room only for a few hours is a more sensible option. Sometimes, you might get very tired after all dancing all night. It is wiser to rest at that time than travel. If you are attending a garba party with children, then you must consider the option of staying back at a hotel to rest for sometime.
Garba can be a passionate dance date for couples. You should end the day in a couple-friendly hotel nearby, sharing sweet nothings.
You can always book a hotel for a few hours to host that perfect Garba party. House-parties are fun but very hectic. Cleaning the house for the party and after the party can be taxing. Hence, look for options to book a hotel for a few hours and dance along the festive mood. Generally, hotels have their own speakers and you can always ask for one.
If you are specially travelling to another city to attend the garba function, then you must definitely rest at the nearby hotel to prevent the fatigue and dark circles to ruin your gorgeous look for the night.
After twisting and twirling at the Garba, do not forget to shake a leg at the Hill Top Festival in Goa. Vijayadashami in Mysore is another regal feast for your traditional soul.
No matter what you do, try to make the most of the festive season with love and laughter.