Culture
The word garba comes from garbha, the womb. At the centre of every traditional garba sits the garbo, an earthen pot pierced with holes with a diya burning inside. The light glowing through the pot stands for life and the divine energy of the Goddess, and dancers circle it through the night.
Navratri, literally “nine nights”, honours the nine forms of Goddess Durga (Navadurga). In Gujarat each night becomes a community celebration, from society courtyards and temple chowks to large club grounds, ending with Dussehra, the victory of good over evil.
Garba is danced in concentric circles around the garbo. The circle reflects the Hindu idea of time as a cycle of birth, life and rebirth, with the Goddess as the one constant at its heart. However large the ground, the circle never breaks.
Garba is performed with graceful hand and feet movements and claps. Dandiya raas is played with a pair of decorated sticks, often in pairs facing each other, and is linked to Krishna's raas lila. Most Ahmedabad grounds switch between the two through the night.
Be taali
The classic two-clap garba. The first step everyone learns.
Tran taali
Three claps, slightly faster; the crowd favourite.
Popatiyu
A bouncy “parrot” step with playful hand movements.
Hinch
Slow, swaying and graceful, seen in traditional garbas.
Dodhiyu
Energetic side-to-side footwork, often the late-night peak.
Dandiya raas
Stick-clashing pair dance, rotating partners around the circle.
Women
Men