Ahmedabad: Navratri celebrations across the world are bringing together Gujaratis, professionals, students and Indian families, with some participants even travelling for hours to enjoy fun-filled nights of garba and raas. Temples and cultural organisations are hosting programmes for all nine nights, while popular artistes are drawing larger crowds during weekend events. From New Jersey and New York in the US to Sydney in Australia, the festival is serving both as a social celebration and a link to Gujarat.At Ved Mandir in Jersey, revellers from the city and its surrounding areas gather after the Ghat Sthapan ceremony and perform garba around a central garbi. Santosh Maharaj, the temple priest, said, “For the past two to three years, we have been organising garba on all nine nights after seeing devotees participate every day despite their busy schedules and the distance they travel,” he said. “The crowd increases four to five times during weekends and also when a popular artiste is performing.”For decades, Navratri celebrations have been part of Indian cultural programmes organised overseas. While Gujaratis form the core of these gatherings, Indians from other states also attend. For some, designer garba outfits are part of the celebration. For others, the festival is a way of staying connected with their roots.Ankur Vaidya, chairman of the board of trustees of the Federation of Indian Associations in the US, said weekend garba events continued to be popular in New Jersey, New York and nearby areas. Several venues, he said, also organise outdoor garba programmes. “Over the years, these events have become bigger and attract both older and younger generations,” he said.Navratri celebrations are also gaining momentum in other countries. Gujarati artistes have performed ‘Ratri Before Navratri’ events in the Gulf, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and South Africa.“For the Gujarati community here, this is an event everyone eagerly waits for. During weekends, we get more than 500 enthusiasts. Most of them are professionals or students who have made Australia their home. Some travel for hours to attend the event,” said Kev Patel, one of the organisers of a Sydney programme.Organisers said most events were now ticketed, much like those in Gujarat, while several temples continued to host community-focused raas-garba programmes.
