Planning to head to a garba night this Navratri? Hyderabad Times caught up with garba centres across the city, where sessions are bringing together first-timers, seasoned dancers and children, all getting ready for the festive nights ahead.‘Garba is finding a place in Hyderabad’s festive culture’
At 1Hundred Dance Studio in Madhapur, instructor Geeta Agrawal conducts weekend garba classes from 10.30am to noon. “Garba is not about getting every step perfect; it is about participating, enjoying the music and being part of the experience. We start our workshops with basic hand and leg movements and gradually build up to formations such as hinch and teen taali towards the end,” she says. “What I enjoy seeing is people from different communities and backgrounds coming together to learn garba, understand its culture and experience its energy. The response shows how garba is bringing people together and becoming a more inclusive part of Hyderabad’s culture,” she adds.‘We practise every day to be ready for the nine-day celebrations’
For Varsha Goyal, a student, Navratri is more than a festival — it is a childhood tradition she has grown up with, from dressing up for garba at the age of four to now preparing for the celebrations with a group of 30. “Getting dressed up and heading out for garba brings back the same excitement I had as a child. This year, our group practises together for 30 minutes to an hour every day as we prepare for the nine-day celebrations in Shamshabad. I’m especially looking forward to dressing up in vibrant chaniya cholis and kediyah sets and dancing with the group,” she says.
My preparation for the garba nights started a month ago. I’ve been attending classes regularly, and I even come dressed in full Gujarati attire with the jewellery because it makes the whole experience more fun and festive. This is my first time attending garba nights in Hyderabad, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing the city’s festive energy
Kirtee Prajapati, IT professional
‘There is growing interest in learning the basics of garba’
“This year, there is a good mix of people from North India and Telugu-speaking communities, and even children are coming in to learn. Many people are asking to start with the basics, which is nice to see. We are teaching steps such as teen taali, hinch, popat and dakla, along with spins,” says Ram, instructor at Harmony Academy, Kismatpur, and IRA Dance Studios, Alwal. “We have been teaching steps to songs such as Udi Udi Jaye, Shubhaarambh, Chogada, Nagada Sang Dhol and Dholida, among others,” he adds.
This is our first time learning garba together, and it has given us something new to enjoy as a couple. With our busy work schedules, finding time to practise during the week is difficult, so we make the most of our weekend classes. It’s fun learning the steps together, laughing over the mistakes and slowly getting better as a team
Abhijatya Bhardwaj, IT professional
‘Learners are curious about the rhythm behind every garba step’
With garba videos gaining traction on social media, choreographer and dance content creator Anchal Toshniwal, who conducts classes at Aarambh Dance Company, Himayat Nagar, is seeing learners go beyond simply following steps. “People are seeing our Navratri dance videos on Instagram and reaching out to join the classes,” she says, adding, “They ask why we do a particular step, how the movement changes and what makes one sequence different from another. I enjoy those questions because they show that participants want to understand the dance, not just copy the choreography.”— Biswajit Talukdar— Pics by Sanjana Pulugurtha
