Garba in the UK is not simply about spinning in circles to the changing music and then swapping claps for sticks. It extends to a larger community event manifesting into socialising and touching base with distant relatives and family friends who barely catch up in the hustle and bustle of city life.
Snapchat and Instagram these days probably have more stories than people and perhaps this can be one of the reasons why people are more often seen crowding the Garba space with phones glued in their hands. It is about recording short videos of the gala and decorations and posting it on family groups on WhatsApp back home in India. Going global on Facebook and promoting the ethnic Gujarati tradition beyond Sanjay Leela Bhansali's portrayal in his movies. This is an educative process but that glamour, however holds little appeal to some in the younger generation. And Parle Patel, an independent YouTuber, had exactly the same frustration highlighted in his twitter account:
“Weekday Garba is physical stress. So much space to dance with such a dedicated and encouraging crowd. Weekend Garba is mental stress. Such little space and such a devastating and doba filled crowd. Either...Haaltha Thao or Ghare Jata Thao”
But his tweet like any other sparked a conversation where a lot of “tweeters” justified socialising as part of the festive vibes.
Vinesh Powal, a resident of Perivale, London goes to play Garba at Vicar's Green Primary School in Alperton and it is organised by a Mandal which does not charge any entry fee and was started 20 years ago. While a lot of people have complaints about the kind of music that people are jamming to, Vinesh said- “I have been fortunate to attend Navratri where Bollywood music is only played towards the end and as fillers rather than the main tune which I think is ok. Some Bollywood music also references some of the traditional and cultural songs.”
Disha Thakrar who has recently shifted to London to pursue her MA in media and communications in City, University of London had attended Navratri organised by Shree Kutchi Leva Patel Community. It holds the largest Navratri celebration in whole of Europe with as many as 30,000 people in the festival of 9 days. Disha who had gone down to Wembley with 10 other friends paid £8.50 as an entry fee and was quite taken aback by the scale of the celebration.
“It was very culturally authentic...I mean I was very surprised to see a live band the same way back in India. But I was down only for the last hour and the Bollywood songs were only played as fillers. But otherwise, there was a lot of tradition and ethnicity.” she said.
But local residents like Shivani Pala who is the mother of a three year old is concerned about "the essence of the traditional Garba being lost and how she takes her child to smaller Navratri celebrations where she hopes to convey the significance of Navratri to her child."
And community leaders like Nilesh Solanki, leader of the PwC Hindu Network carry forward the same concern about the teenagers and youth not being able to preserve the traditions in their actual form.
“Times have changed and Navratri is a massive point of education and the next generation needs to carry forward the culture. In that sense, a big responsibility lies on the musicians who dictate the content of the programme. Yes, there may be some Bollywood songs but it is about finding the right balance. But there is also a difference between playing songs on Navratri and while playing them at a private event.”
But amidst all the song and dance, a bigger problem that stems into arranging the Navratri nights is accumulating the funds. Ashwin Galoria, leader of the Brent Hindu Council, said- “The funds have stopped about some 6 years ago and local council is not allocating any money for Navratri anymore. Our affiliated organisation meets whole cost right from hiring of the hall (venue) to paying the musicians. But we still manage to celebrate because of the deposits put together by the different organisations.”
Muhammed Butt, the local Councillor for Brent recently praised the Hindu Council for successfully organising the Navratri this year as well. However, when approached for a comment on funding for these events, he remained unavailable.
Fire near Hariben Bachubhai Nagrecha Hall
A fire was sparked in the derelict building beside the Hariben Bachubhai Nagrecha Hall on Saturday. According to Umiben Radia, who was attending the Garba night- “The fire might have been started because of some children who were smoking in the nearby hall. No damage was done to the building. But for safety reasons, people had been evacuated for a couple minutes and we resumed our Garba night and continued till 2 am in the morning.”
