What is Garba?

Garba-Fusion research - a research of Garba and contemporary

Garba is an Indian folk dance style from Gujarat. It is a ritualistic and devotional dance that represents and worships the feminine energy and power or also called 'Shakti'. It is normally performed during the nine - day Hindu Festival called Navratri to celebrate devotion to the nine forms of the mother goddess called Amba [ask Sagar if this is right about this name].

Performative Characteristics

It is characterised for moving in circular motions counter-clockwise [ask sagar this}, repetitive foot patterns and use of expressive hand/arm gestures in unison. Starting slow, the tempo increase as time goes by, ending in a more dynamic movement flow. Garba it is accompanied by singing and musical instruments and it can also involve handclapping and the use of other instruments or props while dancing.

 While playing Garba practitioners dance around the centre that has either a illuminated clay pot, water-filled vessel or an image of the mother goddess Amba. This way Garba players can connect to the spiritual energy spread around the playground as a form of getting blessed by mother goddess.

During Navaratri while women are the main performers, men also participate in Garba.

Historical origins of Garba:

The term 'Garba' is derived from the Sanskrit work 'Garbha', meaning womb. This meaning to celebrate the cyclical life of the universe as birth, life, death and re-birth. Garba celebrates fertility, honours womanhood, and pays respect to the nine forms of the mother goddess.

Garba has been transmitted through generations in urban and rural areas through practice, performance, imitation and observation.

Garba as a cultural and social event

Garba is not only a dance but also a connection with religious faith and a social event. Garba is rooted in the villages of Gujarat where it has been performed in communal spaces, therefore connecting everyone to the power of moving together leaving behind any class, gender, nationality . It is a form of coming together to celebrate unity and devotion, it fosters social equality and strengthen social bonds allowing inclusivity.

Participants playing Garba during Navratri Festival

Symbolism in Garba

Garba is rich in symbolism, celebrating the feminine divine and the cyclical nature of life. The clay lantern called Garbha Deep, around which is performed, symbolises the body within which the divine resides. The cycle formation of the dance represents the Hindu concept of time as cyclical, encompassing birth, life, death and rebirth. The goddess, an unmoving symbol at the center represents the constancy in the ever-changing universe.

Garba is performed barefoot, signifying respect for the earth, the sacred mother. The practice connects dancers to the generative powers of the earth as the foot is seen as the conduit through which vital energy flows.

This beloved dance form, deeply rooted in rural Gujarat, has transcended its religious origins to become a celebration of cultural unity, social cohesion and spiritual expression.

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Information taken from:

Garba of Gujarat | INDIAN CULTURE