New Delhi: At a recent garba event in Ahmedabad, an announcement asked Muslims and people of other faiths to leave the venue. Singer Aditya Gadhvi later distanced himself from the announcement, but the event has sparked a debate over excluding non-Hindus from garba events in Gujarat.
“Garba has never asked anyone for their surname. For generations, people of every faith in Gujarat and across India have played garba side by side, and that is what makes it ours,” Gadhvi, one of Gujarat’s best-known folk singers, wrote in an Instagram post.
The incident took place at the Rang Morla garba event at Ahmedabad’s SP Ring Road on 14 October. During a break, the anchor announced that Muslims and people belonging to other faiths should “leave this ground” voluntarily. The anchor also said that Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) volunteers were present.
The announcement soon spread through videos shared online. Gadhvi responded on Instagram, saying “what happened at the event was not my doing, and it was not my message.”
He said a group had taken over the backstage area and used his platform to make an announcement he did not support. He added that anyone who came with love and respect for Maa was welcome in his circle.
“That is not politics. That is just how I was raised. My stage is for music and for devotion. Jai Ambe,” he wrote.
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‘Shameful, outrageous’
The event was held at Savanna Party Plot on Shela Road in Ahmedabad, with Gadhvi as the headline performer and RJ Akash Trivedi as the anchor.
“A humble request to any ‘vidharmi’ (non-Hindus) and Muslims to leave the ground. The Vishva Hindu Parishad has come here to protect Sanatan Dharma,” he said. “The VHP wants you (garba participants) to look around and report suspicious people to the helpline number.”
The announcement drew criticism on social media, with several users questioning exclusion on religious grounds. One commenter wrote that the incident was “not just shameful” but “outrageous and completely against the core value of our society”.
“We have stooped so low… this will just create more divide, nothing else,” read another comment.
Others argued that people should be judged by their conduct, not their faith.
“If the concern is disrespect, address the conduct, not the religion. A Muslim appreciating garba does not threaten Sanatan Dharma,” one comment read.
Garba has roots in Hindu worship and is performed during Navratri in honour of the goddess. In December 2023, UNESCO inscribed Gujarat’s garba on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising its role in bringing communities together.
Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput defended the announcement, saying Bajrang Dal volunteers routinely visit garba events across the state.
“Usually, Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the VHP, visits garba events in Ahmedabad and meets the organisers, asking them to prevent non-Hindus from entering the venue. Sometimes, they also apply tilak on the foreheads of men attending the events and remove suspicious people from the ground,” Rajput told PTI.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)