Delhi-NCR: At a pre-dandiya event at Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh Club on 21 September, men and women, dressed in their Gujarati finery, alternated between taking selfies with dandiya sticks, dancing in a circle, and gulping down golgappas. The orchestra belted out Gujarati versions of hits like Tune Maari Entriyaan. From coy couples planning a dream date to families wanting to spend some quality time together, dandiya is the latest buzzword in Delhi-NCR.
Travelling all the way from Gujarat to Delhi, it has gathered a lot of Punjabi, Haryanvi, cow-belt, and Bollywood dust along the way. Now it is dandiya-cum-rave-cum-Punjabi pop. Gujarat never felt closer to Delhi. And it is NCR’s ode to the reigning queen of garba, Falguni Pathak.
“Bhaiya, please play Aaj Ki Raat,” said a young kid at a dandiya event, referring to the song of Stree 2 performed by Tamannaah Bhatia, bored by the continuous Gujarati folk songs. His parents quickly shushed the kid, while teaching him to properly hold the dandiya sticks.
Egged on by social media reels of how Gujarat turns into a carnival space during the nine days of the festival, event planners in Delhi-NCR too are lining up events for Navratri. Booking sites like District by Zomato and BookMyShow have slots sold out by the hour. And there is no dearth of variety — from special themed cocktails to celebrity performers and fusion beats, organisers are vying with each other to host the most happening dandiya event.
From Purana Quila hosting the first-ever dandiya at any monument in Delhi to the Global Garba Festival at Sunder Nursery and the open-air dandiya of Dilli Haat Pitampura, Delhi residents are spoilt for choice. In Noida, Gurgaon, and Dwarka, residential societies are also tuning in to the garba fever with curated dandiya nights, offering residents a slice of Gujarat right in their backyards. Dandiya has truly taken over Delhi-NCR.
“We are excited about attending multiple dandiya events. This one is with family but we wanna have a friends-only outing. We will look for the most popular trendy event on Instagram and go,” said Kriti Narnoli, a college graduate.
This year’s celebrations also have the Delhi government’s stamp of approval. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the Delhi government’s decision to extend the deadline to play loudspeakers at Ramlila events, Durga Puja pandals, and other cultural festivities until midnight, as opposed to the usual 10 pm deadline.
While all the garba-related headlines are about Muslims being barred from events in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, it hasn’t dulled the enthusiasm. Garba fever has no place for politics.
“We have already sold out all our passes, and are getting more inquiries. What’s more interesting is a lot of Muslims are also reaching out, asking about dress code, and highlights of the evening,” said Mayank Kumar Agarwal, an event manager hosting the open-air dandiya night in Dilli Haat Pitampura.
Gujarati garba, Punjabi beats
Divided by stereotypes but united by dandiya fever, each zone of Delhi has at least two major dandiya events scheduled over the next few days. In Dilli Haat Pitampura, a large-scale open-air dandiya haat is being organised on 27 and 28 August for the second year. What started last year as a novice attempt by Diyaansh Events, headed by two siblings Mayank and Ritik Kumar Aggarwal, has now become a massive cultural extravaganza.
Last year saw 6,000 people turn up for the single-day event that went on until 10 pm in the night. This year, Mayank anticipates at least 10,000 in two days.
“In the last few years, the craze for cultural events has gone up. We get calls about organising such events, be it Teej or even Chhath. Even youngsters now find it ‘cooler’ to attend these events, wear traditional clothes, and share on social media, and go to open events instead of pubs,” said Ritik.
Even if you try to play only Gujarati songs, Delhi people will demand Honey Singh and Guru Randhawa. So the only way to keep crowds engaged is to have Punjabi beats
– DJ Naveen, who has been performing at local events in North Delhi
This year, the event is also promoted by Delhi Tourism, and CM Rekha Gupta, whose constituency is the neighbouring Shalimar Bagh, might also make an appearance.
“We call local bands and artistes in our event, instead of just getting a DJ or inviting a celebrity. They are also working on creating fusion beats of Gujarati and Hindi songs, because the crowd ultimately demands Bollywood numbers and Punjabi songs. It’s Delhi after all,” said Mayank.
Hit tracks like Payal by Honey Singh and Paradox and songs like Dholida and Khalasi are mixed together. At the Punjabi Bagh Club, while a group of ladies were performing garba seamlessly, others were focused on hitting each other’s sticks in sync with the beats of the song. When everything else failed, people just moved in a circle.
In NCR, most DJs switch to popular Hindi numbers after a few Gujarati songs.
“Even if you try to play only Gujarati songs, Delhi people will demand Honey Singh and Guru Randhawa. So the only way to keep crowds engaged is to have Punjabi beats,” said DJ Naveen, who has been performing at local events in North Delhi.
Open-air events have, however, not deterred pubs and restaurants from joining the dandiya boom.
“We have curated special menus for the events, keeping in mind that a lot of people fast during Navratri. There are vrat-special snacks and juices, along with themed cocktails for those who are in just to dance and have some fun,” said Pragati Sharma, proprietor of Soca, a brewpub in Gurgaon Sector-30.
The brewery has a massive dance floor and a circular staircase leading to the floor above, with ample space for people to dance to the latest chartbusters.
“While garba and dandiya events are traditionally held outdoors, this year it is extremely hot in Delhi-NCR, and an indoor event makes more sense when people are not sweating through the heat,” said Sharma.
It is not just restaurants who are tapping into the new-found craze of the festival. For the last three years, Om Nav Chaitanya Mandal has been collaborating with Dance Freak Studio to give free garba classes to Delhi-NCR people.
“Most of the people who come for garba classes are actually married women, who bring their kitty group, or their young kids, to learn the dance form,” said a choreographer.
The women, sans husbands, are leading the attendance at dandiya events, with kitty WhatsApp groups becoming the notice board of events scheduled across the city.
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The economy of garba and dandiya
In the world of social media validation, simply RSVP-ing a garba or dandiya event is not enough; one has to also look the part — from ‘Gujarati look’ bindis, chaniya-cholis to accessories. Foreheads glistening with sweat and hands weighed down by plastic bags stuffed with lehengas and blouses, hawk-eyed women of all ages try to get their money’s worth at Gujarati Lane in Janpath, a week before Navratri. The mission is simple — to find that perfect reel-worthy outfit that will go viral and make community members envious.
“People come and show us reels of garba and ask if we have those outfits. But they want handwoven chaniya-cholis for Rs 1,000. We source our clothes from Gujarat, and they are the best you will find in Delhi,” said Heeraben, whose small shop is overcrowded on a rainy Thursday afternoon, as college students, mother-daughter duos, and couples are busy bargaining for the best outfit possible.
Sales are robust, with Gujarati Lane shopkeepers selling an average of 5 chaniya-choli sets, priced at Rs 3000 and upward, in one day.
This year, ajrakh print lehengas is the hot favourite among patrons. Last year, it was all-black chaniya-choli.
Taniya Sachdeva and Kala Bhasin took a metro from Gurgaon all the way to Janpath, to shop for dandiya outfits.
“I am going for an all-white look like Alia in Gangubai,” said Bhasin, while struggling to hold multiple bags of clothes and jewellery.
Noida gearing up
At Greater Noida’s upscale Gaur Saundaryam society, kids wait impatiently to practice garba, even as their parents are busy socialising on the day of installing the idol of goddess Durga. The society has a combined celebration that involves ‘authentic’ bhog, a pandit brought in from Kolkata, and dandiya night. The area immediately next to the pandal will turn into a dance floor on dandiya night, while Ramlila celebrations will then take over on Dussehra. It is a one-stop spot for all festivities.
“I have a 5-year-old daughter, who told me to get her ghagra after watching dandiya on reels and TV and I had to get three different pairs for her,” said Akshay Bhatnagar, executive member of the Apartment Owners’ Association (AOA) at Gaur Saundaryam.
With colour codes for every day of the festival and multiple teams handling cultural events, dance practices, and prasad, the society is a well-oiled machine, whose dandiya night had a footfall of around 9,000 people last year. The massive complex has 13 towers and more than 2,000 apartments, with nearly everyone participating.
“Our budget has doubled since last year, and we are spending around Rs 14 lakhs for the event this year. Sponsors have also increased, as everyone wants to participate in the event,” said Anurudh Gupta, another AOA member.
The apartment complex is a microcosm of what is happening outside. Earlier considered niche community celebrations, Ganesh Chaturthi to Chhath and Teej have now become ticketed events, with participation from everyone.
“Since the last few years, we have been actively holding Ramleela celebrations along with dandiya and Durga Puja. It gives a chance for us, who are mostly working individuals, to get together and celebrate without having to step outside the society. The most heartening response has been from kids, who now watch these celebrations online and want to participate,” said Bhatnagar.
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‘Authenticity’ and garba
In 2023, Garba was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which propelled it into the national spotlight. Now it’s spreading faster than the turns performed during garba, especially in Delhi-NCR.
Uday Bhanu Garg, a marketing professional who handles the advertising for dandiya events, pointed out another reason for the growing interest in garba among the middle classes, in particular: the sustained popularity of the sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. First aired in 2008 on Sab TV, the show has dedicated multiple episodes to show the celebration of garba over the years.
The other key reason is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movies, which extensively show Gujarati culture — costumes, songs, architecture, dance — be it in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013) or the most recent, Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). The Alia Bhatt film, in particular, popularised all-white chaniya-cholis, worn by the protagonist Gangu. The fuel to the dandiya fire is added by social media reels of Gujarat’s garba festivities.
But not every organiser is pleased with the mushrooming of dandiya events, which does not “respect” the original traditions. The devotional dance is traditionally performed around a perforated earthenware pot with an oil lamp inside it, or an image of the mother goddess Amba. But in Delhi, garba and dandiya events do not strictly align with these concepts.
“Dandiya and garba events are simply the outcome of people now wanting to dance in open spaces instead of clubs. And marketing agencies have turned it into a gimmick. It is a herd mentality that now everyone wants to attend a garba or dandiya event in Delhi-NCR, without understanding the spiritual or cultural experience at all,” said a member of the Om Nav Chaitanya Mandal, which organises the Garba Dandiya Night at Mahavir Mandir complex in Greater Kailash-1.
The Global Garba Festival held at Sunder Nursery is presented in partnership with Gujarat Tourism and supported by the Global Tourism Forum to highlight India’s cultural richness on a global platform. The three-day event promises to be dedicated to ‘authenticity’ — with no DJs, no remixes.
“My husband is Gujarati and he is someone who loves garba and the way Gujarat transforms in the 9 days of celebrations during Navratri. That’s why our event is trying to be as close to what happens there as possible, especially for those Gujaratis who live in Delhi and cannot always travel to experience the festival,” said Shivani Datta, director of Fusion Sphere Media & Concepts Limited, which is organising the Global Garba Festival.
Each evening will showcase popular Gujarati singer Geeta Jhala leading the Garba experience, with special performances by music composer duo Salim–Sulaiman on 27 September and by Padma Shri awardee folk singer Anwar Khan Manganiyar on 28 September.
It is one of the few events, along with the celebration at Gujarat Bhawan and the one organised at Shiv Mandir in Greater Kailash-1, which follows the traditional, devotional form of the festival, performed barefoot, and in honour of the goddess.
“We try to keep the festival restricted to Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains because they share a common thread of goddess worship,” said the organiser of the Greater Kailash garba night.
The Om Nav Chaitanya Mandal is currently engaged in a tussle with District by Zomato, which has refused to adhere to the demands of opening the event only to specific communities.
“We welcome other religions, but only if they take part in the devotional activities too,” he said, adding that Muslims have turned up in significant numbers, but have been allowed entry only when they are willing to participate in getting tikas or the holy water.
However, most events in the city are open to everyone, with no restrictions, except for appropriate, traditional clothing. In fact, they are happy to have participation from across religions and communities.
In the last few years, some places in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have barred Muslims from participating in garba events. But in Delhi-NCR, it is a secular space for celebration.
“Like Ayurveda, Dandiya events are now emerging as the latest viral trend. It may last or may fizzle out — only time will tell,” said the organiser associated with Om Nav Chaitanya Mandal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)