The concept of garbo is widely acknowledged as a combination of song and dance in worship of the Goddess during Navratri in Gujarat (Shukla-Bhatt 3). However, due to contemporisation of the art form, the significance of garbo as an image is usually missed out on. The image traditionally consists of a “perforated globular clay pot with a wide round mouth”, in which women light lamps that are meant to be kept alight for the span of nine nights (Shukla-Bhatt 4). Though there is a lack of proper evidence about the three antecedents of garbo, several Gujarati scholars agree about the strong connection between the image of the garbo and its derivation from the Sanskrit term “garbha”, which means “womb” or “fetus” (Shukla-Bhatt 4). This image is associated not only with motherhood but also to jagat-janani (world’s mother) or an embodiment of ādyaśakti (primordial energy) in whose honour an āratī (hymn) is sung during Navratri (4).
The musical aspect of the art takes several forms. While most garbas are in worship of the Goddess, there are also those sung in fond memory of Krishna, in addition to songs about the daily lives of women. Those sung for the Goddess either invite her to dance with the women, or praise her beauty while she dances. The women, thus, become the Goddess’ friends in the songs. This notion also gives rise to songs that are about Krishna or the women’s lives, including experiences of love, family, and work - the idea is that the Goddess can be entrusted with all this information since she is their friend (Shukla-Bhatt 5). Garba, therefore, has an extremely prominent feminist side to it as it allows women “a culturally approved space to express their religious agency, self-perceptions, aspirations in life as well as angst against their husbands, in-laws or employers, often in a humorous manner” (5). The songs sung are simple in tune and lyrical value, and often have a call and response structure with a catchy rhythm. Often, they are accompanied by several traditional drums, sometimes played by men.
Garbo as a dance is defined by a “circular counterclockwise movement with clapping” (Shukla-Bhatt 5). The dress worn for the dance, popularly called “chaniyā choīi”, is often a nicer version of the daily dresses of the women, and is similar to the community’s sense of dressing. Many women dance with the image of the garbo atop their heads. The learning of the dance becomes the initiation of little girls into the feminine aspect of the community. Moreover, since there is no age limit for who dances to garba, this also becomes an opportunity for the young ones to learn and bond with their mothers and grandmothers. According to Shukla-Bhatt, garba is a form of collective expression, unlike other classical dances. This is owed to the repetition and simplicity of steps, thus also making its spontaneity possible (6). Its counterclockwise movement is related to tantrism and an effort to surge collective religious expression, according to scholars like A.N. Jani and Richard Schechner. Traditions such as the baitha garba are an exception, since they do not involve dancing as a major aspect of the form. Speculation suggests this was to cause less disruption of household activities during the day, although conclusive evidence is absent.
In today’s day and age, given the increasingly nuclear nature of society and other influential social and economic factors, it is becoming difficult to promulgate garbo among the community. This archive, therefore, is an attempt to aid generations in continuing the tradition of learning and teaching garba.
(Cited: Neelima Shukla-Bhatt, Straddling the Sacred and the Secular: Presence and Absence of the Goddess in Contemporary Garbo, the Navratri Dance of Gujarat)
What nonsense is this? Half of the things written in the article are false. Ask locals and check your facts before publishing this non-sense western propaganda.