GARBA KEYNOTE BOOK 15th DEC 2015 pdf

music 51Tuesday, 15 December 2015

52Tuesday, 15 December 2015

music A mellow beginning, a sumptuous middle reaching a crescendo in spinning splendour. Unless they have a good understanding, of music, the vast majority of people do not fully appreciate the intricacies of music and the significance of various notes and chords. In general people wish to enjoy something which is fairly easy to appreciate. The music of Garba and Raas is folk music, which is popular with the masses and gives them a musical style and form which they find pleasant and which is easy to assimilate and emulate The songs and tunes to which the Garba and Raas dances takes place are are usually about twenty to thirty minutes long not just a few short minutes, as is the case with a lot of other dancing tunes. The length of the Garba is tailored so that the tune has a mellow beginning, a sumptuous middle and a rapturous ending. The dancing is not over in a few minutes and enough time is taken over the music to allow the dancers ample time to flow and glow. 53Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Garba and Raas compositions have been handeddown over the generations and their words andthemes range from the devotional and spiritual,to social and domestic concerns. There arecompositions in praise and worship of the mothergoddesses and there are loving symphonies andrefrains on the dalliance of Krsna with Radha andthe Gopis. The songs are almost always composedin the Gujarati language. The compositions ofGarba cover a wide spectrum of life and its lovesand longings, its weaknesses and woes, in lovingwords, teasing lyrics and cheeky asides.The clapping with the hands and the clicking ofthe dandiyas resonate all over the dance floor andoften little accompaniment is needed other than adrummer with a two headed drum known as aNaal, to keep the beat and rhythm. The traditionalinstruments used by the performers are mostcommonly a Naal or other drum, the shehnai orflute and a harmonium, Garba does not need veryelaborate instrumentation, however in moderntimes many forms of electronic and percussioninstruments are used. Garba can also beperformed to prerecorded music, and it is betterto dance to prerecorded music if the musicians orsingers available are not very accomplished 54Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Maa Taro Garbo Jhakamjhod, Patan Thi Patola,and Maa Pava Te Gadh Thi are some of the popularGarbas performed in praise of the Divine MotherGoddesses. Tara Vina Shyam Mune, Tari Banki RePaghladi Nu and Aaj No Chandaliyo are some ofthe Raas compositions played in love of theDivine Krsna and his enchanting activities. Thereare several examples of popular garba and raasand performances set out in the media section ofthe Garbaworld web site. 55Tuesday, 15 December 2015

56Tuesday, 15 December 2015

styles 57Tuesday, 15 December 2015

58Tuesday, 15 December 2015

stylesThe basic garba steps are simple, so simple that itdoes not much time to learn them as long as theperson guiding or assisting does not overcomplicate matters. The steps should never betaught on a crowded dance floor. The basic stepsare as simple as stepping backwards and fowards,with a slight lift. Once the basic steps becomesecond nature, variations can then be attempted.There are many enhancements which can then beintroduced, and these then make the dancerstand out and shine. There are many ways inwhich the clapping can happen and if done wellthe clapping regulates the spinning and swirling.It is best, even if you an accomplished dancer, tokeep the flow of the steps and claps in balanceand harmony, rather than be diverted intodistracting moves and manoeuvres, which spoilthe flow and sweep of the dancing and whichmakes the dancing, far more tiring and tryingthan it should be. The dancing will go on forseveral hours and more and if garba is taught andplayed well, the deep thinking which has goneinto the traditional steps, ensures that you feelenergised rather than exhausted. 59Tuesday, 15 December 2015

There are many forms and styles of garba and raas, with many elegant variations on the traditional and many good modern styles. Sadly however too many of the modern garba steps and styles spoil the flow of the dance as they are invented solely for the sake of novelty or to win some competition and have not always been well considered and put together. Garba and Raas steps and styles cannot really be brought across in words and it is best to watch live performances or videos to learn more. There is a selection of styles exhibited in some performances on the videos section of the garbaworld.com website. As the Garba and Raas dances culminate at the end of the evening, often there are some extra dances which have their own enchantment and excitement, such as the Fudadari and Ramjanyu   The Fudadari is done at the end, when it otherwise seems that the dancing has finished. Along then comes this wonderful bonus. In this style of dance two dancers hold each others hands with criss crossed arms and lean back and then turn and sway in a circle, going faster and faster and faster, This dance with its spinning and swirling in an exhaustive and dangerous manner has few other equals, 60Tuesday, 15 December 2015

It is amazing to see groups of tens and hundredsdoing this with so much energy unleashed andbeaming excited faces glowing as they sway awayscreaming with laughter.  The Ramjanyu is a dancing march. The dancersmove in a march of dance backwards andforwards, marching their bodies in time andrhythm and balance. The ramjanyu happens atend of the evening just after or before theFudadrri. By this time everyone is sweating, as thelast raas finishes and there are some moments torelax and then the ramjanyu starts 61Tuesday, 15 December 2015

62Tuesday, 15 December 2015

events 63Tuesday, 15 December 2015

64Tuesday, 15 December 2015

events frequently lavishly lusciouslyThe late evening breeze, the cool blue sky, thattingle in the air, the fragrance of night awaitingthe hours to follow, longing to get high on danceTown Halls, Church Halls, Community Halls,Temples, Hotels, Stadiums, Streets, Parks,Courtyards, Open Grounds, Marquees are alltaken over for Garba and Raas dances.Garba and Raas generally take place at one timeperiod in the year for seasonal and spiritualreasons. It is not very common knowledge thatthere are four times when Navratri could becelebrated. There is no reason why Garba andRaas dances, with or without elements of worshipand devotion, may not take place throughout theyear in better seasons and better places. Garbaand Raas enshrine an awesome heritage ofdancing, singing, teasing and pleasing and thereare many good and substantial reasons why thesedances should be held most of the year round 65Tuesday, 15 December 2015

At Navratri time during the day Garba dances,though not usually Raas, take place in temples,small and large, and the participants are in themain women and mostly older ladies. Thesurroundings of the temple and its ambience lenda special sacred feeling to these daytime dancesand these garbas have a special charm and thehappening is far more devotional than thenightime dances. At night, the events are held in avariety of places depending on what is availableand affordable. The night time dances will includefirstly Garba dances for the first half, followed byan Aarti and then Raas dances.In India there are mega events which take place inlarge halls and vast grounds and are held on acommercial basis, though in some instances a partof the profits may be donated to good causes.These events seek to attract the top garbaperformers and therefore the expenses of theevents are quite substantial and these arerecouped through high entry prices,advertisements and sponsorship. The peopleattending such events may have some link withthe community and organisers, but generally theyare open to all. The attendance at such eventsranges from about 5000 to 30,000 people. 66Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Often families will hold or sponsor a night or twoof garba during Navratri and these will berestricted to friends and relatives. At these eventsthere is a practice of giving small gifts to all thegirls and ladies who attend. In times past thiswould include some small item of stainless steelcrockery, such as bowls and containers, engravedwith the name of the family offering the gift.Up until the late 1980’s an evening of garba andraas dancing was considered an essential part ofany Gujarati wedding. At weddings nowadays asthere are several events such as musical nightsand lavish receptions, the practice of holding awedding Garba in Britain has sadly declined. Thisis regrettable as a Garba happening is the bestoccasion for bringing the guests of the bride andgroom and their families in closer connection witheach other. Often the couple will play garba andraas with their guests for most of the evenings.Wedding Garbas when they are held, are held insuitable halls and a good deal of time attentionand money is spent not only on the event but alsoon expensive garments, food and music. Howevereven at relatively low cost these dances can makeany wedding festivities much grander. 67Tuesday, 15 December 2015

There are many community associations ofGujaratis in cities all over the world. Theseorganisations do good work for the benefit of thecommunity and at Navratri time, whereverpossible they will arrange Garba and Raas danceseven if it is just for a night or two rather than thefull nine nights. There is a wide variety of suchassociations ranging from those of commonreligious affiliations, to groups of the same caste,to worldwide organisations such as the LionsClubs.Garba and Raas dances may be performed infamiliar groups of several hundred, to communitygatherings of several thousands and for publicextravaganzas of many tens of thousands. Eachgathering has it own flavour and bhavna, and it isa joy to be able to attend these differently sizedand arranged events, and be soaked in thecommon and communal embrace of radiant andvibrant people A very important consideration isof course the optimum size for Garba and Raas.The Garba happenings of up to thirty thousandpeople have their own excitement andatmosphere and are great for people watching.However the dancing loses much grace andelegance in these enormous crowds 68Tuesday, 15 December 2015

. 69Tuesday, 15 December 2015

70Tuesday, 15 December 2015

places 71Tuesday, 15 December 2015

72Tuesday, 15 December 2015

placesEvery year happenings are organised in vastgrounds under the open sky, beneath radiantstars, under the gaze of a glowing moons.gujaratGujarat in India is the home of Garba and Raas.Every year Garba events are organised in vastgrounds under the open sky, beneath radiantstars, under the gaze of a glowing moons. Thehappenings go on till late,local politicspermitting, and the resolve and buzz is there tocontinue dancing till the dawn rises for anotherday. Dances are also held in small villages,courtyards, city streets and most everywherewhere there is some open space. The range onoffer is wide from intimate family type gatheringsto events with upwards of 30000 peopleattending. The radiance of the festival, and thepassion of the people takes over whole towns andcities for all nine nights and there is nowherebetter to be on the planet, than in Gujarat atNavratri time. 73Tuesday, 15 December 2015

the united states  Gujarati Communities in North America organiseNavratri Garba and Raas dances on a major scaleover all states. Many of the Universities andcolleges have Raas Garba teams who competenationally several times a year, in well organisedcompetitions. The Dandiya Raas dance hasbecome hugely popular in the last twenty yearsand is usually performed in state widecompetitions which has led to the dance beingmixed and mingled with other forms of music andwestern themes and settings.britainIn October begins the onset of winter and theweather is damp and cold. The people having justenjoyed the summer months are preparing to stayin during the cold winter nights and it becomesdifficult to build up the enthusiasm and passionto put on your glad rags and go out for ninenights in a row to the Navratri events. Howevermost, if not all, Gujarati communities take thetrouble to arrange Navratri events with manypeople giving much of their time and resources tohelp the organisers. There is competition,between different organisations, in large cities,for the best halls. 74Tuesday, 15 December 2015

The people, despite the cold weather, take thetime and effort to attend, and despite theovercrowding they dance with passion anddevotion.worldAfrica, America, Asia, Australia and Europe andmany places in between. Garba events take placein over 500 cities all over the world and whereverthere are Gujaratis there is garba and there israas. 75Tuesday, 15 December 2015

76Tuesday, 15 December 2015

people 77Tuesday, 15 December 2015

78Tuesday, 15 December 2015

peopleThe greatest blessing that Garba and Raas eventsbring is the wide age range of the peopleattending and participating. It is fortunate thathere are dance forms which have people from theage of two to the age of eighty, all gathered inone place for an evening of dancing, singing andplaying. And not just dance, but moving andblending amidst great devotion, the devotion forthe elders, devotion for the divine, allparticipants in a sacred and spiritual happening,whether dancing, sitting or posing.At Garba happenings there are representations oflove for the youth, religious themes for the older,philosophy and arts for the learned, goddessesfor assurance of wealth and prosperity for thebusiness minded. There is also the power andmight of the goddesses worshipped and the mockbattles with sticks. All this wrapped up in fun andlaughter. Something for mostly all, including theadorned garba princesses, the prancing princes,not to mention some glittering queens. 79Tuesday, 15 December 2015

The older people are delighted in seeing thechildren and teenagers engaged in a devotionaland cultural activity. They see a whole communityof their family and friends and wider societyimmersed in communion, having a wonderfultime in tune and harmony with all others. At mostgarba happenings respectful attitudes areobserved in the relations between the sexes, andmany of the people attending will have somecommon link, near or distant, with others,whether through friendship, family relations orthrough the communityChildren many flowing and fluttering, beamingand grinning, enthralled by the extravaganza,enchanted by the dancing, surprised at thisdevotion, gazing in wonder upon this splendour.Children do not generally get much chance todance and prance. Children like to play and jumpand dance However children are generally told tobehave and keep still and their naturalexuberance is dampened. 80Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Children having fun, running around,energetically jumping, twirling, and a leaping?God forbid ! 81Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Children many flowing and fluttering, beaming and grinningTuesday, 15 December 2015

children 84Tuesday, 15 December 2015

children 85Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Tuesday, 15 December 2015

causesTuesday, 15 December 2015

Tuesday, 15 December 2015

causesThe dances are best when some good or greatercause is helped and supported. Dancehappenings are a suitable way to raise funds andfollowers for projects which can help to make ourworld a better place. Support for worthy causesshould be an essential element of most dancehappenings. Money in donations, and moneyearned by providing worth and value to theparticipants, can be garnered in vast measure tohelp needy causes.In addition to or instead of donating financially,people may feel an inner pull to become moreinvolved with the cause by donating their timeand skill as well. By volunteering, they have theopportunity to build their social circles whilereaping the physical, mental and spiritualbenefits from the effort contributed to the cause.GIving is part of the transcendence of dancingA recent study by a Harvard Business Schoolfaculty and graduate students titled “FeelingGood about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) ofSelf-Interested Charitable Behaviour,\" exploresthe ways in which charitable behaviour can leadto benefits for the giver. 90Tuesday, 15 December 2015

While the concept that giving to others can makeone feel good about oneself is not revolutionary,there are several more subtle ways that givingmoney or time for a cause can benefitpsychological, spiritual and emotional well-being.When considering donating to a charity, manypeople tend to research the issues connected tothat organisation. As a result, they become moreaware of social injustices around the world. Theymay discover new points of view and opinions ontopics about which they were previouslyuniformed. This knowledge may position them tohelp increase awareness of social problemsamong those in their sphere of influence from abalanced standpoint.In organising a dance happening an importantconsideration is to see how best that event mayhelp good causes and how people may be furtherinspired to continue the support of worthyprojects. There are many elements which makedances suitable for raising substantial fundingand other help for those in need. Dance is itself afine education in learning about ourselves andsuch awareness leads to sympathy and empathyfor others. 91Tuesday, 15 December 2015

92Tuesday, 15 December 2015

food 93Tuesday, 15 December 2015

KHANDHAVI SEV PURIPATRA DHOKRAKACHORI KHICHI 94Tuesday, 15 December 2015

fooddelicious, nourishing, yummy, the cuisine of thedance looks good and tastes greatThis well prepared nourishment of manygenerations, the food served at garba and raashappenings has been carefully considered andcreated. The food is mainly a lot of small snacksand nibbles, easy to eat and digest and providesprovide energy and stamina for the many hours ofdancing that lie ahead. Nourishment is anessential ingredient of the dance and theenergetic dancing helps, the food to burn uphelping to maintain a satisfied and healthy bodyand being. Page not complete, more to follow. 95Tuesday, 15 December 2015

96Tuesday, 15 December 2015

HEMANT CHAUHAN FALGUNI PATHAKs i n ge rssome garba and raasATUL PUROHIT RAJAL BAROT PRAFUL DAVE 97 ACHAL MAHTATuesday, 15 December 2015

SHRUTI AHIRTuesday, 15 December 2015

singersThere are many excellent and accomplished Garbaand Raas musicians and singersThe entrancing and melodious voice of ShriHemant Chauhan is utterly captivating.Hemantbhai takes the people to anotherdimension when he renders his masterly andsoulful performances and he pierces hearts andbeings with a gentility and grace which isaddictiveThe late Shankar GangulyHemant ChauhanPraful DaveDamyanti BhilPamela JainSoli KapadiaNisha UpadhayahSuchitaAishwaria MajmudarShruti AhirRajal Barotmany others to follow with details andperformances Page incomplete , more to follow 99Tuesday, 15 December 2015

100Tuesday, 15 December 2015