| The Gujarati Samaj Milwaukee Ramzat Presents Navaratri & Garba Dandia |
Debby Tewes
| L-R) Amrit Patel, owner of A P Foods on 9th & Mitchell and A P Accounting, and Swapnil (Neil) Mody who organized the event with advice from Amrit. Amrit was on the board of the Milwaukee Gujarati community. |
On the dance floor were beautiful
women in colorful saris performing
a traditional Dandia/stick dance;
The Channiya Choli is a 3 - piece
dress of vivid colors, usually with
hand stitched mirrors, sequins,
gold thread embroidery and a
billowing skirt
women in colorful saris performing
a traditional Dandia/stick dance;
The Channiya Choli is a 3 - piece
dress of vivid colors, usually with
hand stitched mirrors, sequins,
gold thread embroidery and a
billowing skirt
By Debby Tewes
If you are like me and long to visit the places you see
on travel channels or read about in the pages of
National Geographic and dream of adventure to
faraway places, but the quick glance at your bank
statement says that exotic travel is maybe as far as
the Illinois border, including tolls and gas.
Sometimes you only need look around your local
community to find cultural celebrations frequently
known only to the members of that ethnic community.
A chance invitation from a friend on a social
If you are like me and long to visit the places you see
on travel channels or read about in the pages of
National Geographic and dream of adventure to
faraway places, but the quick glance at your bank
statement says that exotic travel is maybe as far as
the Illinois border, including tolls and gas.
Sometimes you only need look around your local
community to find cultural celebrations frequently
known only to the members of that ethnic community.
A chance invitation from a friend on a social
networking site led me to a celebration of Gujarati tradition that transformed the
rather drab interior of the Milwaukee County Sports Complex into an explosion of
brilliantly colored costumed dancers that wove sinuously around the parquet floor
that normally resounds to the squeak of athletic shoes. Most Milwaukee ethnic
festivals these days can strain a family budget but this was family entertainment
on a grand scale that could entertain even the most jaded festival goers.
rather drab interior of the Milwaukee County Sports Complex into an explosion of
brilliantly colored costumed dancers that wove sinuously around the parquet floor
that normally resounds to the squeak of athletic shoes. Most Milwaukee ethnic
festivals these days can strain a family budget but this was family entertainment
on a grand scale that could entertain even the most jaded festival goers.
The Gujarati Samaj of Wisconsin/Ramzat Group of Milwaukee put on their third celebration of Navaratri which translated
literally from the Gujarati language means "nine nights. " The event ends on the 10th day called Dusherr. Live music was
provided by Mayuri Patel of India, a well known singer who has come to the U.S. annually for this event. The rest of the
musicians come from the Chicago area. At first I feared that the music would be lost
in the cavernous sports facility, not known for acoustics but as more people arrived it
soon became obvious that the enormous facility was a necessity.
Navaratri is one of the favorite festivals in India, celebrating the triumph of the
feminine embodiment of the divine in the forms of the goddesses Shakti, Durga,
Lakshmi and Saraswati. The Garba dance is performed in a winding circle,
primarily by women, for in true form, the dance is performed around a flaming clay jar
that symbolizes the womb from which all life comes (Garbha Deep means womb). At
the event I visited men took part in the dance also. As with all art forms, Garba has
been influenced by raas dance, typically performed by men. The two have merged
and now the dance is a high energy blend of the two. The Garba also draws a bit
from the Sufi tradition and the circular motion of the dancing reflects the Hindu belief
in the circle of time, birth, life, death and rebirth. The dance symbolizes the concept
that God, in this instance, the feminine side, is the only constant in a changing
universe (jagat).
Once that dance ended, next up was Dandia or the stick dance. Men and women and
of course children carry simple white sticks (although I noticed some that were
brought and were elaborately decorated) and dance in a moving column in pairs,
groups or long lines while reaching out to tap your partners stick, with some
flourishes added by individual dancers to include twirls, twists and some fancy
footwork! To wish someone a Happy Navaratri one would say Shubh Navaratri.
The highlight of the festival of course was the brilliant costumes worn by the women.
The costume is a bit different from the saris we normally associate with Indian
women’s dress. The Channiya Choli is a three-piece dress of vivid colors,
usually with hand stitched mirrors, sequins, gold thread embroidery and a billowing
skirt to emphasize the twirling movements of the dance. A separate, equally colorful
open backed top covered with a silk or gauze wrap completes the dress. The result
is dazzling. They accessorize with bindi, gold bangles, necklaces and earrings. The
men choose to wear “kafni" pyjamas with a kediyu which I assume is the shift-like
long shirt that is often brightly colored and embroidered.
Swapnil Modi, Amrit Patel and the Gujarati Samat organization, along with many
volunteers, put on a spectacular event that hopefully more people will discover in the
future. Their hard work and the great attendance is a reflection of the community
spirit and a desire to keep traditions alive! My thanks to Nil Modi for his help in writing
this article and patient explanations of meanings and ritual.
in the cavernous sports facility, not known for acoustics but as more people arrived it
soon became obvious that the enormous facility was a necessity.
Navaratri is one of the favorite festivals in India, celebrating the triumph of the
feminine embodiment of the divine in the forms of the goddesses Shakti, Durga,
Lakshmi and Saraswati. The Garba dance is performed in a winding circle,
primarily by women, for in true form, the dance is performed around a flaming clay jar
that symbolizes the womb from which all life comes (Garbha Deep means womb). At
the event I visited men took part in the dance also. As with all art forms, Garba has
been influenced by raas dance, typically performed by men. The two have merged
and now the dance is a high energy blend of the two. The Garba also draws a bit
from the Sufi tradition and the circular motion of the dancing reflects the Hindu belief
in the circle of time, birth, life, death and rebirth. The dance symbolizes the concept
that God, in this instance, the feminine side, is the only constant in a changing
universe (jagat).
Once that dance ended, next up was Dandia or the stick dance. Men and women and
of course children carry simple white sticks (although I noticed some that were
brought and were elaborately decorated) and dance in a moving column in pairs,
groups or long lines while reaching out to tap your partners stick, with some
flourishes added by individual dancers to include twirls, twists and some fancy
footwork! To wish someone a Happy Navaratri one would say Shubh Navaratri.
The highlight of the festival of course was the brilliant costumes worn by the women.
The costume is a bit different from the saris we normally associate with Indian
women’s dress. The Channiya Choli is a three-piece dress of vivid colors,
usually with hand stitched mirrors, sequins, gold thread embroidery and a billowing
skirt to emphasize the twirling movements of the dance. A separate, equally colorful
open backed top covered with a silk or gauze wrap completes the dress. The result
is dazzling. They accessorize with bindi, gold bangles, necklaces and earrings. The
men choose to wear “kafni" pyjamas with a kediyu which I assume is the shift-like
long shirt that is often brightly colored and embroidered.
Swapnil Modi, Amrit Patel and the Gujarati Samat organization, along with many
volunteers, put on a spectacular event that hopefully more people will discover in the
future. Their hard work and the great attendance is a reflection of the community
spirit and a desire to keep traditions alive! My thanks to Nil Modi for his help in writing
this article and patient explanations of meanings and ritual.