Garba of Gujarat: India’s Longest and Largest Dance Festival
Dr Utpala Desai, a scholar of Folk Traditions of Gujarat, co-wrote the dossier on the Garba, a popular traditional ritual dance-form of Gujarat, for its inclusion in the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity. It was accepted on 6th Dec 2023. Dr Desai shares her thoughts on the dance form and attire worn during its performance.
Guest edited by Brinda Gill
Brinda Gill: Please could you tell us about Garba
Dr Utpala Desai: Garba is a ritual devotional dance form of Gujarat traditionally performed by women to honour, worship and celebrate the Mother Goddess. It is one of Gujarat’s oldest dance tradition. It has been transmitted down the centuries as an oral tradition with girls informally picking up the steps and songs from elder women in the family.
Image and image above: Garba performance at the 7th Walking Hand in Hand show. Image Courtesy CDS Art Foundation, Ahmedabad.
The word `Garba’ refers to the song, dance and perforated earthen pot around which the dance is performed. It stems from the Sanskrit word `Garbha’ that means womb and thus alludes to the pot that is akin a womb and Shakti (feminine energy), the Mother Goddess who gives birth to creation
Metaphorically, Garba is woman’s voice, her devotion and her identity. A lit oil lamp, representing divine light and energy, is placed inside the earthen pot. The pot is respectfully placed on the ground with an image of Goddess Amba. The women, always bare feet, dance around it in a circle as they sing songs of and worship to the Mother Goddess. The pot is regarded as a shrine and the dance is a prayer.
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