Sunday, October 24, 2004
Dandiya
Once again it's that time of the year when night turns into day and the city reverberates to the beat of countless drums. It’s Navratri time as we all know. Let me explain how this dance evolved.
Among all the dance forms, Raas Garba is the most well known outside Gujarat and is the most ancient one too. Ideally, two circles formed by men and women move in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions with two sticks called dandiyas held in their hands. The song sung on the occasion is essentially an amorous one. Raas is a very energetic, colourful and playful dance providing opportunity for acting and exchanging messages through eye contact. It is no wonder that many romances bloom during Navratri and hence the popularity of the dance among the younger generation.
I ejoyed the Dandiya on 15th & 16th this month and will again have one session on 5th November. Playing Dandiya and Garbha here was a really a wonderful experience. It was fun with Jasmitaben & Monaben :)
On 5th again I played Garbha with Monaben & new version of Dandiya (Mumbai style) with Jasmitaben. This was my best Dandiya in about 3 years (Khaali charigay pag ma!). My precioussss memory of the last few days in CS I guess!
