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Bhopal's Special 'Garbha' for kids

     Bhopal: With the navratri festival in full swing, the garba or dandiya dance is reverberating all over north India. In Bhopal, however, special garba dances are being organized for tiny tots. Girls swirling in their traditional dresses and boys dancing to the tradtional and filmy music beats, dressed in their dhotis and kurtas, pepped up the scene in the Madhya Pradesh capital. Shashi Kesvani, the organiser of the event, said that the garba has a special meaning for children. "Garba is organised all over the country during Navratri festival. Elders always particpate in the Garba, but a programme exclusively for the small children has never been organised. So, we thought that we will do this experiment," said Kesvani. Everyday around 300 kids from nearby schools take part in these garbas. "I like to play garba with other children," said Devansh, a second class girl. Anmol, another boy, said: "I have been practising garba for many days. I enjoy it very much." Navratri is held in honour of the Goddess Durga and heralds the beginning of the festive season. The festival, which symbolises the triumph of good over evil, is marked by prayers, processions and musical programmes. Both the Hindu god Rama and the Goddess Durga are worshipped during the festival in different forms. The festival is called Durga Puja in West Bengal while in the rest of the country, it is known as Navratri.
-Oct 20, 2004