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  Metros   Mumbai  19 Sep 2017  Navratri fever takes shoppers by storm

Navratri fever takes shoppers by storm

THE ASIAN AGE. | VRUSHALI PURANDARE
Published : Sep 19, 2017, 12:59 am IST
Updated : Sep 19, 2017, 12:59 am IST

People willing to pay Rs 2,500 per dance session.

A group of women buying jewellery pieces to match their attires at a city market.
 A group of women buying jewellery pieces to match their attires at a city market.

Mumbai: With ‘Navratri’ just three days away, Mumbai markets are flooded with special Navratri jewellery and garba costumes. Garba-dandiya classes in the city are seeing enthusiastic participation. People from all communities have been signing up to get their steps right. 

The charges for these classes vary depending on the duration but on an average, the instructors charge around Rs 1,000 to Rs 2500. Ghungta (Latkan-hanging) based chaniya choli, jewelleries and dandiya are in vogue as well in demand, say shopkeepers. 

Nevertheless, Mumbai-kars are too excited for the ‘garba’ nights as there are huge competitions along with attractive prizes “Starting from Rs 500 to `Rs 10,000 with Ghungta and appliqué kurtas — cholis paired with pleated Ghagra — skirts are more in demand, nowadays people are demanding more cotton to make themselves comfortable in the hot and humid climate, said Gita Vasani, shopkeeper of Maganlal dresswala.

The city is also gearing up for garba steps and during rehearsals, dance instructors often get innovative with the traditional ‘raas garba’ ideas. Suhrad Soni, a garba dance instructor who conducts classes abroad said, “ There are various forms of garba in men and women, but nowadays people are opting for the props which are part of the attire and there's no need to carry anything extra.”

“Baithak style of garba is particularly famous among men. Zumba garba continues and is a fun way to lose weight, many have started doing garba all-year round,” said Soni. 

After the ritualistic garba commences, the evening concludes with aarti, prasad distribution and dandiya dance. “This time special dandiyas which are made of steel are more in demand since they are in attractive colours and made of metal, it creates  a nice sound,” said Karan Rai, seller of fancy metal dandiya.

 Along with the traditional attire, jewellery is must to complete the look for garba, “Silver oxide jewellery with Ghungta are more in demand. Those start from `50 to `1500,” said   Dilip Sharma who  sells jewellery for Dandiya.

Tags: navratri jewellery, garba-dandiya classes
Location: India, Maharashtra, Mumbai (Bombay)