Most Popular Big Budget Dandiya Festival Nights

Life

oi-Anjana

By Anjana Ns

Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 14:54

Garba is no longer a Gujarati way of celebrating Navratri, it has become a platform of fun and frolic all over the world (irrespective of the sect, caste and creed). The dance is organised in many countries apart from India and has become a chance for girls and guys to dance and party with delicious food.

The Dandiya Raas which plays the significant part in Navratri is actually a dance depicting the fight between goddess Durga and Mahishasura (the demon king). The bamboo sticks that play props while dancing represent the sword of Durga.

The dandiya festival, since recent times has become a good business for the event organisers. Apart from residential colonies, the dance festival is also arranged in a large area (like Palace Grounds in Bangalore to Johannesburg, SA) charging no less than 1,500 to 2,000 rupees. They make luxurious arrangements by inviting famous singers and Bollywood celebs making it look like a big party beyond just a traditional stick dance. Here is a list of the dandiya festival nights that are big budget and make news all the time.

The Big Budget Dandiya Festivals -

1. Mumbai – Being a Bollywood capital, Mumbai has always attracted crowd from all over India much more than the Gujarat capital (although it is their traditional event). The disco dandiyas have huge dance floors with exorbitant fees. It is reported that the garba organisers earn more than 20 crores with this cultural event. They event organisers also conduct lotteries presenting prizes worth 5,000 – 10,000 for best performers. One of the most popular garba evenings in Mumbai is at the Essel world, Borivali. Apart from them, even the Ghatkopar Gujarati Samaj organises the Gujarati art form every year.

2. Muscat – Dandiya dance has also been famous in Muscat. The venues look colourful with dazzling NRI Gujarati beauties. The muscat event also has fancy dress competitions to entertain the crowd. Apart from this, many Gujarati families from India are invited to take part in these competitions and the winner is awarded a title with the prize money. For this, the Gujaratis in muscat take up the authentic garba training to win and give a tough competition to the participants.

3. Dubai – Dandiya festival in Dubai is more like a disco night. They event organisers invite various talents from India. In 2008, all the Zee Sa re ga ma singers; Mouli Dave, Aneek Dhar and Raja Hassan were invited to entertain the mass. Indian singers and DJs are also asked to add more cheer to the traditional event. The Zabeel Park Amphitheatre is quite famous for organising the Gujarati garba.