Navratri 2020: No Garba This Year? Gujarat May Miss Festive Zing As Organisers Shun Celebrations

Navratri 2020 Celebrations: Even as the state government has hinted at giving maximum possible relaxation for the annual festival of Navratri, within the limits of the Covid-19 guidelines, organisers are not willing to take any risks by arranging garba celebrations.

(Photo by Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Gujarat: Garba, one of the popular dance folk dance, performed during Navratri may not be enjoyed by the people of Gujarat this year, thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic that has reared its ugly head again. Navratri starts on October 17, and remains one of the most important festivals and people eagerly await to perform garba. Garba has also become the global identity of the state and enjoyed by people world over at the time of Navratri. Even as the state government has hinted at giving maximum possible relaxation for the annual festival of Navratri, within the limits of the Covid-19 guidelines, organisers are not willing to take any risks. Several events, prayers, processions and celebrations are already hampered because they were either cancelled or were done at a smaller scale.  The state government will make the announcement in this regard. However, organisers are urging public to offer prayers to the Goddess within their homes and avoid any large gatherings to contain the spread of virus. Garba festival organised in Vadodara is one of the biggest attractions in the state and around each pandals in the city witness up to 60,000 devotees. “The festival is observed for almost nine days. If the celebrations are observed of this scale then it will turn out to be a human bomb because of the ongoing pandemic. We don’t won’t to take the responsibility of the spread of virus that can cause havoc,” says one of the organisers. Even public also understands the current situation but then people are aware of the state and have complied with the decisions. “We are a bit upset about the decision but it has been taken in view of the pandemic and we support it. We pray to the almighty that the pandemic is over soon and we get back to our normal lives”, says one of the garba enthusiast.