Navaratri is here! AP gears up for Dandiya nights

Visakhapatnam: Chogada tara, Chabeela tara

Rangeela tara, Rangbheru jue tari vaat re, Haah!

Wearing stunning Lehengas, and Garba outfits and holding dandiya sticks, every person in the city is dancing to the tune of the most traditional Garba and Dandiya. Dandiya is a socio-religious folk dance originating from the Indian state of Gujarat and popularly performed during the festival of Navaratri.

Over time, Dandiya has become famous in Andhra Pradesh with the Gujarati, Bengali, and Marwari communities settling down in different parts. Spreading their traditions, events have been conducted for every Navaratri. After two years of the pandemic, the events are back again in the state.

Dance for a cause

After two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club, Visakhapatnam Central organized Dandiya to raise funds for Rotary Medical Camps in tribal villages and remote areas, as well as to support its community projects. The event was celebrated by everyone with great energy. Starting with Bollywood songs from the 80s, it continued to the latest trending Bollywood beats. No matter what the song is, all they did was dance with the sticks.

"I have attended Dandiya nights for the first time. Initially, I was feeling embarrassed because I couldn't dance, but the dandiya dance teams are amazing. We just had to form a circle and follow a person. A few moments later, I was enjoying Dandiya and it continued for at least three hours", said Aasritha, a medical student.

"We go to an agency where there are no medical facilities and conduct a medical camp. This time we are doing heart screening, as a part of a three-day camp in December in villages at Paderu agency. Doctors from Andhra Medical Colleges join us", President of Rotary Club, Visakhapatnam Central Srinivasa Eerla. The club is also trying to provide drinking water facilities for villages in need.

The Club recently took up a medical camp helping over 800 people from the hamlets and villages surrounding Kammayapeta and Bakuru, with 7 doctors, 15 medical students, rotarians, and local volunteers. They performed basic tests, educated people about healthy habits, distributed essential drugs, as well as referring patients to KGH and other hospitals/clinics.

Dandiya workshops

During Covid-19, celebrating festivals is something that everyone missed a lot. This Navaratri, many Garba enthusiasts, be it kids or couples have started attending workshops to learn dance steps, and the instructors are quite busy.

For dance instructor Faiz Begum who runs a fitness studio in Visakhapatnam, two years after the pandemic, there has been a great response for people coming to learn Garba and Dandiya dance steps. "It is not about age, everyone was excited to learn the dance. I have done four workshops so far and the response is amazing. Post-COVID, even for Ganesh Chaturthi, people were asked for a workshop in Kolatam, folk dance. Every festival now is a celebration", said Faiz.

Believing in experimenting, Faiz do Salasa Garba, a fusion. Most importantly, she asks her students to wear shoes while practicing instead of dancing with a bare foot.

If you are excited reading this article, head to these two Dandiya events:

-Dandiya Dhamaal Dobara: Hotel Novotel, Varun Beach, Oct 4

-Dandiya Night: Hotel Rockdale, Oct 2