The lyrical melodies of South Asian windpipes mingle with the
rhythmic beats of drums. A high-pitched voice harmoniously rises
above the instruments, exchanging choruses with a baritone line
that conveys the words of an exotic language of an Indian
tradition.
Jigish Patel looks over to his friends and begins to demonstrate
the two-beat Garba dance. He jumps in the air, swinging his arms to
end in a clap that synchronizes with the drums beating in the
background.
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,”
the fourth-year computer science and engineering student chimes, in
time with his movements.
His friends join in. After learning the dance they jump into the
circle of hundreds of people that fill the entirety of the Ackerman
Ball Room ““ all harmoniously in sync with a rhythm that
unites them in a spiritual tradition.
Celebrated in a season of religious holidays such as Yom Kippur
and Ramadan, the fall Hindu festival of Navratri is a ten-day
tribute to the triad of goddesses: Durga, Lakshmi and
Saraswati.
Navratri began on Sept. 23 and ended on Oct. 1 this year, but
the Indian Student Union held the event late. In observation of the
holiday, the ISU held an event Saturday night called,
“Raas-Garba,” which allowed students to dance according
to the style and tradition that is observed during the holiday.
As the music gets faster, so does the pace of the dancing.
“Dancing and music is such a vital part of Indian culture.
This is why this event is such a big deal ““ it unites your
community,” said Sonia Hingorany, the president of ISU.
In the first part of the event, called “Garba,”
students perform traditional and devotional dances that encircle a
statue of a goddess. In the middle of the ballroom the harvest
goddess Durga rests on a white-clothed table sprinkled with red and
yellow roses.
The crowd is a diverse mix of people. There are children dancing
with adults. There are students dressed in traditional Indian
garments dancing with those in jeans and Led Zeppelin t-shirts.
Garba is Patel’s favorite part of the event, since his
family comes from the region of Gujarat, where this form of dance
originates.
“It has religious significance to me, but cultural
significance as well. If you were in India, you’d be doing
this dance during this time of year,” Patel said. “The
dance form really allows you to be yourself. It allows you to put
in your own flavor.”
The second part of the event is called Aarti, which is a
symbolic worshipping ritual to pay respects to deities that are
related to the celebration of Navratri.
Hundreds of students gathered around the Durga as they sang a
prayer in Hindi to honor her. Some closed their eyes, lifting their
hands in prayer to pay respects to the goddess for the upcoming
year. Honoring the autumn harvest, the holiday, as well as the
goddesses, symbolically reflects themes of life and fertility.
After the hymns, people went up to the lit candles on the
tables, putting their hands over the flame and brushing the heat
over their face.
“The flame is coming from God and you want Him to do good
things for you,” Hingorany said.
The third part of the event is “Raas,” which is a
form of dancing with sticks. Pairs of dancers strike their sticks
in time to the music, rotating periodically to the next partner in
a long line that aligns all around the ballroom.
The dance represents a battle between Durga and a buffalo demon
with the sticks, called dandiyas, representing the goddess’
sword.
Paul Karaiakoubian, a fourth-year sociology student, attended
the event last year. As a non-Indian, he was interested in
exploring the cultural and religious aspects of a holiday he knew
little about.
He learned about the spiritual and traditional significance of
the holiday. He said he came away having had fun learning the Raas
dances.
Coming back this year dressed up in a traditional Indian outfit
for men, he said ethnic and religious barriers are nonexistent at
the event.
“There were a lot of people there who weren’t of
Indian ethnicity, but no one was put aside or segregated. It
doesn’t matter if you’re Indian or not, you’re
going to have a good time.”