VADODARA: Vadodara may be the only city in Gujarat that doesn't play Bollywood songs during Navratri to entertain the revellers. But, singers and composers here make sure that the young crowd does get to revel to some romantic tunes.
Several garba venues in the city dish out romantic Gujarati songs during the nights of revelry. But unlike other cities that prefer filmy songs, freshly composed poetry is played at garba venues in the cultural capital of Gujarat.
To draw youngsters and give a romantic touch to the nine-night revelry, garba organizers prefer poetry penned by well-known poets. "Garbas are a form of devotion for Ma Amba. But, the revellers also like to play 'raas' which is romantic. So we ask our lyricists and composers to write fresh romantic poetry that will appeal to youngsters. And, there is no vulgarity in our Garba lyrics," lead singer at Credai-Arkee Garba venue Achal Mehta said.
"While most such songs are based on romance between Radha-Krishna, we also sing some garbas that talk about romantic relations between boy and girl. Dr Gopal Shastri and Dinesh Dongre have composed such songs for us," Mehta told TOI
Organizer of Mehsananagar Garba Dr R B Bhesania also said that playing romantic but non-filmy songs bring in an element of freshness. "Most of the revellers are young and romance does appeal to them. Playing romantic non-filmy numbers not only preserves the tradition of Navratri, but also offers something new for revellers." Bhesania has been introducing several new garbas penned by his wife Falguni Bhesania at his venue over the last few years.
Another well-known garba singer and composer Paritosh Goswami feels playing raas is also a form of devotion and spirituality. "For me penning raas (romantic exchanges between Radha and Krishna) is also a form of prayer. Garba and raas are inter-connected and playing freshly composed non-filmy songs do preserve the sanctity of the festival."
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