It almost always ends with
sumptuous food. I mean, every festival in Gujarat.
For Diwali, it is a stunning range of food items that make
the New Year (the Gujarati/ Marwadi Samvat year) lunch a 56 course meal,
unimaginable in most places in the world.
The Chappan Bhog, as this meal is called is a special offering made to
lord Krishna.
Made of a variety of delicacies that includes sweets,
savouries, milk products, besan products, cereals, fruits, this is an unabashed
Gujarati concoction of spiritualism that suits the stomach.
The Bhog apart, the second day after Diwali is also the day
a brother pays a mandatory visit to his sister’s house, celebrating Bhai Dooj.
And then, the state empties out.
Every bus, every train, every route, every flight is crammed
with people. People heading out of Gujarat on a holiday. To anywhere!
The very rich go to their hawelis, the rich fly out to fancy
destinations abroad, the not so rich figure out some places within the state or
in the neighboring states, and the migrant work force that forms the backbone
of the state heads back home.
Interestingly, while Diwali might be the biggest festival of
the country, it is certainly not the biggest in Gujarat. It is Dussehra, or
Navratri as it is locally called.
The Navratri buildup starts in a rather innocuous manner,
that too almost two months before the festival date.
You see pamphlets in offices, on notice boards or leaflets
in your house that promote Garba classes.
Garba classes? Yes, the same classes that teach you how to
shake a leg or pirouette properly during those nine nights that make the
Navratri.
The dance practice becomes a glue that binds women,
transforming acquaintances to friendships.
The next big step is buying the chaniya choli – the ornate
dress women wear during the Garba, the buying of which is a ritual on its own.
Those who have ample time get their clothes tailor made. Those
who are short on funds but seek the latest, crowd the law-garden market. Those
who have money but have not planned throng various boutiques.
As the days gallop towards the Navratri, the law-garden market
takes on an avatar of its own. It exudes energy, transcends time and the
vibrance of the culture of Gujarat oozes from every outlet in the market.
In a veritable mela, women of all ages haggle with the shop
keepers for the right priced chaniya choli.
As I stand there soaking in the
atmosphere, I realize that I am among the few men on the street.
The next experience is at an exhibition. Again, it is the same story. Women get down
from cars of all kinds, from the humble Santro to the haughty BMW. What do they
do? Buy clothes!
Again, all the stores are manned by women! All entrepreneurs,
all looking happy. The youngest person taking care of one of the stalls must
have been around fifteen, looking confident, dealing confidently with
customers, while her mother looks around, possibly providing some company - The
potent combination of culture, entrepreneurship and women Shakti playing out
yet again.
And, the day the entire state is waiting for, the Navratri
begins.
Looking at the streets, one would suddenly believe that the
population of the city has gone up overnight. The peak hour traffic shifts from
8 PM to 11 PM. The ice cream parlour that would have shut at 10 PM keeps it
open till 1AM and the business is brisk.
On every street corner, there is a party plot hosting the
Garba. Every plot of land is converted to a dance arena.
And, all of them, all the party plots seem to be full of men
and women dancing with gay abandon.
As women dance away the blues, there are no men leering at
them. The men are too busy doing their own moves.
At 1 AM, you would notice young women, wearing traditional
clothes freely wheel across the city, jumping from one party plot to another.
It is almost utopian! How can the entire city be celebrating
and be safe at the same time?
Yes, the enjoyable utopia
plays out in front of your eyes, every night in Gujarat.
Every morning, in most offices, attendance becomes thin.
Those who do make it, reach offices with aching legs, swollen knees but
inflated egos. They would have mastered one more step, wooed one more girl/ boy
or they would have gone to a better venue.
Each day brings with it its own highlights. The big party
plots become launch pads for movies. Many movie stars land up in Ahmedabad,
Baroda, Surat to talk to their fans.
And then it reaches its crescendo on the 9th
night.
The whole city is literally dancing. Dancing as if there is
no tomorrow. The mirth and merriment in the city reaches magical proportions.
Sadly, the Navratri has to end, the longest of the nights
has to have an end, so does the last night.
But, no no no! The Gujjus are not yet done with their
festivities.
How can food be forgotten?
The ritual for the 10th (Navratri means nine
nights) morning?
Eating phaphda and Jalebi for breakfast.
Being part Gujjus by now, we decide to partake in this leg
too.
We crank ourselves out of our bed, start scouting for places
where the ethereal phaphda jalebi combo is sold.
What do we find?
Queues that are a kilometer long! After dancing to their
hearts content the previous night, the Gujjus descend on the roads to savour
the food!
The otherwise ordinary food becomes the most sought after this
day.
With the food, the Navratri festival is officially over.
But, around the corner, there is another festival , Diwali.
And that is another food filled story!
The myriad hues of India are best understood when you
personally experience them.
When it comes to celebration, possibly nothing comes even
close to Gujarat.
I already sense an
outrage, Bengalis (Puja), Tamilians (Pongal), Mallus( Onam), Maharashtrians
(Ganesh Chaturthi), Hyderabadis(Ramzan) and Telugus (Bhogi/ Sankranti) might
consider that their festivities would doubtless be grander than what Gujarat
can offer.
I can only say, experience Gujarat guys, you might change
your views!
