Gandevi keeps 300-year-old traditional garba alive

SURAT: When garba lovers across the state would sway to Bollywood numbers, the youngsters in Gandevi's Khumbharwad in Navsari district are rehearsing the 300-year-old traditional dance form known as 'Gof Gunthan'.
A popular dance form of Koli and Kanbi community in Saurashtra, this traditional dance form is very intricate and entertaining variation of dandiya raas in Gandevi since years.
Every player holds a stick in one hand and a string in the other, tied with a ring hung from the ceiling. As the instruments like harmonium, tabla, dhol and manjira start playing, the youngsters perform various modes of raas such as bethak, fundadi and tappa to weave a braid and then unweave it as they dance striking the stick in the other hand to keep the rhythm.
Over the years, the dawn of modernity and westernisation cast its shadow on the ancient cultures thereby polluting these custom-built rituals and art forms. But taking a cue from such distortions of the artistic ceremony of Navratri, the youngsters of Prajapati Yuvak Mandal in Gandevi's Kumbharvad area have revived the glory of the conventional festival by performing the traditional dance form 'Gof Gunthan', which is on the verge of distinction.
"Young population across the state believe in rock music and disco-dandiya to celebrate the festival of Navratri. We are happy that our youngsters in Gandevi are away from the modern culture and are preserving the traditional dance form" said Mahendra Tailor, president, Prajapati Yuvak Mandal.
Young boys in jeans and t-shirt and girls in salwar-kamiz appear like a nondescript troupe of performers as they gather near the Hanuman Temple in Kumbharwad in Gandevi every night for the rehearsals. But these small garbi mandal, as they are known in Gandevi town, become the real crowd pullers when they swirl and sway to the tune of their simple instruments holding aluminum sticks in one hand and a string tied to a ring hanged at the ceiling in the other during the nine night of Navratri festival.
Rakesh Prajapati, 27, is working in a chemical factory in Vapi. Prajapati has excelled the traditional Gof Gunthan Raas since the age of 12 years. He has got many friends, who believe in the modern age garbas as they rush to Navsari town every night to swirl on the musical numbers. But Kishore get the real enjoyment of celebrating Navratri festival by performing the traditional dance form, which has been left by his ancestors.
"It gives me immense joy and a feeling of appeasing Ma Amba through the Gof Gunthan. It is a traditional dance art, which is very difficult to excel," says Prajapati.