11 Ways You Can Survive Navratri This Year

It's that time of the year when ghagra cholis and kediyus swirl around to the tunes of Falguni Pathak who wakes up from a year-long hibernation and makes an appearance only for nine days. Navratri is a fun festival, only if you're into choreographed garba steps and doing jugaad for Falguni Pathak concerts. For everyone else, here's a survival guide that will help you pass, if not celebrate, this festival.

1. Listen to garba songs and learn them by heart

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If you feel left out while your Gujju friends heartily sing and dance to ‘Maadi Tara Mandariya Maa’, then you need to step up. Buy a navratri CD and learn the lyrics so that you can join the Gujjus too. If not, then follow the next step.

2. If you can’t manage to learn songs by heart, then just learn ‘Ke hove hove’, 'Sanedo Sanedo' and ‘Dholi Taro Heyyyyyyyy’

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If you feel that all garba lyrics are gibberish then learn these 2-3 lines - ‘Ke hove hove’, 'Sanedo Sanedo', and ‘Dholi Taro heyyyyyyyy’. These songs are so famous that they will be played on repeat. More than enough opportunity to shout out!

3. Girls, make sure your choli is backless. Guys, make sure you have rubber on you

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There’s a lot of pressure to look like the best person dancing in the group. From matching bangles to bindis, you have to make sure that your entire group is perfectly coordinated. Cholis are the best way to gauge whether or not you're keeping up with the trends, so make sure your tailor makes you a backless one. Meanwhile, boys! You’ve got to keep some rubber in your pockets, since you never know! *wink wink*

4. Don’t crush people’s fingers with dandiyas. They are sticks, not bats

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Use it as a bat only when you want to beat up the leching uncle. 

5. Make sure you have group selfies in chaniya cholis and kediyus

‘Group selfie nahi liya, toh kya dandiya khela?’ You have only celebrated Navratri, if you’ve posted ten selfies with your group. 

6. The true goddess during Navratri is Falguni Pathak. Do some jugaad and get yourself passes.

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Falguni Pathak is to Navratri, what Sachin Tendulkar is to cricket. She is the face of Navratri in India for nine days. Navratri without Falguni is like samosa without aloo, macaroni without cheese and rum without coke. Therefore, you need to go at least once to the garba she is singing and dance at. But she's popular, so getting passes is a bit of a toughy. Do some jugaad to get in. 

7. Garba is not just clapping so make sure your steps are choreographed well in advance

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Many people think that garba is just clapping. All they do is clap and walk around the circle. That irks many garba pros who work hard to choreograph steps to each song. Don’t get in their way and look like the odd one out. Dance!

8. If your friend is fasting, then don't eat a Big Mac in front of him

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Let them fast in peace, and you eat your Mac elsewhere.

9. Stop rolling eyes at people who are following the Navratri colour code

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So what’s a Navratri colour code? Well, every year, ladies follow a pattern of nine colours, and wear clothes of these nine colours. But some snobs might find it annoying to see a group of ladies wearing the same colour. Needless to say, resist the urge to roll your eyes in such a situation. 

10. Do purchase a lot of cotton buds, so that you can sleep peacefully.

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If you’re not into garba, there is no other alternative. Fill your ears with cotton, else you won't sleep a wink.

11. There is no escaping the same old Navratri jokes. 

Image Credit: Quora

C'mon guys, come up with something better this year.