A spur of colors can be seen as people in the Indian community gather to dance to music. Their liveliness fills the air as even the reverberating music cannot drown out the laughter that can be heard. Everyone enjoys being among their friends and family as they forget about their worries and relish the present atmosphere of the event taking place: Garba.
Garba is a form of dance that originated in Gujarat, India. It is an annual event that occurs in Katy, which people attend to enjoy the upbeat atmosphere and embrace their culture. This year, Garba occurred at two locations. Senior Rhea Bhat attended the event at Seven Lakes High School and senior Janvi Thakkar attended the event at Faith West Academy.
Garba consists of snaps and claps to keep the beat of the dance as well as twirls. Each of the dances are done barefoot and in a circle. They are meant to be easy to follow so that people of all age groups and dancing abilities can perform them. The people who attend usually spend their time dancing, enjoying the food and spending time with one another.
Bhat has attended Garba eight times and has been going every year since she was a sophomore. The one she attended this year was hosted by a student club at Seven Lakes High School. She enjoyed dancing and spending time with her friends at the event.
“This was my last year of attending Garba with all of my high school friends, so I did not want to miss it,” said Bhat. “I will definitely try to go to more Garbas when I am at college, but if I can, I want to come back to the ones at Katy because I like the atmosphere here.”
One of the most important aspects of Garba is shopping for a dress. Many students buy their outfits at Indian boutiques. The most popular type of attire for women is a skirt and blouse combination called a ‘Ghagra.’ Bhat searched for a dress that was comfortable enough to dance in and one that showed her personality.
“I wore a yellow blouse and a blue skirt. I wanted to buy a dress that was bright so that I would stand out,” said Bhat.
Another important feature of staging the perfect night is the activities done before and after. Thakkar went with a large group of family friends and some of her school friends. Before leaving, they had a dinner party, and after the event, they went to Taco Bell to enjoy a late night snack.
“I have been going to Garba since I was 3 years old and every year I look forward to dressing up and spending time with my friends and family,” said Thakkar.
