'No place like Mumbai during Navratri:' Anand Mahindra tweets Garba video

Garba performances are being held in different cities and towns as part of the ongoing Navratri celebrations. This video clip from a performance at Mumbai's Marine Drive is particularly charming.

The video clip tweeted by industrialist Anand Mahindra showed young men and women moving in rhythm to the infectious Garba beats at an event at the Marine Drive.

"Mumbai, Marine drive. The conquest and annexation of Mumbai's streets is complete. But these are invaders who are welcomed with open arms. No place like Mumbai during Navratri. (I know I'm going to hear howls of protest from cities in Gujarat!)," he wrote.


Of course, Mahindra would have known this was coming. "No place like Amdavad during Navaratri. Mumbai's Garba is not traditional, more dandiya than garba. Gujarat has traditional flavour,” replied a user.

Another one pitched for Vadodara, the second largest city of Gujarat, as the best for Garba events. “For best and authentic Garba visit Vadodara,” the user suggested.

This year, Navratri started on September 26 and will conclude on October 5. During the nine-day Navratri festival, devotees worship Maa Durga's nine incarnations in order to obtain her blessings.

There is a goddess manifestation linked with each day of Navratri. During these nine days, people maintain ritualistic fasts, recite shlokas dedicated to each goddess, wear new clothes, offer bhog, and clean their homes.

The festival of Navratri celebrates the defeat of the demon Mahishasura and the triumph of good over evil. The 10th day of Sharad Navratri is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami.

Numerous dances, including the Garba and the Dandiya Raas, are performed during the nine-day festival. While Dandiya Raas involves dancing with dandiya sticks to the beat of the music, Garba is a traditional dance in which participants clap their hands and move in a circle in rhythm with the music.