Garba Goes Uber Luxe

Gujarat's Navratri is a buzzing Rs 15,000 crore industry now-a whirligig of festive consumerism

- By Jumana Shah

NEVER HAS A spiritual prayer dance elicited such zest, pomp and excitement—among the faithful or otherwise—as the garba does in these parts. The one foolproof meter of the Gujarati soul is where they put their money. And here, the coins rain down in sync with the dance beats. Over the past three years, Navratri has been a soaring crescendo in Gujarat. An industry of joy that, by 2025, is getting valued above Rs 15,000 crore. That's up by an amazing 33 per cent over 2024, the highest balletic leap yet.

During Navratri, the nine nights of holy festivity, the dancing circles of the garba would light up the chowk of a village or mohalla, equivalent spaces in urban societies—or, for the very elite, the lawns of private clubs. Essentially a community gathering, the streets were its natural home. Till three years ago, that is.