Gujju’s obsession with Garba is world-famous! From Vadnagar to America, there isn’t a single Gujju who doesn’t start playing Garba at any party or celebration.
Tomorrowland or Coldplay? Nah! It is Navratri that Gujjus are crazy about. And these days, the three magical words in Gujarat are not “I love you ❌” but “Garba ramva jaiye ✅”!
If you are a Gujju yourself or have Gujju friends, you’re surely aware of their love for Navratri. Here are 15 hilariously relatable things that happen during Navratri in Gujarat. Check out the article and share it with your Garba ghela friends before they get busy with the hove hove tonight.
1) Jova na Pass nu setting kari aap
We all have that one friend who is a dead man all year and comes alive only before Navratri to call you for pass nu setting. They will do anything for a free viewer’s pass!
2) Let’s go chaniya choli shopping
Women and their obsession with shopping! But shopping for Navratri is a whole different vibe. From chaniya cholis and accessories to makeup and even tattoos, all the Gujju girls are on a street shopping spree weeks before Garba begins.
3) Ghusaoing that bahar rehnewala friend in the ground with your pass
That one friend from a different city who tries to enter the Garba ground for a day. And the pressure is on you to get them in without a pass! It is fun to put yourself at risk for keeping your Garba group intact.
4) Ladkiyan taadne jaane wale boys
These are those guys who are not crazy about Navratri but that one girl! They wait all year not for Garba but only to see her in beautiful chaniya choli and makeup every day (or every night!). Some even have a new crush on the ground every day!
5) Kahan milna hai?
Most Garba grounds have network issues, some even have jammers. So every group has fixed meeting points that you discuss on WhatsApp a day before the first ratri. Even while driving to the venue, you have fixed meeting points like Chroma ni saame or after the bridge.
6) That one friend who always goes missing
And that’s immediately after entering the ground. You all walked in together hand in hand (legit!) and now you are looking for that one lost guy all around. You send one person at each meeting point like soldiers in all different directions.
7) Paani no stall is the OG meeting spot
Whether it is during the break or at the end, every group has a common meeting spot – paani no stall. And then, half of the entire ground is standing there waiting for their friends. Waving in the air to get noticed, shouting names, explaining kurta color on call – sure-shot ways to find your friends in public.
8) Arreeyy hu pass ghare bhuli gayi!
Fighting with traffic, pebbles, crowd, and every possible difficulty to reach the ground on time only to have that one friend who forgot to bring their pass! And now it’s on you to sneak them in the ground or fund for another pass.
9) Excited for Garba but don’t know how to play
Funniest creatures are those who love to dance on Garba beats but don’t know how to play. You spend hours teaching them the steps and they choose to twirl on their own tunes! These are mostly men who were forced to come to the ground by their girlfriend or wife and are now stuck.
10) Matching choli and kurta is the new love language
Date night, who? Let’s go for Navratri together and match our outfits! From shopping for matching cholis and kurtas to cute photo poses and late-night drives, Gujju couples have their own love language. Best time to soft-launch your relationship online by posting your couple photo with “gori radha ne kado kaan”.
11) That perfect shot and group photo for Insta Stories
Some WhatsApp groups get active only during Navratri and then you struggle for that one group photo on a crowded ground. Women will go all crazy with Slo-mos and Boomerangs only to get that one perfect shot for the Gram! You even DM pose ideas to your friends only to get clicked in the same chaniya-holding and dandiya poses because of the bheed!
12) That pro-Garba player who leads the group in the crowded ground
Pebbles, puddles, kicks, or getting push – nothing can stop you when you’re on the ground. You forget all your pains and have that smile intact in the middle of the night. Gujjus won’t even mind someone banging into them or someone’s sweat-soaked kurta coming close because we are all lost in “tara vina shyaaaammmm”.
13) That bhukkhad friend who knows all the food spots open late night
Dancing all night long has you thirsty and hungry and the moment Garba is over, you are all out on the streets searching for food stalls. Forget cafes, Gujjus get their ‘kick’ in late-night papdi no lot, Maggi, maska bun, street chowmein, and whatnot. Not to forget, chai!
14) Waah beta!
Falguni Pathak, Atul Purohit, and Aditya Gadhvi are Akons and Taylor Swifts of Gujarat! Gujjus twirl and swirl at their “hove hove”, “waah beta”, “taadi paado”, “ae haaa”!
15) After party? ❌ Ratri after Navratri! ✅
Yes, we are obsessed with Garba so much that 9 days are not enough for us. From Ratri Before Navratri to Ratri After Navratri and Dusshera na Garba, we take the celebration up to Sharad Poornima. And we are still not satisfied; our weddings and parties are incomplete without Garba.
16) 9 days of the best nightlife in a dry state
Mumbaikars & Delhites, come to Gujarat for these 9 days and you’ll forget your nightlife!
Night Clubs < Garba Grounds
The otherwise dry state that sleeps before midnight is active till 4:00 in the morning for Navratri. Even cafes and restaurants are open till 3:30 AM and no one gets tired.
