UAE: The Indian Ladies Association Abu Dhabi celebrated Dandiya Raas/Garba on the 4th day of Navaratri in a colorful and traditional way at the Corniche Hilton Hotel on Friday, 16 October, 2015.
The programme began with a Durga Puja and Aarti followed by the Garba. People from all walks of life gathered in their traditional costumes with Dandiya sticks.
The sticks (Dandiyas) used in the dance represent the swords of Durga. Women wear traditional dresses such as colorful embroidered choli, ghagra and bandhani dupattas (traditional attire) dazzling with mirror work and heavy jewellery.
The devotional Garba dances were performed in Durga’s honour. This dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between the Goddess and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king, and is nicknamed “The Sword Dance”. During the dance, dancers energetically whirl and move their feet and arms in a complicated, choreographed manner to the tune of the music with various rhythms.
The wonderful and vibrant Al Qasr Ballroom turned into a dancefloor as people danced and swayed to the beats of Garba. The huge crowd enjoyed the music of DJ Mack who is famous for his DJ Remix sound tracks.
A beautiful dance performance by ILA Members (Varsha Chawda and Puspashree) received a huge applause by the rocking crowd while the gathering relaxed.
Exhibition stalls were set with traditional items especially for ladies who wanted to shop for the upcoming festivals.
Tushar Patni, owner of Ajanta Jewellers, who has been the valued sponsor of ILA and supporting all the events, was felicitated on the occasion with “Shukran Award”.
ILA President thanked the guests, esteemed sponsors and the committee members for making the programme a huge success.
