<p>Ahmedabad: As the clock struck 10 at night, the auspicious mahurat began. The men, casually chatting, rose from their seats and started wearing petticoats and draping sarees over their shirts and trousers. The women in the house helped them drape the sarees. In the cramped room, the men struggled to adjust and tuck them carefully.</p><p>Once ready, they stepped out together and walked towards the small but brightly decorated temple, where devotional music blared at full volume. They were enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd, who had been eagerly waiting and braving the rain and humidity.</p><p>On the eighth night of Navratri in Gujarat, as garba fever peaked across the state, the walled city of Ahmedabad — locally known as a pol — witnessed a ritual unlike any other. The men in sarees performed a dance called 'Saduma na Garba', a garba tradition said to have continued for over 200 years.</p><p>According to legend, Saduma was tricked by the ruler of her time, which led to her death. Before dying, she killed her child as an act of defiance and anguish against the Barots for failing to protect her, and she cursed them. Since then, the Barots, famous as bards and genealogists, have been performing this garba to appease Saduma, now a revered deity, and to lift her curse. </p>.'Who is VHP to decide?' Union Minister Ramdas Athawale slams 'Hindu only' diktat for garba.<p>"This is our sacred night. I had taken a mannat that if I got married, I would perform this ritual,” said Raj J Barot, a 21-year-old engineering student. Similarly, Parth S Barot, a physiotherapist, said he participated for the well-being of his family and the larger community.</p><p>While the Barot community sees it as a story of pure devotion, a women’s group called 'Lal Lipstick', led by standup comedian Preeti Das and Renu Pokharna, has been organising storytelling sessions around the ritual. They frame it as an act of “gender fluidity", using performance to challenge patriarchy.</p>
<p>Ahmedabad: As the clock struck 10 at night, the auspicious mahurat began. The men, casually chatting, rose from their seats and started wearing petticoats and draping sarees over their shirts and trousers. The women in the house helped them drape the sarees. In the cramped room, the men struggled to adjust and tuck them carefully.</p><p>Once ready, they stepped out together and walked towards the small but brightly decorated temple, where devotional music blared at full volume. They were enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd, who had been eagerly waiting and braving the rain and humidity.</p><p>On the eighth night of Navratri in Gujarat, as garba fever peaked across the state, the walled city of Ahmedabad — locally known as a pol — witnessed a ritual unlike any other. The men in sarees performed a dance called 'Saduma na Garba', a garba tradition said to have continued for over 200 years.</p><p>According to legend, Saduma was tricked by the ruler of her time, which led to her death. Before dying, she killed her child as an act of defiance and anguish against the Barots for failing to protect her, and she cursed them. Since then, the Barots, famous as bards and genealogists, have been performing this garba to appease Saduma, now a revered deity, and to lift her curse. </p>.'Who is VHP to decide?' Union Minister Ramdas Athawale slams 'Hindu only' diktat for garba.<p>"This is our sacred night. I had taken a mannat that if I got married, I would perform this ritual,” said Raj J Barot, a 21-year-old engineering student. Similarly, Parth S Barot, a physiotherapist, said he participated for the well-being of his family and the larger community.</p><p>While the Barot community sees it as a story of pure devotion, a women’s group called 'Lal Lipstick', led by standup comedian Preeti Das and Renu Pokharna, has been organising storytelling sessions around the ritual. They frame it as an act of “gender fluidity", using performance to challenge patriarchy.</p>