Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 23: The auspicious “Navratri” festival has kicked off amidst controversy over restricted entry to the venues holding “Garba” dance to pray to Goddess Shakti while many Durga puja pandals in Kolkata were washed away in an unprecedented rainfall on the night between Monday and Tuesday.
Signboards, posters and warnings, dos and don’ts on how garba festivities are to be conducted have come up in front of the venues holding the nine nights of dance festival across the county with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and several other members of the Sangh Parivar putting up hoardings barring non-Hindus from garba celebrations and barring inappropriate songs being played up with the dance.
At many venues, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat, organisers have introduced compulsory checking of Aadhaar cards and would also apply “tilak” to all the participants at the entrance, apparently to ensure that non-Hindus and more particularly the Muslims did not get an entry in the dance venues. Some BJP leaders even suggested separate venues for men and women for playing Garba.
In several cities, the Bajrang Dal has formed teams to conduct surprise checks at garba events to ensure that guidelines are being followed. “These days, we are seeing that Navratri has become a disco. People are going for garba events, smoking cigarettes and playing inappropriate music. It doesn’t even appear to be a religious event dedicated to the mother goddess,” a senior Bajrang Dal leader in Rajasthan said.
“It has become a disco. We are only saying that conduct the programme the way it should be done. There should be aartis, Aadhaar cards will be checked non-Hindus will not be allowed,” he added. People’s clothes should also be appropriate, some other Dal leaders said.
“Women should wear proper clothes as it is a religious function. This is a function of Hindu society and should be conducted accordingly. We will go to all pandals in the city and check. If we find anyone suspicious, we can ask for their Aadhar cards. Our advice to women is — wear traditional clothes. You look nice in those and wear those in cultural programmes,” they said.
The Bajrang Dal’s narrative has now invaded the political space. Some BJP leaders went a step further and said, “Women and men should have different garba events.” “There are many people whose participation in these garba events is not just for cultural or religious reasons and unwanted people often gain entry for different purposes. If anyone makes efforts to stop this type of people from entering it is all right,” he added.
Similar sentiments were also expressed by the Sangh leaders in MP and other states where they said nuisance in Garba pandals and misbehaving with women participants during the Navratri festivals had become a major concern for the organisers, particularly in big cities. To prevent such controversies, the organisers are taking steps to ban entry of non-Hindus at such venues.
Right-wing organisers including Sanskriti Bachao Manch. Bharatiya Yuva Morcha and such other organisations are even more forthright, having put up posters stating “Jihadis won’t be allowed in Garba pandals. Several BJP leaders in MP, including some MPs and MLAs have insisted that entry into the Garba venues should not be given to anyone other than Hindus.
“Why should those who do not believe in idol worshipping and Sanatan Dharma should be allowed in Garba pandals? The Garba is only for the Hindu community and jihadis should not dare to create disturbances, otherwise strict actions would be taken,” Bhopal BJP MP Alok Sharma said.
“It is time for our religious leaders to ensure that Garba pandals are organised only by true ‘sadhaks’ (spiritual seekers). The trend of women and girls attending Garba events in revealing or inappropriate attire is worrying. Only traditional clothing should be permitted in the spirit of the festival,” said Thakur, a four-time BJP MLA representing Ambedkar Nagar constituency in Mhow said.
Meanwhile, some right-wing leaders have kicked up another controversy over the Lav Kush Ramlila committee signing up Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey to play Mandodari, wife of Ravana, in the famous Delhi Ramlila. The BJP Media Cell head and secretary of the VHP want her swapped out due to her ‘controversies.’
After the news broke, Delhi BJP media cell head Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who’s also the senior vice president of the Lav Kush Ramlila Committee, wrote to the organisers requesting that Poonam be swapped with another actor. The VHP Prant head Surendra Gupta has also objected to Poonam playing Mandodari in Ramlila. However, Arjun Kumar, president of the Lav Kush Ramlila, said in a statement, “We don’t see anything wrong with a woman playing a character that represents goodness in the Ramlila. Everyone deserves a chance.”
He said, “When we approached Poonam Pandey for this role, she instantly agreed. She shared that portraying Mandodari on stage has been her lifelong dream, fulfilled by the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. Performing live before thousands of spectators is a challenge, and she is already deeply engrossed in rehearsals to perfect her performance.”
The actor is known for starring in films like Karma—The Journey and GST: Galti Se Sirf and appearing on TV shows like CID and the reality show Lock Upp.
Lav Kush Ramlila hosts one of the most iconic Ramlila performances in Delhi every year. Arjun stated that Poonam will play Mandodari and take the stage on 29 and 30 September. Performances has started from Monday night. More than 500 performers will participate in the staging, which will take place at Red Ford Ground in New Delhi till 3 October, with a grand celebration planned for 2 October on Dussehra.
