Mumbai: Gaga over garba

With city colleges embracing the cocurricular policy outlined in the National Education Policy NEP of 2020 subjects like Dramatics Dance and Vocal Training have emerged as favourites among studentsThe development has also presented a wave of opportunity for teachers of the arts who are cashing in on the chance to present their chosen arts in their most authentic forms Take renowned Garba exponents and artists Jigar and Suhrad Soni for instance Tired of the ldquoadulterationrdquo of Garba the Soni brothers are on a mission to promote ldquoauthentic Garbardquo among school and college students And the institutions are responding This academic year the Mithibai college in Vile Parle and the Thakur college in Kandivli have integrated Garba into their Credits for CoCurricular Activities CC courses programmeAligned with the NEP 2020 students can now earn two credits per semester if they dedicate 30 hours to learning Garba on campus Mithibai and Thakur each have 120 students that have opted for this programme and are learning from the Soni brothers this yearBrothers Suhrad and Jigar Soni gave up their highpaying corporate jobs to teach and promote garbaJigar an MBA in Marketing worked with an aviation firm as its General Manager of Sales and Business Development while Suhrad a software engineer with an MBA in Finance held the position of Project Manager at a European IT firm The clacking of the dandiyas and the clapping of hands however proved too loud for them to ignore and the brothers walked away from well established corporate careers to promote and popularise their favourite form of dance Today they are the cofounders of the Soni School of Garba Dance SSGDJigar who won a gold medal for Mumbai University in 1996 at a dancing competition hosted by the Association of Indian Universities AIU says ldquoWe honed our skills under the tutelage of the late Kumari Indumati Lele ji fondly known as Didi in the dance community But gradually we see the art getting adulterated with each passing day We have refused numerous lucrative offers to teach Garba mixed with latkajhatkas Bollywood style They can very well call it fusion but that is not GarbardquoProfessor Krutika Desai Principal of the Mithibai College tells midday ldquoLast year we introduced Garba along with various other folk dances as a component of our Sociology of Arts course This year as part of our creditbased CoCurricular CC program we have included Garba as one of the options In addition we are also offering Kathak Yoga and other activities based on studentsrsquo preferences and demandsrdquoDr Khevana Desai Assistant Professor in Mithibai Collegersquos Sociology Department adds ldquoWe have incorporated practical sessions specifically focusing on Garba alongside theoretical studies on other folk dances from diverse regions We are exploring activities such as Marathi folk Gujarati folk basics of theatre and Kathak to be included in the Credits for CoCurricular programmerdquoDr Chaitali Chakraborty Principal of Thakur College of Science and Commerce says that the college has several extra curricular initiatives and Garba is the only folk dance which is getting a heart warming response from the studentsldquoUnder the NEPrsquos Credits for CoCurricular programme we offer options like NSS NCC activities offered by the Department of Lifelong Learning and Extension DLLE Yoga and even an initiative where students care for stray dogs in designated areas Itrsquos heartening to see students take after Garba enthusiastically switching from their usual jeans and tshirts to chaniyas kurtas and skirts for the sessions Students have expressed an interest in learning Garba even after they have earned their required creditsrdquo she saysUnder the NEP the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development MHRD has mandated a cocurricular policy for universities and higher educational institutions HEI This policy aims to dismantle rigid academic boundaries promoting creativity and encouraging students to explore diverse disciplinesldquoThis is the first time that classical and folk dance have been made part of the curriculum Activities that earn credits or marks are taken seriously It is great that people are taking initiatives to align folk dance forms like Garba with the NEP and teaching it to college studentsrdquo says State Director of Higher Education Dr Shailendra DeolankarKrutika Desai Dr Chaitali Chakraborty Dr Shailendra Deolankar and Dr Tina TambeHe adds that the same model can be applied to promote Maharashtrian art forms like Jhaadipatti Rangbhoomi the theatre of the junglebelt from eastern Vidarbha as well as regional and traditional art forms like Lavani Powada Dindi and KalaldquoThis will help preserve and protect our cultural identityrdquo he says If the experts and the teachers are happy the students seem to be happier Bhumi Jadhav a first year student from Thakur College says ldquoI used to feel left out when my friends participated in Garba events and the cocurricular sessions were just what I needed Not only did I learn Garba I also gained insights into its history and cultural significance The extra credits donrsquot hurt eitherrdquoKhushi Gupta also a first year BMS student from Thakur College concurs ldquoInitially I was never inclined towards Garba and had never attended any Garba events during Navratri However when our college introduced it as part of the Credits for CoCurricular program I observed other students participating and decided to enroll in the program Encouraged by Jigar sir I began wearing traditional Indian attire to class which truly transformed the sessions into joyful celebrationsrdquo she saysThe move is being lauded by classical dance exponents as well Dr Tina Tambe award winning teacher and Kathak expnonent says ldquoStarting such courses is a great initiative Not only Garba but any kind of classical or folk dance learning would be equally good Learning dance not only helps in physical mental and emotional wellbeing but also connects the students to the art and culture of our country Itrsquos one of the best forms of recreational learning as it increases mindbody coordination motor skills focus concentration stamina balance grace and also releases feelgood hormones Besides it also increases social interaction and community building and contributes towards creating an active fitter and happier youthrdquoThe SSGD has now joined forces with the Nalanda Institute affiliated with Mumbai University and Maharashtra government to introduce Garba lessons at the school level ldquoStudents taking lessons from us for five years will be awarded a three percent score in their SSC exams The course is also recognised for admissions under cultural quota and Nalanda institute has acknowledged the samerdquo Jigar says adding that discussions to extend the programme to other colleges in the city and state are also underway120No of students from Thakur and Mithibai opting for garba lessons