#Garba and #Navratri are synonyms in #Gujarat.

Garbas were used during freedom struggle to praise Tilak and Gandhi.

Garbas have always reflected the political and cultural changes.

Thread about some anecdotes:
First thing first, what is Garbo?

Garbo (Garbha Deep) is a clay pot around which this dance is performed.

It symbolises a belief of the world’s conception and birth from one pot.
Now, the dance is being performed around it in revolution to honour (mostly) Maa Ambe. There are different Garba dances: Be taali, tran taali, dodhiyu etc.

Garba is also referred to the songs used.

Raas-Dandiya is different. It depicts the lila of Shri Krishna.
Coming back to Garba. Year 1799. Ahmedabad was already under Maratha rule for almost 50 years.

Aba Shelukar, a representative of Peshwa Bajirao 2, was committing atrocities on the Gujaratis to extract money.

He tried to capture the city but Damaji Gaekwad sent the army.
Detained him and sent back to Pune.

Garbas were sung against the Shelukar’s atrocities. Original copies are stored at Farbus Gujarati Sabha.

One of them is:
પુણેથી શેલુકાર આવીયો રે,
ગરબા કરવા અહમદાબાદના રાજ રે;
આવીયો ત્યારે પોસલા ઓઢી,
ગયો ત્યારે ચાદર ઓઢીયા.
1883. Surat was flooded. Ichharam Bhatt penned a Garbo.

પાણી તો બંગલામાં પેઠા,
હાકુમ લોકો દુઃખી થઈ બેઠા,
અદાલતની અગાશીયે બેઠા—તાપીમાં એ.
નાના બાળકોને લઈ બેઠા ઉદાસે,
જીવ્યા તણી મૂકી દીધી આસ—તાપીમાં એ.
Share brokers of Mumbai helped at that time! Krupashankar Vyas says:

મોટી મદદ આવી છે મુંબઈ શહેરથી જો,
થમ થમ થાયે ટીપ મોટી મહેરથી જો,
શૅર બજારના દલાલ ઘણા ફાંકડા જો,
કરે કામ તૈયાર અને મૂકે આંકડા જો.
1905. Swadeshi Aandolan was at its peak.

આવો આવોને રાસ ખેલવા સાહેલી રે!
લઈએ સ્વદેશી વ્રતની ટેક, ધરીને વિવેક,
આવોને રાસ ખેલવા સાહેલી રે!
1908. Lokmanya Tilak was sentenced to a jail. But Brits couldn’t afford to keep him in Mumbai. They brought him to Ahmedabad.

Gujarat got outraged. Riots and curfews were followed. On 13th Sept, after 53 days, Tilak was sent back from Ahmedabad.
Garbo in honour of Tilak:

તીલકે તપસ્યા સાચી કરી છે
દેશની દાઝ તેં હૈયે ધરી છે
અંતર-વૃત્તિ તે સ્થિર કરી છે
બ્રહ્માની પુત્રી શું એને વરી છે?
હવે ભારતજનને ઠારે રે
શીદ જેર કરો જનમારો રે
નથી ઉગરવા ઓવારો રે
આધાર રહ્યો એક તારો રે
1920. Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for non-cooperation movement. At that time, Garbas were sung to propagate the ideas.

Samples:

ગુણીયલ મારી બેન અસહકારી બનજો રે,
તમે સાચો સત્યાગ્રહ કરજો…ગુણીયલ
આખા દેશની જેમાં આબાદી રે,
પહેરો એ ખંતથી સરવે ખાદી રે,
ત્યારે કહેવાશે સ્વરાજ્યવાદી રે.
Another

મોહન તારી મોરલી એ જગને જગાડી રે,
મીઠી બંસી ભારતમાં વગાડી.. મોહન!
સખી કારતકે સંદેશો આવ્યો રે,
નાગપુર સભાએ વધાવ્યો રે,
રૂડો કાર્યક્રમ ગોઠવાયો રે… મોહન!
There is more than this. But limitation of time and space.

I know I could have provided translation. But I don’t think I am the right one to properly translate the lyrics.
References

1. Ahmedabad: From Royal City to Mega City, Achyut Yagnik

2. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad…

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