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Poojaa Gor: Navratri is the time of homecoming for Gujaratis
Poojaa Gor opens up on her fond Navratri memories, being her friends' garba teacher and having a Daya ben inside her soul
As the Navratri celebrations continue across the nation, actor Poojaa Gor is raring to go back to her hometown Ahmedabad to enjoy the festivities in the OG style. “I am very well aware that Mumbai has a huge Gujarati community, but for anybody like me who has come from Gujarat, for us Navratri means going back home. Some of the best Navratri and garba nights happen in Gujarat, and while the celebrations in Mumbai are no less, our sentiments are attached to Gujarat. Navratri is the time of homecoming for Gujaratis as our families, community and comfort is there,” she says.
The actor admits that her understanding of Navratri happened during two phases of life. “Since each day is about a different Goddess, we would focus on their story and why we are celebrating them during childhood. While we wouldn’t understand it all in depth, we would enjoy it by indulging ourselves in it creatively with the decorations, making prasad with our mothers, grandmothers and aunts. It used to be a community event, and then garba used to be a highlight every night after aarti,” she shares, adding that after growing up, she understood the meaning and importance of rituals like fasting.
Garba nights are the highlight of festivities for the 33-year-old, and she even turns choreographer for her non-Gujatrati friends during these nine days: “I first teach them the basic steps as it’s all about enjoyment. There is no right or wrong way, but just about enjoying the music. The biggest thing during Navratri is the participation in garba. I just love it. Not just during Navratri, but whenever I hear garba tunes, I can’t help but start grooving. It invokes that in me. Every Gujarati has a Daya ben inside of them.”
Recalling her Navratri memories, Poojaa shares, “Going to a different garba pandal every day for these nine days used to be so much fun. I used to take a lot of time dressing up, and every year, a month or two before Navratri, I would go to different cities to buy chaniya choli. My designer aunt would make customised chaniya choli for us too. We would personalise our outfits and it was so much fun. We would learn the steps of the season for garba and choreograph it with our group of friends. There used to be awards of best dressed, best dancer and others.”
This year, the actor has already attended a garba night and is now gearing up for a multi-city Navratri tour. “After becoming an actor, most of my Navratris have gone visiting different cities as a guest for celebrations. There has been less chance for me to go out and actually do garba, and from today, I am going to a few different cities. But that’s part of the fun as well. I love to see the enthusiasm of people from different places and do garba with them,” she ends.
