Nine nights, one dance floor: hosting Navaratri far from Gujarat

Back home, Navaratri arranges itself. Societies put up tents. Someone’s neighbour knows a dhol player. Snacks appear. The music starts at sunset and nobody needs to be told what to do.

In Dresden, it takes a bit more planning.

The hall

We’ve settled into Zentralwerk in the Pieschen neighbourhood — a cultural space with good floors, kind neighbours, and enough room for a few hundred dancers. It’s not a pandal, but it’s ours for a night.

The music

A playlist takes you far. Traditional aarti and Falguni Pathak at the start, a little louder once the floor warms up, and a DJ for the last two hours. If you play an instrument, please bring it. The dhol always needs a friend.

The food

This year we had khaman, fafda, chai, and a thali counter. Gujarati cooking scales well — 200 servings of khaman only asks for larger pans. We portion everything small; dancers eat often, not much.

The welcome

The best thing about doing Navaratri abroad is that half the dance floor has never done it before. Students from the local university, neighbours from across the building, colleagues from the lab — they come in curious, and an hour later someone has taught them the two-step and the three-step.

If you’re new to it: just follow the person in front of you. Don’t worry about getting the steps right. That’s not what garba is for.

What we’re thinking about for next year

• Better ventilation (nine nights of garba deserves a working window)
• A small kids’ corner so parents can dance, too
• An earlier start — Dresden sunsets in late September arrive faster than we plan for

See you on the floor.