About 400 members of Airdrie’s South Asian community held a very special Garba Party at the Genesis Place Fieldhouse on Sept. 23.
The Garba is a folk dance that originates in northwestern India in Gujarat, and is highlighted by communal round dances and brightly coloured clothing.
According to Indian Society of Airdrie president and founder Maulik Shah, there were some religious overtones to the round dance tradition. It was intended to celebrate the Hindu goddess Durga, also known as Amba, and traditionally, it is performed during the nine-day festival of Navarātrī.
However, the emphasis of the Garba Party in Airdrie, said Shah, was community coming together to have fun.
“We are just having fun,” he explained a few days before the event. “We are going to have the dancing, but it’s not really about being religious.”
Shah said the event was open to the whole community of Airdrie, not just the local Indian community.
The Indian Society of Airdrie (ISA) is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together the East Indian community in Airdrie. The goal of the organization is to provide a platform for community members to support and help each other, "regardless of religion, language, native place, or gender."
With over 1,000 families as members of our WhatsApp and Facebook groups, the organization has created a strong and supportive local community. The group’s long-term goal is to establish a cultural centre in the city, where members of the community can come together to celebrate their heritage and tradition.
For more information visit www.indiansocietyofairdrie.org.
