Thousands Expected at Five Days of Navratri Garba

The Indo-American Cultural Foundation of Central Jersey (IACFNJ) will hold Navratri Garba on the nights of Oct. 5, 11, 12, 18, and 19, from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in South Brunswick.

The first three dates of Garba (Oct. 5, 11 and 12) will be held at Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction, and the final two dates of Garba (Oct. 18 and 19) will be at South Brunswick High School.

The Navratri celebration marks the festival of nine nights during which Hindus worship Goddesses Shakti Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Hindus believe Goddess Durga destroys all the evil propensities lurking in the minds of her devotees, Goddess Lakshmi implants divine qualities in the devotee’s minds, and Goddess Saraswati bestows true knowledge. The tenth day also known as Vijay Dashami, commemorates the victory of good over evil.

More than 2,000 people from North Brunswick, Franklin Park, Princeton, Princeton Junction, Monroe, East Brunswick, East and West Windsor are expected to attend each day. For the last three years, the IACFNJ’s Garba celebration has been the biggest and most highly organized indoor Navratri event in New Jersey. 

Once again, the famous Mahesh Mehta and his singers from Bollywood, along with local singers and artists of Entertainment Unlimited, will rock the stage with more than six hours of non-stop garbas, dandiya tunes, famous sanedo, and bhangaras on all five days.

Central Jersey's cultural diversity will be witnessed on the dance floor where Gujaratis from all over India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other neighboring countries will join with high school kids of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which is rarely seen at any other Garba celebration in the country. The Goddess Amba Maa’s Aarti divine and traditional will be performed on all five days and the Prasadam will be distributed to all attendees.

The center stage will be decorated with Goddess Amba Maa’s statue in a temple setting to create the feeling of the divine and traditional celebration like back in Gujarat. There will also be Indian delicacies and other varieties of food at reasonable prices. 

The IACFNJ’s committees and volunteers, under the leadership of founder Mac Shah and President Tushar Patel, Chairman Mahesh Patel, Vice-President Hitesh Patel, and Secretary Deven Patel are working diligently to enjoy a grand success for the ninth consecutive year. 

For further information, contact Tushar Patel at 848-391-0499 or Mac Shah at 848-667-0745, visit www.IACFNJ.org or e-mail iacfnj@yahoo.com.

--IACFNJ