Targum spotlight: Rutgers Raas & Garba Association fosters space for expression through dance

Navratri, the yearly celebration of the Hindu goddess, Durga, is from October 15 to October 24, according to The Times of India. Gujarati Indians celebrate Navratri in many ways, including Garba, a high-energy dance performed in rings of circles around an idol of Durga.

The Daily Targum spoke to the Rutgers Raas and Garba Association (RAGA), a competitive student dance team dedicated to traditional Gujarati dance.

Krish Govind, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and RAGA captain, said the team's goal is to maintain Gujarati culture through this form of traditional dance for Rutgers students and college students nationwide.

"One of our missions is to impact local and international communities by celebrating this cultural and artistic diversity," he said.

RAGA holds workshops and tryouts at the beginning of the fall semester, leading to a selection of 15 new members out of a group of approximately 70 interested students, Govind said.

Karan Chheda, a Rutgers Business School sophomore and RAGA's treasurer, said anyone at Rutgers can try out regardless of their cultural background.

He said even though the team focuses on Gujarati dance, it does not mean that RAGA is exclusive to Gujaratis — Chheda said his background is Marathi.

Since RAGA's inception in 2001, RAGA has "maintained excellence" with regard to awards and national recognition, said Virjeet Kullar, a Rutgers Business School senior and another RAGA captain.

"We've been to Nationals, the Raas All Stars, for nine years in a row," Kullar said. "We're the only team to do this in our circuit so far."

He explained that RAGA has accumulated 102 bid points, which are earned based on placements at yearly competitions. First place equals four bid points, second place equals two and third place equals one, Kullar said.

Govind said the team practices three days a week for three hours per day.

"For our team, it is really important to maintain the balance of … (competition with a) sense of social life (and) academics," he said. "RAGA is just used as a social and physical outlet that some students can have."

Dandiya Raas and Garba are two Gujarati dances RAGA practices often, and according to Kullar, the dances are meant to express joy and celebrate community during Navratri.

"(For Dandiya Raas), two lines get formed, and people like to do two or three moves that hit the sticks, or the dandiyas, together, and then switch partners and keep going down," Kullar said. "I think it's one way to connect people with other people — to not be afraid to dance with anybody. Everybody's your dance partner."

Rutgers is home to several South Asian performing arts clubs, and Kullar said the variety of South Asian dance teams at Rutgers fosters space for individual expression.

Govind added that dance is a significant part of many South Asians' childhoods and that having many South Asian dance team options at Rutgers allows for the continuation of a cultural legacy.

"I think (the number of South Asian performing arts organizations) supports the amount of Indian people that we have here ... Whether you want to compete or just want to perform and do it for fun and be non-competitive, there's a small niche for everybody," Kullar said.

Regarding RAGA's plans for this Navratri, the team and its alumni will be at the South Brunswick Garba on October 20, Govind said. He also said he will attend the Rutgers Gujarati Student Association's Garba on-campus event on October 27.