Garbe Ramva Nisarya Madi
ગરબે રમવા નિસર્યા માડી
Written and composed for the Navratri section of Poyani Oza's Parvani, Bhavnagar, 1978. Music: Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya. Lyrics: Rahi Odhariya. Choreography: Poyani Oza.
Yagnesh Acharya
The opening line
ગરબે રમવા નિસર્યા માડી તારી આરત કાજે, તાલે તાલે માના ગરબા કેરા ચોક નિરંતર ગાજે.
Garbe ramva nisarya maadi taari aarat kaaje, taale taale maana garba kera chok nirantar gaaje
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Family
Family
The original composition
Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya’s original composition, created for the Navratri section of Poyani Oza’s Parvani, kept alive in this recording. Sung by Devanshi, Khushali, Khushi and group at a Sugam Sangeet shibir. Shared on the YouTube channel of Matangi Oza (Dholakia), who worked with Poyani Oza on the 1987 Bharuch revival of Parvani.
Family · YouTube: Matangi Dholakia Oza
Family · YouTube: Matangi Dholakia Oza
Recording date and place not yet known.
Watch on YouTubeThe night it was written
Planning Parvani, Poyani asks Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya and Rahi Odhariya for new garbas, with completely new words and tunes, for Fagan, Navratri and Diwali. One is to be danced with lamps and manjiras, so the tune needs a fairly slow (vilambit) tempo. Bhavnagar's artists and poets used to gather at Chandubhai's tea cart opposite the Ghogha Gate police post, next to the Prem News Agency.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Dekhaiya tells Rahi a tune has come to him. They go to the quiet back lobby of Motibaug Town Hall. Rahi, a teacher and himself a rhythm player, is asked to write for girls dancing with lamps and manjiras, keeping the dadra metre in mind. Many people called the pair the “Ram–Rahim” duo.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Six or seven pages written, the words won't settle. They go out for tea and start again.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Aarti with drums and cymbals rings out from Bhidbhanjan or the nearby Jashonath temple, and from Takhteshwar on the hill. With only two pages of the notebook left, the opening refrain comes to Rahi, and the whole garbo follows.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Tea at Bakhatmal's shop on the lake embankment.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
They go straight to Poyaniben's home in Diwanpara and sing it to her.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
With tabla player Amrish Mehta, Dekhaiya sings it at the harmonium. Poyani and her young son Tejas suggest an alaap after the opening line. Her husband Maulesh Oza and her mother Pragnaben suggest some fast choreographic movement and more rhythmic variety, so a second taal, khemto, is added to the dadra, along with an alaap for the chorus. It is finished by midnight.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
The tune is taught to Rekha Bhatt (later Rekha Trivedi), then Bhavnagar's leading woman singer, who is the first to present it. The family predicted the song would keep its composer and lyricist celebrated for years.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Credits
- Brief (new garbas for Fagan, Navratri and Diwali)
- Poyani Oza
Yagnesh Acharya
- Choreography
- Poyani Oza
Family
Family
- Tune
- Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya
Yagnesh Acharya
- Words
- Rahi Odhariya
Yagnesh Acharya
- Tabla at the first working session
- Amrish Mehta
Yagnesh Acharya
- Alaap after the opening line, suggested by
- Poyani Oza and Tejas Oza
Yagnesh Acharya
- Fast choreographic movement and rhythmic variety (leading to the added khemto taal), suggested by
- Maulesh Oza and Pragnaben Oza
Yagnesh Acharya
- First singer
- Rekha Bhatt (later Rekha Trivedi)
Yagnesh Acharya · Family
- Modern arrangement, VCD release and popularising the garbo
- Parthiv Gohil
Yagnesh Acharya · Family
Its life since
Parthiv Gohil of Bhavnagar was instrumental in popularising the garbo with his modern take on it. He gave it a fresh, contemporary arrangement using modern technology and released it on VCD, with full credit to Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya and Rahi Odhariya, carrying it to Gujaratis around the world.
Yagnesh Acharya · Family
Sung by Pinakin Mehta, Pushpaben Chhaya (Rajkot), Vipul Acharya, Kalyani Kauthalkar, Swati Pathak, Snehal Padhye-Shevde, Devyani Oza, Dishani Mehta and others.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Salil Mehta’s “Surili Sargam” carried it across Gujarat.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya (89 when this was written) and the late Rahi Odhariya made about 350 compositions together, including 25–30 garbas and the song “Aa Bhavnagar chhe bhatigal”.
Yagnesh Acharya, “The garbo three Bhavnagaris took to the garba squares of the world: the delightful story of how its words and tune were made”
Its original composition is kept alive in a Sugam Sangeet shibir recording by Devanshi, Khushali, Khushi and group (listen above).
Family · YouTube: Matangi Dholakia Oza
Family · YouTube: Matangi Dholakia Oza
Search names
Garbe Ramva Nisarya Madi · Garbe Ramva Nisariya · Garbe Ramva Nisrya Madi · ગરબે રમવા નિસર્યા માડી · Taari Aarat Kaaje