Gujarati culture

Gujarati culture

adopting the name from ` Gujjar rashtra`, Gujarati culture is curbed out due to co-mingling of diverse ethnic folks. Nearly one-fifth of the state population comprises of tribal and aboriginal communities. The impact of foreign plunderers like Mahmud of Ghazni, the Chalukyan kings etc hardly brought about any impact in Gujarati culture. Individual ethnical traits of tribal population namely Gujjars, Bhangi, Koli, Dubla, Naikda are nicely amalgamated within the Gujarati culture. Being the land of Mahatma Gandhi, it also has a history of political upsurge during Indian freedom movement.

However, with least number of urban populace, the rural areas of Gujarat and its cultural exuberance are beautifully manifested in its plethora of elements. The nature with its unique aura casts a spell in the lives of inhabitants, who thereby nicely incorporated with the conventional religious practices of the Gujarati communities. All these factors are nicely being highlighted in the musical rhythm, dance styles, gaiety festivals, lifestyle and Gujarati cuisine.

Gujarati Festivals
NavratriThe ethnicity of Gujarati culture is nowhere be best slated by the vistas of its festivals. In their festival festivities, all the Indian festivals are incorporated along with some special functions of the region. Navratri, , is an ancient and colourful festival. It accolades the Divine Shakti or Force, which affirms the total world, and is personated as the Mother Goddess. Navratri, Makar Shankranti , Holi, Diwali are celebrated with joy and religious fevour through out the country. Among the local festivals, the International Kite Festival is significant. It is feted at Ahmedabad on January 14, to cooccur with the festival of Makar Sankranti.. Kites are flown all over Gujarat, celebrating the joyous occasion of heralding the chilled bites of winter winds and anxiously awaiting for the summer heats and beauty to arrive. Kutch Mahotsav is the occasion of touring beautiful places of Kutch peninsula, organized yearly by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, Ltd., (TCGL) for all the urban tourists.

The Sun Temple, Modhera & Dance Festival was an exalted decision by the Department of Culture, Gujarat, and the West Zone Cultural Center, used to hold an annual festival of Indian classical dances at the premises of the Sun Temple.

Trinetreshwar Mahadev FairBhadra Purnima is an occasion of worshipping the principal deity of Gujaratis, Goddess Ambaji, believed to be residing in the holy abode of a village temple in Aravallis. Every year on days of full moon, this Ambaji temple is transformed into festival ground where myriads of devotees thronged the place for `darshan` and also advert readings of `Saptashati`. Besides several fairs too are organized through out the whole year. Dabgs Darbar, Trinetreshwar Mahadev Fair, Vautha Mela are worth mentioning. In Shalmaji area of Gujrat region, a famous fair called Kartik Purnima Fair is organized in the month of November. It continues for about two weeks and highly mobbed by the Gujarati tribes. Various musical instruments of the localities namely Manjira, Bungal, Turi, Pava, Ravan Hattho, Ektaro, and Jantar, etc. assist the musical performances

Music and Dance of Gujarat
No culture is enriched albeit the flow of musical splendor and dancing forms. Gujarati culture too is a fountainhead of music and dancing styles. Moreover it is due to the Charans and Gadhavis, a community of folk artists and musicians, that the originality of music has been preserved from the distorted influences of today`s music world. Rannade songs, Lullaby, Nupital songs, festive songs, are various kinds of folk songs in Gujarat. Marsias is a special form of singing at the time of death. The Vaishnava cult in Gujarat has also developed a particular form of music, which can fall into the genre of Indian Temple music. Apart from these, Gujarati musicians have gifted the country with numerous `ragas` abiding by the names of Gujarat territories. Ahiri , Lati ,Gujaqri Todi, Bilaval ,Sorathi, , Khambavati are named complying to their places of origin. These are priceless endowments of Gujarat to the Indian classical music and has further enrched the facet of Gujrati culture. Exponent Jesingbhai creates a musical string instrument Vichitra Veena, was a Gujarat-born.

Garbha DeepDance forms are unique with the base on the pristine tradition of the folk communities. The most popular and known folk dances of Gujarat are Garba, Garbi, Rasaka, Tippani, Padhar-Nritya, Dangi-Nritya etc. Most of these dances have a circle of Mandala as the basic Choreographic pattern. The most famous dance of Gujarat, Garba is deduced from `Garbha Deep` implying a illuminated lamp inside an earthen pot, full of holes. The light of the lamp typified as the `embryonic` life. The females put the vessel with the lamp on their heads, singing and dancing in assistance of musical instruments. Sitting in the center, the Dholi plays the drum and sets the tempo of the dance. What is unique is that women, occasionally, put on their heads `Mandavali`, a small canopy prepared from bamboo bits sheltered with a red silk cloth.

Dandia RaasA group of dancers moves in circles to assess steps, marking time by sticks called dandia, performs Dandia Raas. The dances are played along with rhythmical music and singing. It is called Garbi in Saurashtra in which only men take part. Rasa Nritya is executed with various editions and establishments like Chokdi, Swastik etc.

Tippani Dance is executed by the women of Chorwad region of Gujarat. Women laborers engaged in house construction beat the floor for a glossy surface with a long sticks called as tippan.

Gujarati Cuisine
The cuisine is an indispensable part of Gujarati culture. Gujaratis are mainly vegetarians and salad, Khichdi , and chhaas are the staple foods of Gujaratis. Savoring types of vegetables like potatoes, brinjals, cabbages, cauliflowers, etc vary with the seasons; spices are an integral culinary element, the usage of it too undergoes seasonal flickering. Garam Masala and its component spices are applied less in summertime. The pious Gujarati women observe fasting, with optimum dishes comprised mainly of dried fruits, and nuts.

Gujarati cuisineGujaratis have the fascination to consume dishes having tangy tastes, optimized with high nutrition. Among all the veggies of the country, Thapala, Dhokala are hot favorite. The dishes are grounded on steamy vegetables and `dals` that are supplemented to a vaghaar. Vaghaar is a concoction of spices sterilized in hot oil that is adjusted for the digestive qualities of the main ingredient. Salt, sugar, lemon, lime, and tomato are to bit the sultry summer heat. `Namkeens` like Cholafali, Ghooghra are prepared by the Gujaratis to savor especially on the occasion of Diwali festivals.

Sweets are part and parcel of Gujarati cuisine. They even add pinch of sugar or jaggery to dishes prepared from `sabzi` , `shaak` and `daal`, thus, neutralizing the bitter taste of salty water of Gujarat. Sugar cane, jaggery, milk, almonds, and pistachios are used to prepare sumptuous sweet delicacies of Gujarat. Halvasan , Sutarfeni , Basundi , Ghebar, Puran Poli are some of them.

Lifestyle
National ParkGujarati culture is typically reflected in the sedentary lifestyle of Gujaratis. The mighty rivers of Narmada, Sabarmati had its bounty, sufficing to the needs of the locales. Large dams provide water supply and irrigational facilities to the state populace, making their lives easy and comfortable. Historical significance of the region is no less significance as remnants of Indus Valley civilization were found in the region of Gujarat. National parks, wildlife sanctuaries, dense forestry glorify the region and also help the tourism industry of the state to grow in leaps and bounds. Because of the commercial propensity also, there is an influx of myriads of entrepreneurs and traders especially in the places like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Jamnagar . Gujarat is the birthplace of the Amul milk co-operative federation. Also Surat, the ninth largest city of India and also known as the "Silk City" or "Diamond City" has a treasure of diamond mines and silk factories. The positive factors, as mentioned above, have contributed in the mushrooming of hotels, restaurants, and guesthouses. To meet the demands of all sections of people, hotels, starting from first class luxuriant deluxe types to cost effective ones, are rampant in various places of the state. The conservative nature has debarred the gujarati folks to enjoy the nightlife. Thus pubs, discos, `maikhanas` are much less compared to the rest of India.

Agriculture is also a principal occupation for a large section of people in Gujarat. Interestingly, four agricultural universities have developed to provide education and also carry on research. Besides IIM Ahmedabad, a premier educational institute is located in Gujarat only pointing out the rich educational proclivity of the Gujarati people. The creativity of Gujarati communities finds expression in its astounding range of embroidery, threading, coloring & publishing technics, handiworks made from woods, gem & metal of the tribal communities.

Gujarati culture is a conglomeration of the tribal ethnicity, natural bountifulness, and also the heritage of historical backdrop. Exuberance is thus injected in the cultural milieu. It is unfolded in the musical rhythm, festival gaga and artistry of Gujaratis , their humdrum livelihood