There have been dazzling; glorious Navratri celebrations all across Chicagoland and continuing on the rich tradition Bharatiya Senior Citizens of Chicago hosted their own Navratri Sharad Poonam Garba – Taal with Geeta Rabari, on Sunday – October 9, 2022 at DuPage Event Center; Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, N County Farm Rd, Wheaton, IL. Geeta Rabari Geeta Rabari is a very famous Gujarati folk singer, and she performs with her group every year during the Navratri festival.
The event attracted over thousands of Gujrati families and Indians alike to celebrate the splendor of Navaratri. The attendees ranged from toddlers to seniors and were dressed in vibrant and colorful Indian attire, especially the ladies and children who were seen wearing bright colorful, dazzling traditional dresses with matching ornaments and extravagant hairstyles. The twirling dancers, clapping hands, instinct sound of wooden sticks struck together, toe tapping music and people wearing colorful clothes marked the grand Navratri celebrations at the Garba; Dandiya Raas with Geeta Rabari!
The festivities began around 6 pm and lasted until10:30pm. The celebration started with the traditional Lamp Lighting ceremony. President Haribhai Patel spoke fondly about the Navaratri celebrations, saying that, “It keeps a part of our rich culture alive, we Gujarati have garba in our blood”. He recognized sponsors, the committee members and volunteers that made the event possible.
This evening also happened to be the ‘Sharad Purnima’, a full moon night. Geeta Rabari with live band is one of the most popular Navratri garba events in the Midwest area. The live band orchestra included the rums, cymbals and all sorts of instruments and together with the melodious magical voice of Geeta Rabari, the DuPage Event Center was transformed into a huge dance floor to accommodate hundreds of bare feet dancers moving with the thunderous drumbeats in swirling circles around the deity of Hindu Goddess Maa Durga. Geeta’s powerful voice, her energetic and colorful performance and stage presence was a treat for her fans that left them wanting for more. She brought a new level of excitement and energy that charged up the whole Gujarati music scene for the entire evening!!
Prominent dignitaries in attendance were Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Michael Burke, Supreme Court Justice; Greg Hart Dupage County Board Member; Chris Dargis, Republican nominee for the 8th Congressional District; Shweta Baid, Alderman Aurora; Meghana Bansal, Trustee Wheatland Township; Nag Jaiswal, Candidate for Naperville city council; Nimish Jani, Community leader; Vinesh Virani, Art of Living; VHP Nirav Patel, BJP President.
The sponsors for the event were Clear Spring Health care insurance, Chhotalal Patel and S International Inc. Other Sponsor were American Standard circuit, Gordhan Patel, Vinesh Virani, Krishna Bansal, Nimish Jani, Brijesh Patel and Chintal Mehta.
