Navratri Special: Prachi Desai recollects the craziest thing she ever did during the festive season – Times of India

You hail from Surat, Gujarat, where Navratri is celebrated in full gusto. How special is the festival for you and what are the most vibrant memories that have stayed with you so far?

Over the years, this season has taken me places. I have beautiful memories of celebrating the festival not only in Gujarat, but also in Shillong, during a film shoot. I also remember celebrating it in the US with my family. Navratri has been a carousel of memories that I created while travelling around the globe. I remember, as a kid, attempting to fast during Navratri. I would get this tiny little hand woven potli from my grandmother which had dried fruits in it. That is all that we were supposed to eat for the day, but we would barely make it through the first four hours of the morning and find ourselves sneaking into the kitchen to gorge on food. I feel that Navratri is a celebration in the honour of the Goddess. So, everyone celebrating the festival should reflect on that. It is the celebration of victory of good over evil after all, so one should just feast and dance away.

Navratri calls for showing off your dancing skills. How much do you enjoy playing dandiya or garba? Any tips for those born with two left feet?

I absolutely love to watch people do garba and dandiya. As a little girl I would fancy watching people dancing for hours in their beautiful glittering attire. I feel it is as fun to watch as tough it is to perform. While growing up, I learned a few steps with friends and classmates to perform in school, but over the years I forgot them. It’s a dance form, which is incredibly high in energy and graceful. To those with two left feet, worry not! Just make sure you dress to kill and clap along as you diligently follow the person next to you going round in the circle.

Which is your favourite garba/dandiya track and who is your favourite singer?

A lot of the traditional, folk Gujarati garba and dandiya songs are wonderful. Of late, I have become fond of the songs from the Gujarati film Hellaro. I also absolutely love Shubhaarambh from Kai Po Che. There are so many outstanding singers to choose from, but to name a few, I would say Shruti Pathak, Bhoomi Trivedi, Parthiv Gohil and Divya Kumar.

What’s your Navratri style quotient?

There’s an undeniable magic about the traditional white-red-black mirror-work lehenga cholis and outfits, but I love the more colourful mix-and-match style as well. I often upcycle outfits during festivals and in day-to-day wear. I’m a strong believer of recycling and reusing. I also pass on my outfits, once I am ready to part with them, to those who would like to wear them. When it comes to shopping, I like picking up outfits from Gujarat and Rajasthan whenever I travel there. They have an amazing collection of beautiful traditional designs that are extremely attractive.

Due to the pandemic the celebrations have gone virtual, what’s the one thing you miss about the festival?

Watching the celebrations full of bright lights, colours and high spirits is what I miss the most. But one mustn’t dampen their spirits and find a way to still celebrate in their own way, through virtual celebrations with friends or sharing recipes with family members and definitely not miss out on eco-friendly decorations and lights at home.

What’s the craziest thing that you have done during Navratri?

I think the craziest was when a bunch of us in our high school hostel stayed up all night trying to get the steps right for the weekend celebration on the ground. Post the event, we didn’t make it back to the hostel in time, so we spent the night on the ground, bare feet in lehengas, dancing the night away tirelessly in our hideous amateur make-up. Don’t ask me if I was wearing purple eye shadow (laughs!)