IACFNJ plans Navratri Garba with Mahesh Mehta and live band, bazaar

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The Indo-American Cultural Foundation of Central Jersey (IACFNJ.org), will hold their Navratri Garba celebration in South Brunswick on September 30 and October 1, 2022, from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at South Brunswick High School, 750 Ridge Road in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.

The Navratri celebration marks the festival of nine nights during when Hindu devotees worship Goddess of Shakti Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Each Goddess has their own purpose, according to Hindu beliefs – “Goddess Durga destroys all the evil propensities lurking the minds of her devotees, Goddess Lakshmi implants divine qualities in the devotee’s minds and Goddess Saraswati bestows true knowledge to her devotees,” the IACFNJ explained in its press release.

The tenth day also known as Vijay Dashami, commemorates the victory of good over evil.

This is   IACFNJ’s 16^th year of holding this festival, and it has chosen a venue that can accommodate more than 2,500 attendees – the South Brunswick High School which is surrounded by a culturally diverse neighborhoods in the surrounding towns of North Brunswick, Franklin Park, Somerset, Princeton, Hightstown, Princeton Junction, Monroe, East Brunswick, Robbinsville and East and West Windsor, organizers said.

“For the past more than 15 years, IACFNJ Garba has been one of the biggest, non-commercial and family oriented, safest, well-organized and one of the high-class garba event in the state,” organizers maintain, adding that participants from all age groups “will shake the floor with so much energy and variety of dance styles and costumes during the garba.”

The special attraction of the event will be participation from high school kids of various ethnic and cultural back grounds.

The Goddess Amba Maa’s devotional prayers will be performed on all days followed by the distribution of prasad to all attendees.  The center stage will be decorated with Goddess Amba Maa’s statue in a temple setting, to evoke the festival as it is celebrated in India.

Vendors in the cafeteria will serve traditional Indian foods as well as clothing, jewelry and traditional items making it like a local bazaar.

Organizers expect local entrepreneurs, community leaders, local and state public officials apart from the Indian-American community, to be there.

The IACFNJ team behind the event includes Chairman Raoji Patel, President Dr. Tushar Patel, Vice Presidents Mahesh Patel and Mac Shah, Secretary Surabhi Agarwal, Treasurer Rajesh Patel, Joint Secretary Kirti Mehta, Joint Treasurer Dimple Patel and Trustees Hitesh Patel, Rewo Nawani and Jadhav Chaudhari along with many volunteers.