Navratri celebrations bring people together through colourful outfits, music and energetic Garba performances. For Maria Alexandra, a Romanian woman living in Mumbai, watching people of all ages dance together during the festival became an emotional experience, making her realise how much she would miss India when she eventually left the country.
As she watched the dancers, Alexandra spoke about how special it felt to witness the festival during her time in India. She explained that Garba was more than just a dance, as every movement was considered a form of devotion to Goddess Durga during the nine nights of Navratri. The participants were not simply celebrating but also honouring the goddess through their movements, making dance and devotion inseparable. In the caption accompanying the video, Alexandra reflected on how the experience reminded her why she had fallen in love with India in the first place. She also invited people who had grown up celebrating Navratri to share what the festival meant to them.
She said what moved her the most was the idea that dancing itself was considered a form of worship. She said the moment made her realise that she would definitely miss the experience once she left India.
