Monsoon rains, which had ebbed by mid-September across Gujarat, have returned with a fury over the last few days, virtually washing out the much-awaited nine-day religious festival of Navratri at many places and causing huge losses to businesses across Gujarat.

The annual event, branded globally as the ‘World’s longest dance festival’ by Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, has, this year, been a poor image of its former glittering self with enthusiasm giving way to pessimism at most places that attracted huge business opportunities, mainly the cities including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat.

The extended monsoon rains, which returned on October 1, have incessantly drenched most parts of the state, and water levels in various reservoirs across Gujarat have risen, particularly in the Saurashtra region. An estimated 10 per cent of the season’s total rainfall was recorded in just seven days ending Friday as rains continued to lash one part of the state or another daily. It made the farmers and commoners happy but businessmen across the state have suffered huge losses, estimated to be around Rs.500 crore, as their festival-related investments, centred around Garba events, have come a cropper.

The event venues in many cities, which witnessed roaring businesses worth crores of rupees on a daily basis, have remained submerged in water, making the swirling of dance enthusiasts impossible. Even the State Government-sponsored mega-event in Ahmedabad virtually remained a non-starter as few turned up. At many places, the event itself was postponed or cancelled, putting investors to huge losses as their stalls could simply not be put up. Many a daily wage earner — including students who often worked at food stalls or other outlets to earn a quick buck — were among the unluckiest as their plans have gone haywire.

At some places, however, the monsoons could not dampen the spirit of enthusiasts. Social media circulated many videos of dancers ‘performing’ while holding umbrellas in heavy rain! And women dancing in raincoats instead of their traditional finery.

But organisers believe all is not lost yet. With Jayanata Sarkar, Director, IMD, predicting that rains would recede from Friday. “We are trying to make up for the losses of the last six days in the remaining three-four days,” said Chiranjeev Patel, organiser of the Friends Garba Group. Others organisers who failed to sell tickets, have distributed passes for free to attract footfalls as many chose to remain indoors or shake a leg at a venue next to their house. “As against the 20,000 capacity of our ground, only 5,000-7,000 are turning up,” said Himanshu Shah, organiser of SoI Dandiya.

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