Can Gen Z bring the spirit of ‘Sheri’ back to Garba?

At its heart, a sheri garba is less about the scale of the ground and more about the people who gather on it. It is the neighbourhood version of Navratri with familiar faces, shared rituals, traditional music and the easy sense of belonging that comes from celebrating with people you know. The founders of Sanskrutik Sheri Garba – Pooja Soni and Jay Soni – want to recreate that intimacy for a generation that has grown up with increasingly commercialised Garba experiences.

Sanskrutik Sheri Garba returns for its fifth edition on October 11 at Hrishimani Party Plot in Ahmedabad. After drawing about 3,300 people last year, the organisers plan to keep this year’s crowd between 2,500 and 3,000. The smaller number is deliberate. Pooja and Jay both want people to have enough space to dance and experience the event without turning it into another mass gathering. The 2026 edition is described as ‘more curated, more intentional, more heritage-first.’

The event began in 2021, when its founders were still students. The first gathering was informal and largely limited to friends and family. It also came at a time when the pandemic had disrupted the usual social calendar. What started as a way for friends to meet and celebrate gradually became an annual tradition.

“We started off to celebrate Navratri with our loved ones, friends and family members,” Pooja says. “We wanted to celebrate Mataji and pray to the Goddess, but also make sure everyone who came could experience the Garba properly in its pious and traditional spirit of devotion and community togetherness.”

The first edition drew about 600 people. The crowd grew over the years and last year, some 3,300 people attended. The founders now want to retain the sense of intimacy that defined the early editions.

A predominantly young crowd, but not a young-only event

College students and people under 30 form a significant part of Sanskrutik Sheri Garba’s audience. The organisers estimate that about 60% of attendees come through colleges, clients and their wider networks. The rest comes through family, friends and people who have been returning over the years.

Much of the community who now looks forward to celebrate their _Pehlu Nortu_ has grown through word of mouth. Some regulars return every year without waiting for an announcement. Others hear about the event through friends, colleges and professional networks. The format is semi-private. About half the audience is expected to come through passes, while the rest will come through invitations and the existing community.

Heritage in the details

For Pooja and Jay, preserving heritage does not mean recreating the past through elaborate props. “Instead, we want it to emerge through the details of the evening. Music is central to that approach. When finalising the artists, we look for performers who understand Gujarati folk music and not necessarily those who are popular. The programme will combine familiar Garba numbers with traditional folk songs and original lyrics,” said Jay.

The décor follows the same philosophy. “Earlier editions have used materials such as coconut and bamboo. This year, we’re considering wooden crates for the stage backdrop instead of large flex banners. We’re also trying to reduce plastic. Water will be provided in plastic-free packaging. Handmade, wooden and other reusable materials will be used for parts of the décor, including the invitation hampers,” said Pooja.

Built by its own generation

Sanskrutik Sheri Garba is also unusual in how it is managed. The founders do not rely entirely on a professional event-management company. “Instead, a small group of friends handles planning, décor, artist coordination, hampers and logistics,” said Jay.

For the founders, however, the larger ambition goes beyond one night of dancing. Jay studied outside Ahmedabad but returned during Navratri to reconnect with school friends. “I want Sanskrutik Sheri Garba to create that same sense of reconnection for others. Down the line, people should think of the event as their own Garba,” he said.

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