Hasti Doshi (BOMBAY TIMES; October 12, 2021)

She may be a celebrity today but given a chance, Daisy Shah would love to spend hours dancing to garba and dandiya beats even now. The festival holds a special place in her heart, and she tells us why in a candid chat. Excerpts:

How would you celebrate Navratri before you got into acting?
Since the last five years, I have been working during Navratri. But before that, I always made sure that I celebrated the festival with a lot of gusto. My friends and I would plan our clothes for each night weeks in advance. When I was younger, I used to go to this ground near my house where they would hold competitions every night. I used to participate in those and would be very excited about winning the prize for playing the best garba and dressing up well. I was very competitive and used to enjoy looking my best all nine days of Navratri.

Tell us about your Navratri fashion essentials...
Ghagra choli is my go-to outfit for Navratri. But as there are nine outfits to plan, some days I would wear an Indo-western outfit. I always wore traditional jewellery to keep the look authentic.

What is your suggestion to those who have two left feet but want to enjoy the garba?
I would say one should experience it all. Visit a pandal and enjoy the vibe there. If you want to dance, just go ahead. Even if you don’t dance, you can enjoy watching others. It's a great experience.

Do you still look forward to Navratri every year?
Absolutely. I always look forward to Navratri every year. I like to connect with my friends, and whenever possible, we get together and have fun. Another thing that I still look forward to is going to the food stalls and binge-eating after playing garba for hours.

What’s that one memory of Navratri that has stayed with you?
When I was around 10 years old, I didn't really understand this festival. I used to wonder why people were dancing in circles and my mother used to push me and make me join them. I was clueless as to how to follow their steps. But that’s how I learnt garba and I feel all of us would have learnt it the same way.

Navratri is a festival where one can make new friends too. Have you had any such interactions in the past?
I always had a group of friends to play garba with, and mostly, I would be with them. Yes, love at first sight, too, has happened with a random guy I saw there (smiles). And the next day, that guy wasn't even there at the pandal to play garba! So, that love at first sight lasted just for a day (laughs!).