For Rajeev Khandelwal, Navratri is steeped in memories of college, borrowed dupattas, jugaad for passes and dancing till midnight. The Aamir and Bloody Daddy actor recalls the innocence of those celebrations and reveals why garba remains close to his heart. He also shares how the festival, and the way it is celebrated, has changed over the years.

Talking about his college days, Rajeev says, “I loved listening to Falguni Pathak’s garba songs, and she remains a favourite even today. I remember HL College in Ahmedabad ke andar garba hota tha, and we loved going there. Those three years (spent at Xavier’s in Ahmedabad) were among the best years of my life.”

Rajeev shares, “During your college days, you eagerly waited for festivals like Navratri. Uss time pe not playing garba was a crime! However, now, when you are invited to a venue as a celebrity, you can’t even play garba properly, so it’s not the same. Every generation feels the celebrations used to be the best when they were young. But back then, and I am talking about at least 25 years ago, there was a certain innocence associated with the festival, and I loved that.”

He further adds, “At our hostel, the countdown would begin a few days before the festival. The biggest incentive was, of course, getting to play dandiya with all the pretty girls (laughs). Main bahut achhe se taiyyar ho ke jaata tha garba khelne! We had limited resources, but I would make sure to wear my best kurtas. Uss time pe ladkon ka fashion sense toh kuch aur hi tha. Those were simpler times; we would just ask the girls in our friends circle to lend us their dupattas. There was no concept of online shopping. Once we had our kurtas, borrowed dupattas and dandiyas, and we were totally garba-ready!”

For the actor, Navratri memories are filled with childhood mischief, jugaad for passes and embarrassing moments on the garba floor.

He says, “We would always be doing some jugaad for Navratri passes. Humare group mein ek raees baap ka beta tha, toh uss ko hum bolte thay, ki bhai passes chahiye, bol na tere dad ko. I have another funny, but embarrassing memory associated with the festival. Once, while at a garba venue, I was eagerly waiting for my turn to play dandiya with a particularly pretty girl. I thought I would impress her with my garba skills. But just before that happened, my dandiya broke into two pieces! Even today, thinking about that incident brings a smile to my face.”