Secularise Garba: UNESCO Tag Sparks Navratri Debate

Secularise Garba has returned to the centre of a heated cultural debate after renewed attention to UNESCO’s 2023 inscription of Gujarat’s Garba on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription described the dance as a collective celebration that promotes unity in diversity and social equality, bringing together people of different genders, religions and socio-economic backgrounds. Critics argue that this framing risks presenting a devotional Hindu ritual as an inherently secular public festival, while supporters maintain that Garba’s living tradition has always included diverse participants. 

The controversy has intensified following reports that right-wing Hindu organisations in Gujarat have sought to restrict non-Hindu participation at some Navratri events. According to The Indian Express, groups including the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have confronted Muslim workers and musicians at several venues, arguing that Garba should remain rooted in its Hindu devotional context. The reports have revived questions over who may participate in, perform at, or organise Garba events during Navratri. 

UNESCO inscribed “Garba of Gujarat” on 6 December 2023 during the 18th session of its Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Kasane, Botswana. It was India’s 15th element on the Representative List. The United Nations body described Garba as a ritualistic and devotional dance performed during Navratri, dedicated to the worship of feminine energy, or Shakti. 

At the same time, UNESCO’s inscription language emphasised inclusion. It stated that Garba “fosters social equality by diluting socio-economic, gender and religious structures” and continues to be inclusive of diverse and marginalised communities. That wording has become the principal point of dispute: critics see it as an external, secular interpretation of a religious practice, while others view it as an accurate description of Garba’s evolving social role.

Calls to Secularise Garba have therefore become entangled with a broader argument over cultural ownership. Those opposed to the phrase say that Garba is not merely a dance form but a devotional expression connected to the worship of the Goddess during Navratri. They contend that describing it primarily as an inclusive social celebration can obscure its spiritual foundation and create pressure on Hindu communities to dilute or reinterpret their own traditions. 

Supporters of a more open approach respond that Garba has never been frozen in time. UNESCO itself noted that every generation redefines the practice through new performing styles, lyrics and dress, while retaining the circle of feminine energy at its core. From this perspective, participation by people of different faiths does not erase Garba’s Hindu origins; rather, it reflects the way a living tradition adapts to contemporary social realities.

The demand to Secularise Garba is also being challenged by Hindu groups who believe the UNESCO language has been used selectively in public debate. They argue that the inscription’s emphasis on religious inclusion should not be treated as a directive to remove the devotional character of Navratri celebrations. In their view, a cultural recognition by an international body cannot override the religious beliefs of communities that have sustained the practice for generations. 

The dispute has practical consequences on the ground. Reports from Gujarat describe tensions at Navratri venues where Muslim musicians, workers and attendees have allegedly been asked to leave or have faced hostility from activists. Such incidents have drawn criticism from civil-liberties advocates, who say that cultural pride cannot justify intimidation or exclusion. They argue that the proper response to disagreement is dialogue and voluntary participation, not coercion. 

At the same time, organisers of Garba events face a difficult balance. Many see Navratri as both a religious observance and a major community celebration, with music, dance, dress, commerce and social gathering woven together. The growing scale of Garba events has also turned the tradition into a significant cultural and economic enterprise in Gujarat, making questions of access, security and community relations more visible than ever. 

Those who seek to Secularise Garba often point to its historical evolution beyond temple courtyards and households. Once performed mainly by women in domestic and religious spaces, Garba is now staged in large public venues, broadcast widely and performed by diverse communities. Its transformation, they argue, demonstrates that tradition and inclusiveness need not be opposites. 

Critics counter that evolution does not mean de-sacralisation. A dance may expand its audience without surrendering its religious meaning, they say, just as a festival can welcome visitors without becoming detached from the faith that gave rise to it. The central question, therefore, is not simply whether non-Hindus may attend or appreciate Garba, but whether public institutions and cultural bodies should define the practice in terms that many devotees regard as incomplete.

The phrase Secularise Garba has thus become shorthand for a larger conflict between two readings of heritage. One reading treats Garba as a shared cultural space whose value lies in its capacity to unite people across religious and social lines. The other treats it as a sacred Hindu tradition whose devotional purpose must remain central, even as its popularity grows beyond Gujarat and India.

UNESCO’s recognition has undoubtedly raised Garba’s international profile, but it has also shown how global heritage language can become part of local political and religious debates. The inscription praised the dance’s capacity to strengthen social bonds, while also identifying it as a devotional ritual tied to Navratri and the worship of Shakti. Both descriptions appear in the official record, and both are now being invoked by opposing sides. 

As Navratri celebrations continue, the challenge for communities, organisers and policymakers will be to protect both religious freedom and public peace. Garba’s future is unlikely to be settled by slogans alone. It will depend on whether Gujarati society can distinguish between genuine inclusion and imposed redefinition, and whether it can preserve the devotional heart of the tradition while preventing prejudice from being practised in its name. 

For many participants, the debate over whether to Secularise Garba is ultimately about respect: respect for the faith from which the dance emerged, respect for those who wish to join its celebrations, and respect for the boundary between voluntary cultural exchange and coercive social control.