Falguni Pathak – The Garba Queen

So come September 28, don your best dancing shoes and be ready to dance to the tune of the world – Garba is here! Navratri 2011 is here! And she is here!

Who you would wonder right? To give you more food for thought, she was the one solo artist who could make people dance for hours on end without blinking an eyelid. Last year she said “I am missing Mumbai a lot.”. So if she loved Mumbai why was she away on this nine day celebration? Yes this performer was the main attraction at the Sankalp Dandiya and last year she wasn’t there. There was some discord between the organizers and her and she declined to perform.

It  is said that the organizer of Sankalp Dandiya Devendra Joshi has agreed to shell out as much as around more than 1.2 crore this year so that the revelers could get back their favourite performer.

Yes, you guessed it right. We are talking about Falguni Pathak, the very energetic and effervescent performer who is a star in the Sankalp Dandiya and remains a star wherever she goes. So the Goregaoan Sports Complex is going to glow in the shadow of this songstress Falguni Pathak, garba being her forte.

Last year Falguni Pathak the garba queen did not come and the crowd apparently dwindled but this year that won’t be so. It is said that this queen of dandiya, usually practices a month before Navratri. This year she is out on an international tour and would return four days before the gala event of Navratri. She would catch up on her rehearsals and she just is unbeatable so she wouldn’t go wrong.

So put on your dancing shoes all those at least 60,000 fans of Falguni Pathak garba being her life , and enjoy your favourite star to your heart’s content this year. Mumbai wasn’t the same last year without her.

Falguni Pathak is not only a great singer but also a wonderful perfomrmer and holds the audience’s attention and is great on stage. Her spontaneous interactions and her sincerity with the audience holds her in good stead.

With her debut song released more than a decade back, she was the first of her kind who hit the market with the idea of making garba a public event. Long time back garba was just restricted to basic areas which celebrated the festival with the usual religious fervor. But after some time started the system of having huge pavilions erected and the youngsters started the trend of dancing to a tune being played on the piano Gradually good singers and performers realized that all that was needed was a lot of spunk, attitude and the package came out as the group performing the disco dandiya. This coined term was the one that was  used for the system where the band played and people danced. Sankalp Dandiya was one such group which started this trend and today is the most sought after venue for the Dandiya Raas. The combination of Sankalp Dandiya and Falguni Pathak was a huge hit and people loved the extravaganza and the melody of Pathak. So Falguni Pathak garba being her plus point slowly got popular.

Falguni Pathak mostly sings songs of love. Many Indian shows and shows across the world  have featured this diva of garba and dandiya. Sometimes her performances go up to more than the evening. There are overnight performances too. It is her voice that is very attractive and pleasant to hear. With the kind of conviction she sings, any song that she sings sounds out of the world. Her energy, and enthusiasm while she is on stage also attracts her to the general public. Her band the Tha Thaiyya is the one which gives her a taste of her own hard work. This band completely complements her melody by giving the right punch needed for a dandiya to succeed in the listeners mind. People throng to have a feel of her amazingly stylish programmes. Her albums are all preferred by many who like to hear  simple but catchy numbers.

Yaad Piya ki Aaney Lagi is a very famous Falguni Pathak song. Besides this we have the Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye, Saawariya Teri Yaad Mein, Maine Paayal Hai Chhankai, Dil Jhoom Jhhom Nache Dilbar, and many more.

Her albums include Aiyo Ram, Gulabi Gaa, Julm etc.

The Garba is a popular dance linked to the ras lila dance of the Indian God Krishna and the female cowherds. There is a lamp in the centre and the women dance around it.

Falguni Pathak , garba queen has reinforced the concept of Garba in a social way.