Gujaratis readily embrace Muslim-origin jalebi as part of Dussehra, yet hesitate when a Muslim joins our garba dance. Deepal Trivedi delves into the duality of this approach.
Recently on Dussehra, we did what most Gujaratis do. We had fafda jalebi along with kacha papaya no sambharo, kadhi chutney and some fried green chillies. Like Navratri, fafda jalebi on Dusshera in Gujarat is a multi-crore business.
That brings us to an uncomfortable reality. As a society, most Gujaratis celebrate and easily accept food that has travelled across religious and geographical boundaries, but are becoming increasingly rigid about the identity of the people who participate in its festivals.
Fafda is undeniably Gujarati. It occupies a special place in Gujarati Hindu culinary culture. Made from besan (gram flour) with a blend of spices, it is flattened into strips and deep-fried.
Since Gujarat has the longest coastline in India and we are traditionally experts in exploring new avenues for business (dhanda paani is a way of life for us), we took the sea route and travelled across from Persia to Africa. The vegetarians needed snacks that lasted months.
Gaanthiya, from which fafda has evolved, was born in Saurashtra. Its portability and long shelf life made it even more popular. According to Gujaratis who went to Africa to open businesses without families and travelled frequently in Persia and other parts of Asia, fafda and gaanthiya were an economical, easy-to-carry naashto. Some also said that, for us vegetarians, our naashto was also our source of protein.
Now consider jalebi, fafda’s better half and with which it makes Gujarat’s most celebrated festive pairing. Jalebi came from a Muslim land. The Jains, Naagars and Brahmins of Gujarat, who either travelled widely or were involved in international business, diplomacy or administration, are believed to have introduced it to Gujarat.
Food historians trace jalebi’s name and ancestry to West Asian traditions. References include Arabic zalabiya and Persian zolbiya. Descriptions of zolbiya are found in the Kitab al-Tabeekh, a tenth-century cookbook compiled by Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi. Its first mention indicates that the dish was served during Ramadan and other festivities. Zolbiya is still quite popular in Iran.
The Jain scripture, the Priyamkarnrpakatha, written by Jinasura, a Jain author, in 1450, describes how wealthy merchants relished jalebi at their gatherings. A Sanskrit text, the Gunyagunabodhini, from before 1600, outlines the ingredients and recipe for a dessert identical to the present-day jalebi. In the 17th century, the book Bhojana Kutuhala by Raghunatha also gave the jalebi a mention.
There is a debate on whether jalebi first came to Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan or Haryana, but its Muslim origin remains documented. The precise route through which jalebi arrived in India, and how it took its present form, are matters for culinary historians. But its origin is clear.
This is how food cultures evolve – a dish travels, adapts, enters the marketplace, becomes part of a festival, and over time, feels as though it has always belonged there. No Gujarati rightfully surrenders jalebi to Persia or the Arab world. It is ours through generations of consumption and adaptation.
So is shiro. Most practising Hindu Gujaratis believe in Satyanarayan Puja. Only shira can be offered as prasad to Satyanarayan, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Unlike the Persian shira, the Gujarati prasad shiro is made from semolina. Shira has an Indian counterpart spread across the country.
From halwa to shiro, Muslim culinary traditions have contributed to the broader Gujarati food landscape, with dishes like malpua, shiro, jalebi, other halwa varieties and falooda. The Islam-practising Khoja community have distinctive Persian-inspired dishes, community feasts and hospitality traditions that enrich Gujarat’s cuisine.
So, the Gujarati table is not a map divided by religion. It is a record of centuries of borrowing, adaptation, trade and neighbourliness. We do not ask the jalebi for its religious credentials before biting into it. Why, then, do we demand such credentials from a young person who wants to dance garba? Yet, in Gujarat, we continue to witness incidents of Muslim participants being singled out at garba gatherings.
In Bhavnagar, right-wing organisations demanded the withdrawal of their main musical troupe just because it was the Aslam and Aslam Band. Eighteen-year-olds have been publicly singled out for accompanying friends to garba. Public announcements asking to ‘report any Musalmaan next to you’ have been made. They have been instructed to leave the garba ground because as ‘Sanatan protectors, the Vishva Hindu Parishad is here to protect you’.
This exclusion and humiliation of Muslims has become a phenomenon in Gujarat post-2002. In recent years, it ebbed as the focus shifted from Hindutva to vikas, but this year it peaked again during Navratri. Imagine being 18, wanting to join your friends to dance and finding that your name, faith or identity matters more than your enthusiasm or ability. Imagine being a musician, hired to perform, and discovering your religious identity is grounds for questioning your presence.
Getting back to what Gujaratis love most: travelling and settling overseas. We, of course, expect inclusion in foreign lands. We claim it as our right. And while an 18- or 28-year-old Muslim young man can be singled out and humiliated in Ahmedabad, we are more than happy to have white-skinned foreigners dance at garba without them having to declare their identity.
Ditto with the diaspora. They celebrate inclusion. This Navratri saw mayor Zohran Mamdani dancing garba in New York City. It was celebrated and shared on social media as a powerful image of cultural participation across religious boundaries. Mamdani’s father Mahmood Mamdani is a scholar of Gujarati Khoja Muslim background. His mother Mira Nair is Hindu and Punjabi. Mamdani is a practising Muslim who took his mayoral oath pledging on the Quran.
This is not to criticise Mamdani. His participation is praiseworthy, but what is cringe is the average Gujarati who is okay with Mamdani dancing at a garba or Salman Khan doing the garba in a Bollywood setup but publicly humiliate and pull up an Aslam, a Nafis or whosoever of a Muslim identity in Gujarat.
In Chhota Udepur, a Muslim youth, Abid Sheikh, has been playing the role of Lakshmana for 14 years. In Kutch, Muslims perform garbas not only during Navratri but even in their weddings. The traditional earthen pot is also crafted by Muslim potters.
Why has garba been reduced to a religious screening test than a folk dance? It is rooted in Gujarat’s devotional and folk traditions, associated with the worship of the goddess, the rhythms of the dhol and the collective energy of Navratri. For millions, it is an expression of faith and a source of joy, identity and community.
After Narendra Modi became prime minister, he initiated efforts following which garba found place in UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Interestingly, UNESCO’s announcement on garba’s inclusion mentions that it “becomes an all-encompassing participatory community event,” and India’s submission to the cultural body recalled that garba “fosters social equality by diluting socio-economic, gender and religious structures” and “continues to be inclusive of diverse and marginalised communities, thus strengthening social bonds”.
Garba is an expression of Gujarati culture. The test of cultural confidence is how comfortably and confidently we can share our traditions without feeling threatened by citizens whose religious path is other than ours.
Most Muslims who come for garbas are youngsters. To claim that Muslim boys come for garba only with the motive of love jihad is just another Gujarat Model gimmick. If Hindus do not want Muslims to participate in a garba function, why is it not specified on an entry pass for which a person spends thousands? This year, a night’s pass even cost Rs 15,000.
Gujarat is an example of a state that has become prosperous economically but poorer in social trust. This is not a sustainable idea of cultural pride. Those who insist that exclusion is necessary to protect tradition must answer: what is being threatened by an 18-year-old Muslim dancing garba, or by a Muslim band performing music? After all, they are okay at dancing, singing and performing to devotional songs. If the concern is safety, safety rules must be enforced. If it is conduct, enforce standards. If it is religious decorum, define the rules and apply them consistently.
But if the objection is simply that a participant is Muslim, then it is not tradition being protected, but a religious boundary enforced against a fellow citizen. Can the constitution permit this?
We don’t ask or treat jalebi as a Muslim. Our cultural traditions deserve the same generosity. How can Mamdani dancing garba in New York be a source of pride for us Gujaratis but an 18-year-old Nafis be asked to leave the ground because he admits being a Muslim?
Garba is Gujarat’s pride, let it be a source of dignity, not humiliation. If fafda-jalebi represents our cultural inheritance, let us recognise the many histories that have enriched our lives. And if we truly believe in the idea of Gujarat, let no young person have to choose between faith and their right to belong.
Or dance.
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