Ahmedabad’s Jyot Foundation will host its ninth Divyang Garba on October 11 at Narayan Rao Bhandari Open Party Plot in Memnagar, creating an accessible Navratri venue for participants with locomotor, visual, hearing, speech and intellectual disabilities. The event is expected to bring together people ranging from children to those aged around 80, according to a report by the Times of India.
The foundation, which has around 1,700 registered members with disabilities, has organised the event for the past nine years. Its founder, Jyoti Shah, 64, was born with cerebral palsy and has a 90% disability. Shah told the Times of India that she started the foundation in 2017 after retiring as an officer from Bank of Baroda, with the aim of using her experience and contacts to support others.
Preparations for this year’s event began four months in advance. The foundation plans to arrange an accessible venue, around 100 volunteers, 10 wheelchairs, valet assistance, drinking water and meals for participants. These arrangements are intended to address practical barriers that can prevent people with disabilities from participating in large public celebrations.
Shah said persons with disabilities often want to dance and worship during Navratri but may only be able to watch at other garba events. She said some participants may feel embarrassed or fear being mocked because of the way they move. At the foundation’s event, she said, participants are able to meet others who understand their experiences.
The programme will include prizes across five disability categories, along with group, costume, couple and children’s categories. The range of categories allows participation to be organised around different forms of disability and age groups rather than treating disabled dancers as a single group.
Beyond the dance event, the foundation describes the gathering as an opportunity for social contact and information exchange. Shah said some people with disabilities rarely leave their homes, and that participants meet friends and discover opportunities at the garba. She also recalled learning about employment through people she met.
The event highlights how access to cultural and public spaces depends not only on a venue’s physical layout but also on support systems such as volunteers, mobility assistance, food, water and transport arrangements. The Divyang Garba is scheduled to take place at the Memnagar venue on October 11.
