Ahmedabad: As the clock struck 10 at night, the auspicious mahurat began. The men, casually chatting, rose from their seats and started wearing petticoats and draping sarees over their shirts and trousers. The women in the house helped them drape the sarees. In the cramped room, the men struggled to adjust and tuck them carefully.

Once ready, they stepped out together and walked towards the small but brightly decorated temple, where devotional music blared at full volume. They were enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd, who had been eagerly waiting and braving the rain and humidity.

On the eighth night of Navratri in Gujarat, as garba fever peaked across the state, the walled city of Ahmedabad — locally known as a pol — witnessed a ritual unlike any other. The men in sarees performed a

See Full Page