Digital Garba Goes Viral: Mumbai Man's Quirky Twist for NRIs
Content creator prints friends’ photos and dances with them, forging a creative link to home
In a festive experiment blending humour with creativity, Mumbai-based content creator Viraj Ghelani has introduced “digital garba” for his friends abroad this Navratri. Instead of dancing alongside them in person, Ghelani printed out their photographs and performed garba while holding the cut-outs, symbolically including them in the celebration.
He shared the clip on his Instagram account (around September 24) with the caption, “Jis jis ka Digital Garba karvana hai unko tag karo because they are missing the real Garba fun!”
The post shows him dancing in a traditional garba outfit, energetically performing with a printed photo in each hand. In the video, he rotates, claps, and moves in time to dandiya rhythms, making it appear as if the printouts are his dance partners.
The video quickly racked up over 1.5 million views and 70,000 likes within a short period. Reactions poured in — users praised the playful mash-up of tradition and digital inclusion. One commenter remarked, “Yeh sb schemes sirf iss mulk mai avail hoti hai, India is not for beginners,” while another teased, “This is a new startup. Jisko dance nahi aata uska bhi aap kardoge kya?”
Many NRIs tagged their loved ones and expressed how this digital gesture eased the sting of being far from home during the festival. The post’s comment section is filled with nostalgic tones: people lamenting the absence of family gatherings, sharing memories of previous Navratris, and lauding Ghelani’s inventive spirit.
Ghelani, who has a follower base exceeding a million on Instagram, is being lauded for offering a slice of “home celebration” to those celebrating thousands of miles away, all through a mix of tradition and social media creativity.
