The Navratri Essentials Playlist: Three Decades, 15 Songs

A typical Navratri set includes longtime staples, popular renditions of folk classics sung by the Daves and the Gadhvis, and options for both fast and slow-paced versions of the folk dance, garba. With their extensive repertoires, at least one song by Falguni Pathak and Aditya Gadhvi is certain to be played each night. 

The festival of Navratri itself is centered around dance and music, bringing communities together for a nine-night celebration dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Durga. The songs hence play a dual role; they are proclamations of devotion and the cultural glue that hold the festival together.

Billboard India looks back across three decades of Gujarati garba tracks to curate the ‘Navratri Essentials’ playlist – 15 songs that have become inseparable from the sound of the festival. 

1. “Tari Madh Mithi Madh Mithi Vaate” — Jigardan Gadhavi (2019)

A staple from Jigardan Gadhavi’s Rangtaali repertoire, this is the romantic side of Gujarati Garba: madh mithi (sweet as honey) words, flirtation and a rhythm made for raas. It has become one of the contemporary songs that regularly finds a place alongside older folk favourites.

2. “Gori Radha Ne Kalo Kaan” — Kirtidan Gadhvi (2016)

Originally featured in Wrong Side Raju, Kirtidan Gadhvi’s take on Radha and Kaan (Krishna) turned the song into a modern Garba standard. Its raas imagery and playful take on Radha and Krishna place it firmly in the Gujarati folk tradition.

3. “Indhana Vinva” — Falguni Pathak (1998)

Falguni Pathak’s Gujarati repertoire is central to the modern history of Navratri, and “Indhana Vinva” is one of her enduring Garba picks. The song follows a woman out collecting indhana (firewood), giving an everyday folk story the energy of a Dandiya staple.

4. “Tara Vina Shyam” — Atul Purohit (1985)

One of Atul Purohit’s defining Garba songs, this Krishna song has become closely associated with Vadodara’s Garba culture. Its Shyam (Krishna) motif and slower, more reflective mood also show how the repertoire extends beyond high-tempo dance tracks.

5. “Sonal Garbo Shire” — Kanu Patel, Bhikhudan Gadhvi & Gayati Upadhyay (2014)

A traditional Garbo (devotional Garba song) centred on Amba Maa, this recording belongs to the older devotional strand of Gujarati Navratri music. 

6. “Gori Tame Manda Lidha Mohi Raj” — Umesh Barot & Ishani Dave (2022)

From the Gujarati film Saiyar Mori Re, this newer romantic Garba track pairs a playful lyric with the movement and percussion of raas. Its popularity shows how Gujarati cinema continues to feed fresh songs into the Navratri repertoire.

7. “Maa Ae Garbo Koravyo” — Geeta Rabari (2022)

Geeta Rabari brings the devotional side of Navratri into sharper focus here, with Maa at the centre of the garbo. It is one of the contemporary recordings that now sits comfortably alongside older Gujarati Garba staples.

8. “Moti Veraana” — Amit Trivedi & Osman Mir (2020)

Released in 2020, this original Gujarati composition is built around welcoming Ambe Maa, decorating the chowk (courtyard), lighting diyas and celebrating Navratri. Its place here reflects how quickly a newer song can enter the modern Navratri canon.

9. “Rang Bhini Radha” — Aditya Gadhvi (2017)

Aditya Gadhvi’s take on the Radha-Krishna tradition has become one of his signature Gujarati folk recordings. Like much of the Navratri repertoire, it brings together raas, Krishna and the imagery of Gujarati village life.

10. “Maa Taro Garbo Jakam Zol” — Praful Dave (2001)

Praful Dave’s expansive Navratri repertoire represents the older recorded tradition of Gujarati devotional music. This is a classic Maa Garbo (a devotional song dedicated to the Goddess): direct, communal and built around the central ritual imagery of the festival.

11. “Dakla 2” — Bandish Projekt feat. Aishwarya Joshi & Maulik Nayak (2017)

Bandish Projekt’s track takes the Gujarati dakla (a traditional ritual performance used to invoke the divine) into electronic territory, pairing folk vocals with bass-heavy production. The result is one of the more striking modern interpretations of Navratri music.

12. “Vaa Vaya Ne Vadal” — Aditya Gadhvi (2023)

A well-known piece from the Gujarati folk and literary repertoire, built around wind, clouds and rain, this version connects Aditya’s contemporary sound to an older tradition of Gujarati poetry. It is a useful reminder that the Garba cannon draws from much more than devotional songs.

13. “Maa Pava Te Gadh Thi” — Kanu Patel (2018)

Centred on Mahakali and Pavagadh, one of Gujarat’s major Shakti pilgrimage sites, this is a devotional song with a strong sense of place. It represents the connection between Gujarat’s religious traditions and its Garba repertoire.

14. “Hu Gokul No Govadiyo” — Atul Purohit (2023)

Purohit turns to Krishna’s pastoral world here, with the govadiyo (cowherd) at the centre of the song. It has become an important part of his live Navratri set and sits alongside his more widely known Tara Vina Shyam.

15. “Pankhida Pankhida” — Falguni Pathak (1999)

One of the defining recordings from Falguni Pathak’s De Taali, this Garba song helped cement her place in the Navratri soundscape. Almost three decades later, Pankhida Pankhida remains a shorthand for the era when Garba songs reached far beyond Gujarat.