India: Man forbids wife from playing Garba, she files complaint

A woman in western Indian city of Vadodara filed a complaint against her husband as he forbade her from taking part in traditional Garba dance during the festival of Navratri.

Garba is a traditional dance which originated in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The dance is performed during the festival of Navratri each year. The festival is ongoing. Garba is a deeply rooted cultural dance the performance of which can go on for hours on a single evening. It is performed with much fanfare and revellers eagerly wait for the festive season each year. The cultural traditions mean that act of dancing Garba is called 'playing' Garba.

The man forbade the wife from going dancing as he suspected her of having an affair with another man. Fed up of the imposition, the woman called 181 Abhayam helpline and sought help. The counsellors spoke with the couple and in the end, the husband relented.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

As per a report in the Times Of India, the man is an ayurvedic medicines marketer. He had taken a loan of Rs 30,000 from another man. To help him repay the loan, the wife took up a job. She used to pay money to the man her husband had taken money from.

“The husband got suspicious of his wife and thought she was having an affair with the man from whom he had taken loan. So he quit the job and started staying home to keep an eye on her,” an Abhayam official said as quoted by Times Of India.

“The couple that has a 14-year-old son began fighting over various issues and he did not even allow her to go out for Navratri suspecting that she would meet some man. The couple was counselled by our team and the husband agreed to let her play garba this year,” the official added.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE