During the Navratri festival in Sadu Mata Ni Pol village in Gujarat, the Sheri Garba takes place. Here, men wear sarees, put pallus on their heads and perform garba in front of the temple of Sadu Mata. Instead of blouses, some of them may wear full-sleeved shirts underneath the sarees. Beards and deep voices add to the picture of the men dressed in traditional clothing. However, this is not a case of fancy dressing. It is related to a tragic event that befell Saduben two centuries ago.

Sheri Garba is an act of remorse for Saduben's spirit

Based on local custom, Saduben is said to have been pregnant when Mughals attempted to make her their concubine. She resisted their efforts and sought the assistance of men from the Barot community. But her appeals fell on deaf ears. The men refused to come to her help, and the Mughals ultimately killed her son.

In order to save herself from falling into the hands of the Mughals, she performed sati. Before dying, it is believed that Sati cursed the Barot men. They were supposedly cursed to be born as cowards in the coming generations.

The tale thus became part and parcel of the community consciousness. A temple was built in memory of Saduben, and a ritual was created to pay homage to her and pacify her spirit. She is now worshipped as Sadu Mata, and devotees come seeking the grace of the deity. Once every year, on the eighth night of Navratri, the men of the Barot community gather at the temple of Sadu Mata to perform Sheri Garba.

The sarees create yet another dimension of the ritual, as sarees traditionally associated with women become a part of an act in which the men display their humility and recognition towards the woman who is the central character in the story. Sheri Garba is referred to as a yearly act of penitence.

The men also dance to get blessings from Sadu Mata and thank her for their fulfilled prayers. This unique custom has also been likened to the Karnataka folklore tale Nale Ba, which was shown in the movie Stree in 2018, featuring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor.

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