When you first start talking to him, Jigar Soni sounds like any other Gujju who is passionate about Navratri and Garba because he speaks about it so excitedly! But as the conversation moves further, you realise that he’s an intelligent, smart, kind and compassionate man all rolled into one.
Jigar an MBA from a renowned institute, is the National Head Sales for Air Deccan and sells helicopters and private planes for a living. But unlike many men, planes and cars are not what he is passionate about! What Jigar loves most is dancing.
Both Jigar and his brother Suhrad Soni are authentic Garba dancers. When I say authentic, I mean minus the western or the Bollywood touch to it. They are specially trained in folk dance and specialise in the pure form of Garba. Today they run the biggest Garba school, in the world with centers across 6 countries and 14 cities across the world. “Our main purpose to open this school which is called SSGD was to teach people authentic Garba as we were not happy with the way people have been messing with our culture and adding the western and Bollywood touch to it. We wanted to teach Garba in the purest form,” says Jigar.
But it’s not the dance school that we want to discuss here but the humanitarian work that these brothers have been doing for the past few years. Besides keeping busy with their high flying jobs, the Soni brothers conduct dance lessons for students of St. Catherine Of Siena School And Orphanage in Mumbai. They have been dedicatedly teaching these underprivileged children and these children are all set to perform on World Dance Day today. 12 girls and 4 boys between ages 8-12 will perform the dance on a special folk song.
9 year old Shabbo who has always been loving dancing. She wanted to learn some sort of dance form and perform somewhere in front of an audience. Her dream came true when she got to learn from the Soni brothers and now can not just dance but is ready to give a fantastic Garba performance. “I enjoyed learning the Garba. I only knew a little about it, but Jigar sir has taught me so much. I want to learn more,” she said.
“I was surprised to see these students at St Catherine’s, that with little or no knowledge about this dance form, they learnt Garba steps so fast. I am proud of all of them with the kind of dedication they have shown towards learning,” adds Jigar.
Suhrad who is the co-founder and mentor of SSGD said that teaching kids are the most special thing for them, especially for World Dance Day. “The amount of love we have gotten from these children is overwhelming. These kids have made World Dance Day special not just for them but for us as well as we look forward to their performance,” he shared.
Both the brothers are so overwhelmed by the love the children at the orphanage give them, that they make it a point to be there every week personally to teach them as long as they are in Mumbai and not travelling for work.
Here’s A Little About Jigar And Suhrad’s Dance School; SSGD
SSGD has been recognized by UNESCO for its contribution to Indian folk dance culture and has performed in United Nations as well. The Soni brothers were invited to perform at the Trafalgar Square by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Jigar and Suhrad were honored by the Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Bob Blackman on September 2017 at the House of Commons in UK’s parliament house.
They have taught more than 10,000 students across the world. SSGD has its presence worldwide in countries like UK, UAE, Switzerland, Ireland, and the USA. “Most of our students abroad are not Indians but from various other nationalities and it’s a great feeling to see them enjoy our folk dances,” says Jigar.
On World Dance Day today, we say dance the night away!
Read Also: 5 Best Bollywood Dance Numbers Featuring Prabhu Deva
