At least 10 people reportedly died of heart attacks in the Western state of Gujarat, India after the Garba dance at the ongoing Navratri Hindu festival.
Over 500 emergency calls were made within 24 hours after the dance and the government has issued an alert and asked the organisers of rhe events to take all necessary measures.
Garba is a dance that honors, worships, and celebrates the feminine form of divinity. The word “garba” comes from the Sanskrit word garbha, meaning “womb.”
Local TV news channel NDTV said: “Over 500 ambulance calls were made in 24 hours and the government has also issued an alert and asked the organisers of such events to take all necessary measures.
“It said the measures should include ensuring that ambulances are available to take people to hospitals if they feel unwell.’’
The deceased ranged from teenagers to middle-aged people, with the youngest being 13-year-old.
Parents of the 17-year-old deceased, Ripal Shah, with folded hands made an appeal to other revellers: “Please stay aware. Don’t play garba for long stretches of time without taking a break. I have lost my son today, I hope the same does not happen to anybody else.”
13-year-old also died of a heart attack in Vadodara district’s Dabhoi. Vaibhav Soni was returning from a garba event on a cycle when he fell and suffered minor injuries. He was taken to a hospital and some tests, including an X-ray, were conducted and he was discharged.
Vaibhav complained of chest pain later and his family put him to sleep after giving him some medicine. When he did not wake up a few hours later, he was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. However, officials said it is unclear whether the boy’s heart attack was linked to playing garba.
Dr Anurag Mehrotra advised people to avoid being sedentary and consume less processed and ultra-processed food.
“In most of these patients, there is evidence of coronary artery disease. The age for the onset of conronary artery disease (plaque buildup in the wall of the arteries), hypertension and diabetes has come down. We have a young population, but it is not very healthy.
“The second aspect is that if you do something that you are not accustomed to and you are exposed to that sort of exercise, these incidents occur,” Mehrotra added.
