Escalating security concerns in wake of the serial blasts, coupled with tubrulent markets, is set to take a toll on this year’s Navratri celebrations in New Delhi.

Navratri is one of the biggest dance festivals celebrated in the state where people throng in huge numbers and play ‘Garba’ — a traditional form of dance — for nine nights. The festival begins on September 30.

According to Garba organisers, additional security arrangements like CCTV cameras on the Garba venues, extra security gaurds and dog squads to ensure safety of the people has shot up their budget this year by over 20 per cent.

On other hand, the corporate sponsors on whom the garba organisers heavily depend for funding, have cut down on their event sponsorship budgets by over 30 per cent, industry sources said.

This has left the organisers in a lurch, with less funds to cope up with the rise in event organising costs owing to the additional security arragements.

“We have made special security arrangements at the garba venue with CCTV cameras and extra security guards. This year we have also decided to have a dog squad present at the venue to deal with emergency situation,” an organiser who organises garba at Rajpath club in Delhi said on condition of anonimity.

“Our budget has increased by over 20 per cent owing to this extra security arrangements. On an average the cost of organising garba at big venues where over 5000 people come to dance every night, comes to around Rs 8-10 lakh per night,” the organiser said.

“But this year it could go up to 10-12 lakhs per night. With the sponsors cutting down on funding, we will have to pass on the extra cost to the customers,” the organiser said.

Some of the organisers, who do not want to be named said that they found it very difficult to get sponsors this year who could finance garba events.

According to industry sources, in last couple of years there has been a splurge in corporate houses coming forward with big sponsorships offers for professionally organised Garba events, especially in big cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara.

But due to volitality in the markets this year the companies decided to spend less on publicity and event sponsorships, sources said.

“Uncertainty in the markets has forced the corporates to rethink their statergy for this year’s Navaratri festival,” sponsorship coordinator for Garba events in the city Shailu Mathur said.

“Off late sponsors for garba events have been auto and telecom companies who want to promote their new products during the festival season,” Mathur said.

“But due to economic slump, coporates feel that prospects of increasing business opportunity through sponsorship of Navratri events is grim. Hence, cut down in event sponsorship budget,” he added.

“Some coporates have even slashed their budgets by 50 per cent compared to last year,” Mathur added. Sahara India Parivar Limited, who has been sponsoring Navratri events, has cut down on its sponsorship budget by 15-20 per cent.

“We have been investing in such events for building our brand equity. But with slump in the market the company has decided to invest in other ventures and cut down on event sponsorships,” an official handeling event sponsorships for Sahara India Parivar Limited said on condition of anonimity.

However, the organisers are keeping their fingers crossed and expecting a good crowd during the nine-day festivities which begins next week.

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