The world of Geet Gawai music

More than a century ago, about half a million Indians came to Mauritius to work in the sugarcane fields. They brought with them their culture, their Gods and their varied and entertaining musical traditions.

Geet Gawai, is a women-only band, a musical tradition performed for Hindu weddings. They are the perfect occasion to discover the ancestral traditions we inherited from northern India.

We invite you to a singing and dancing rehearsal with Geet Gawai singers, dancers and musicians in a village. Besides the classical Indian musical instruments, you will be introduced to local instruments as well. Bottle caps, wooden sticks, copper pots... all these fascinating DIY instruments are made here.

And, if you feel like dancing, you can learn some moves! We will translate the lyrics of the songs for you as they provide a glimpse of a world filled with piety – but also funny advice to newly-weds.

The old ladies and their daughters will tell us how ancestral customs have been adapted to local life, thus giving way to a unique and mixed culture.