Parth Patel Interview
“If you’re afraid of being judged by 50 people who know you, you’ll never reach the millions who don’t.”
Parth Patel believes Garba isn't about perfect steps—it's about creating a space where people feel joy, belonging, and emotional freedom. As the founder of Thangaat Garba, he reveals how turning culture into community—not just choreography—is the secret behind building a movement with global ambitions.
Q. How did your journey with Garba begin, and how did Thangaat Garba eventually come to life?
Honestly, my journey with Garba began in the most unexpected way. Thanks to Ankit , he was the one who made me fall in love with Garba.
Before Thangaat, both Ankit and I were dancers, but our backgrounds were quite different. Around 2012, I was actively involved in styles like hip-hop, Bollywood, and lyrical dance, while Ankit was deeply rooted in the Garba world and regularly performed at Falguni Pathak’s Navratri events with his team. He also ran a successful dance academy and, more importantly, was the person who introduced me to Garba and helped me develop a genuine love for the art form. As we ventured into the café business together, Ankit chose to dedicate more of his time and energy to building that new chapter, while I became increasingly involved with his Garba group. Through that experience, I immersed myself in the culture, emotion, and community that make Garba so special, and over time it became an inseparable part of my life.
A major turning point came in 2017 when I was honoured with the title of “King” at Falguni Pathak’s Navratri event - one of the most prestigious Garba platforms in the world. While the recognition was incredibly meaningful, I still had no plans of starting Garba classes. However, in 2018, things changed organically. Through my teaching style, dance approach, and growing presence on Instagram, I began receiving numerous requests from students who wanted to learn Garba from me. The interest kept growing, and I realised there was a genuine opportunity to create something meaningful. I approached Ankit with the idea of starting a small batch, simply to explore the response. What began as a fun experiment quickly gained momentum. We launched our first two batches with around 40 students each, even before having a formal brand name. Students joined because they connected with our teaching and vision.
The turning point came when organisers of Falguni Pathak’s Navratri event asked for our academy name and social media page. The only challenge was - we had neither. In less than an hour, our team came together to brainstorm a name that felt authentic and distinctive. That's when the name Thangaat came to me, inspired by the iconic song Mor Bani Thangaat Kare. The word perfectly captured the joy, celebration, rhythm, and energy we wanted our community to represent. The moment the name clicked, I transformed my personal Instagram account into Thangaat Garba - an account that continues to be our primary platform even today. And that's how Thangaat Garba was born: through passion, timing, unexpected opportunities, and one simple decision to begin.
Q. What makes Thangaat Garba different from a traditional Garba institute, and what kind of community were you trying to create?
For me, Garba has always been far more than just a dance form.
While many institutions focus heavily on technical perfection, discipline, and preserving traditional structure - which I deeply respect - my personal relationship with Garba was always rooted in joy and emotional freedom. Whenever I attended Garba practice or Navratri events, the strongest feeling I experienced was happiness. Garba became my escape from stress, my therapy, and the one place where I could completely lose myself in the moment. That emotional connection became the foundation of .
We never wanted to create just another dance institute. We wanted to build a space where people felt accepted, connected, and emotionally uplifted. A place where people would look forward to those one or two hours of togetherness - dancing, laughing, dressing up, meeting others, and simply feeling alive. What makes me most proud today is that our community extends far beyond dance. We have doctors, surgeons, dentists, entrepreneurs, and professionals from completely different fields who still actively contribute to Thangaat - not for recognition or money, but because they genuinely feel emotionally connected to this family and this energy. Even people who may not dance “perfectly” still want to be a part of Thangaat because our foundation has never been perfection. It has always been belonging. Especially for today’s generation, Garba has become a powerful emotional outlet. In a world where people constantly feel disconnected, stressed, or overwhelmed, Garba creates genuine human connection again.
At Thangaat, we never wanted the atmosphere to feel rigid or intimidating. We wanted it to feel like home - a place where people could truly be themselves and leave happier than they arrived.
Q. What were some of the biggest lessons you learnt while scaling Thangaat Garba into such a large community and brand?
Honestly, when we first started, we never viewed Thangaat Garba as a business. It was born purely out of passion, happiness, and love for Garba. Over time, that very passion gradually transformed into our profession - and I think that’s something everyone dreams of experiencing in life. Interestingly, our growth happened very organically. People genuinely connected with our energy, our teaching style, and the emotional environment we were building.
But if I had to identify the biggest reason behind our growth, it would undoubtedly be our team. Today, we have nearly 200 people working with us across teaching and non-teaching departments. Over the years, we built a proper organisational structure with location heads, creative leads, course coordinators, event teams, and many others functioning together like one family. What makes me truly proud is the loyalty and love people still have for Thangaat.
In today’s world, building a genuinely passionate and committed team is incredibly difficult. I strongly believe that if your team is strong, growth becomes unstoppable. One important lesson this journey taught me is that leadership can never be selfish. You cannot build something meaningful if you only think about yourself. You have to uplift the people standing beside you, support them, and grow together.
For me, success has always been about collective growth rather than individual achievement.
Q. What does a typical day in your life look like while balancing creativity, teaching, content creation, and entrepreneurship?
Honestly, no two days in my life are ever the same - and that unpredictability is probably the most exciting part of entrepreneurship. As a founder, your responsibilities are never limited to one department. You constantly have to think about every aspect of the brand simultaneously.
People often assume that building a brand is only about marketing or social media growth, but there’s an enormous amount happening behind the scenes. From training students and mentoring teams to choreography, photography, creative direction, content shoots, operational planning, and event management - every single day brings a completely new responsibility. We usually begin our days with structured planning and detailed to-do lists because when you’re managing a large team and community, organisation becomes extremely important. But despite planning, every day still unfolds differently. One day I may be fully focused on choreography and training sessions, while another day could revolve around campaigns, meetings, brainstorming creative concepts, or shooting content. What keeps me motivated is that I genuinely love every aspect of the process. I enjoy creativity, people, storytelling, leadership, and building experiences that emotionally impact others.
So even though the work can become extremely hectic, it never feels monotonous.
That, to me, is the beauty of entrepreneurship.
Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start in Garba, content creation, or any creative field today?
My biggest advice is simple - put yourself out there.
Most people hesitate because they are worried about being judged by others. But honestly, if you remain afraid of the opinions of 50 people who know you, you’ll never reach the millions of people who don’t know you yet. Today, social media has given everyone an opportunity to create, express, and build something meaningful. But growth only begins once you overcome fear and take the first step. Nobody starts perfectly. What matters is simply beginning. At the same time, passion alone is never enough. If someone genuinely wants to build a brand — whether in Garba, fashion, fitness, food, or content creation — they must first study the industry deeply. Observe successful creators, understand the market, identify gaps, and ask yourself what unique value you can provide.
That’s where real growth begins. Another important lesson I’ve learned is the importance of building both a team and a community. A solo creator can definitely grow temporarily, but long-term brands are built through people. Today, after years of building Thangaat, we have a family of thousands who emotionally connect with what we represent. That support system becomes your greatest strength. So my advice would be: stop overthinking, trust your energy, work sincerely on your craft, and create something people emotionally resonate with.
The moment people begin believing in your energy, growth becomes unstoppable.
Q. Today, Garba is becoming increasingly modern and trendy globally. How do you personally balance tradition with evolution?
I personally believe everything evolves with time - culture, music, fashion, art, and even the way people express themselves emotionally.
And I think Garba is evolving beautifully too. For me, evolution and tradition are not enemies. The real balance lies in preserving the soul and emotional essence of Garba while still allowing creativity and modern expression to grow. At , we have never positioned ourselves as a strictly “authentic-only” institution. Our primary focus has always been the emotion Garba creates - happiness, celebration, energy, freedom, and togetherness. For me personally, Garba is happiness. At the same time, we deeply respect devotion, spirituality, and the traditional roots of Navratri. But my understanding of spirituality is slightly different. I believe God exists not only in rituals, but also in energy, kindness, positivity, and the way we treat people around us.
To me, creating an environment where people feel respected, emotionally safe, and connected is itself a form of devotion. People often debate what “real Garba” is, but historically, Garba itself originated as a collective emotional expression before it became technically structured. Over generations, music changed, movements evolved, and presentation transformed - and that evolution is exactly what keeps culture alive for newer generations. So I truly believe tradition and modernity can coexist beautifully, as long as the soul of Garba remains alive.
Q. What is the larger vision you hold for Thangaat Garba in the future?
I honestly see in two ways - one from a business perspective and the other from a deeply emotional and cultural perspective. From a business standpoint, yes, I absolutely envision Thangaat becoming a global cultural brand far beyond just dance classes. Over time, we realised that Thangaat had evolved into much more than Garba training - it had become a lifestyle and emotional community. That’s why we’ve slowly expanded into multiple verticals. Last year, we introduced Thangaat Traditional, stepping into Navratri fashion and traditional clothing. We’re also building online learning platforms, tutorials, and digital systems so people across the world can learn Garba from us. Alongside that, we are actively exploring YouTube content, music production, our own music label, and larger cultural experiences through Thangaat Events.
Our vision is to bring every meaningful aspect connected to Garba, Navratri, and Gujarati culture under one strong ecosystem. But beyond business, there is one deeply personal dream I carry in my heart. I want the entire world to know what Garba is. Just the way people globally recognise hip-hop or instantly know icons like Michael Jackson, I dream of seeing Garba recognised internationally not merely as a festival activity, but as an emotional art form and cultural movement. The day people across the world recognise Garba with that kind of familiarity, respect, and emotional connection - I will genuinely feel I’ve contributed something meaningful to the world.
That is the true vision behind Thangaat Garba.
Bio:
Parth Patel is a dancer, entrepreneur, and cultural visionary redefining the modern Garba experience through . Blending traditional Gujarati culture with contemporary creativity, he has built one of India’s most dynamic Garba communities rooted in joy, inclusivity, and emotional connection. From being crowned “King” at Falguni Pathak’s prestigious Navratri celebrations to leading a thriving cultural brand with global ambitions, Parth represents a new generation of creators preserving tradition while making it relevant for today’s youth. Through dance, content, fashion, and community-building, he continues working towards taking Garba from a regional celebration to a globally recognised cultural movement.
Interviewed by: Gunjan Joshi
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