While the city lights blur your vision with glitters and lights of upscale Navratri celebrations at night, a 60-year-old man smiles his way through the festivity on an old, battered but decorated scooter with an empty sidecar.
“This decorated sidecar was a space once filled with the presence of my wife Jaya,” says Hasmukh Darji aka Hasmukh Kaka as his creased face beams a smile.
“My wife died in 2020 and loved roaming around the city with me in this scooter. After her death, every Navratri, I roam from west to east Ahmedabad, listening to garba, imagining her right beside me in this sidecar,” he adds, pointing at the empty seat beside him.
The empty seat, however, is not sombre, by any means. Being a tailor and designer by profession, he has transformed his battered scooter into a Navratri attraction which is a sight to behold.
The scooter adorned with shimmering red fabric, embroidered with mirrors weaves through traffic. An intricately embroidered umbrella with vibrant LED lights around it sways in the Navratri air.
The rhythmic beats of garba songs in praise of Ambe Maa hum softly from his Bluetooth speaker.
“When I see people waving at me, smiling, and I offer kids a ride in the sidecar, my heart fills with happiness,” says Hasmukh Kaka.
He travels around 60-70 km every night during Navratri. On Sundays, the routes change, but the joy of exploring new roads remains unchanged.