Mumbai: Navratri seems to be losing its charm this year. Ghatkopar residents suffered a major shock as two prominent organizers of dandiya raas, Jignesh Khilani of the Ghatkopar Gujarati Samaj and Ramesh Morabiya, who have been in the business for 18-25 years pulled out, leaving the Gujarati enclave without a single garba this season.Lack of sponsors, coupled with court restrictions on sound levels and the 10pm deadline, forced these old-timers not to host the festivities this year.The garba industry in the city is said to be worth Rs 50 crore.one of the organizers who has pulled out, said, “Over the years, we have found it very difficult to get sponsors to back us. The 10pm deadline had put a dampener on the festival already, and now, for the first time in 18 years, I am forced to stop organizing garba altogether.”Another big-ticket organiser of 25 years, Ramesh Morabiya has thrown up his hands as well. “My event was mostly sponsored by the real estate industry which is reeling under recession. The rates for ground hire and orchestra have become astronomical. Last year also, we did not have a sponsor, but a few friends managed to put together the event. Now, it is impossible.” Morabiya said his season tickets remained constant at Rs 300 for the last 25 years because he did not want Ghatkopar residents to go outside the suburb.A wave of disappointment has swept this eastern suburb. Both Khilani and Morabiya have been besieged by phone calls from regulars pleading with them to not truncate their events.A leader of the pack in Mulund, Mihir Kotecha of the BJP, has also called off his garba event. “A combination of factors is killing off festivals like dahi handi, Ganeshotsav and Navratri in Mumbai. We organize grand celebrations, expecting 10,000 to turn up, but is it practically possible to organize a festival with 10,000 under 65 decibels? Just at Dadar station, the noise is around 95dB. The 10pm deadline had already made it impossible for working people to enjoy the festival.”The man who made dandiya the phenomenon that it is, Devendra Joshi of Sankalp, also stopped organizing the event once his partnership with dandiya queen Falguni Pathak ended three years ago. “It is so sad to see this mega festival shrinking since the last couple of years. I am shocked to learn that Ghatkopar does not have a single garba this year. The reason is that corporate sponsors have almost exited the festival from the last couple of years because a slow economy has resulted in stagnant sales. New organizers are unable to position and market Navratri as an event. They must understand that this a cultural and religious festival, not merely business. The festival is also coming under tremendous pressure from various government departments. A mega star like Falguni Pathak may not have a problem gathering crowds, but the sad part is that the festival on the whole is losing its tempo,” said Joshi.