The police directive restricting the garba to four hours played a major role in the decision, chief organiser Nitin Sandesara told Express Newsline, adding, however, that they also had religious reasons. The Arkee Garba opened its doors to the public in 1988.

``It's simply not possible to cram into two-and-a-half hours what used to be spread over five-and-a-half hours. It damages the rhythm'', Sandesara said. ``Though we urge people repeatedly to come by 9 pm, no one turns up before 11 o'clock. And the police want us to wrap up proceedings by 1 am. It is difficult to honour the limit when things begin late.''

The Arkee Garba used to be so popular that NRIs used to time their visit to India to coincide with Navratri, Sandesara said, claiming that every year, lakhs of youngsters flocked to the venue. Aarkee's popularity could also be judged by the fact that when thousands were dancing inside, an equal number, if not more, was waiting outside for entry. ``We revolutionised the festival by introducing new tunes and new compositions all based on classical music every year. Our compositions used to be copied elsewhere the next year'', Sandesara said.

``For the last couple of years, the authorities started insisting on strict obedience to the time restrictions. We thought enough was enough'', another organiser said.