Diwali Nite – a bright, beautiful and festive evening
Diwali Nite update
Diwali Nite – a bright,
beautiful and festive evening
The festival of lights was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the Emperor Hall, NSCI on Saturday, October 26. The mood was celebratory, the colours were vibrant and the entire ambience was joyous and gay. Enlivening practice sessions for the event had begun in the second week of September at Rotary President Nirav Shah’s residence and went a long way in strengthening bonds between Rotaryannes and Inner Wheel members. Rachna Agarwal, Rakhi Reshamwala, Tarang Jain, Mona Nevatia, Sudha Gokal, Damini Kamdar, Anisha Jolly, Hanni Bagasrawala, Shailja Mogul, Asha Shah, to name a few, enjoyed the invigorating rehearsals. The evening dancing sessions with the men were especially enjoyable. The energetic bhangra evoked the most response and Mehul and Miloni Sampat, Subhash and Rita Sagar, Ashwin and Dhvanika Thakkar had great fun while practising the moves.
The lavish feast of various cuisines and mouth-watering desserts, prepared and laid out lovingly by President Nirav’s mother, Arunika, at every session, was the icing on the rehearsal cake.
PP Nandan Damani and Shreelekha Damani had also kindly hosted a Sunday practice session at their residence.
A behind-the-scenes teaser that was screened at one of the Rotary meetings prior to the event had aroused great interest in all the members and when the evening finally unfolded, it did not disappoint a soul.
The brilliant colours of the evening that found expression in the gorgeous saris, anarkalis and churidar-kurtas of the Rotaryannes and Rotarians, glittered even as the spirit of the festive season was portrayed by the lively dances performed by 39 Rotarians, Rotaryannes and Inner Wheel members.
Dances to beats and moods ranging from the graceful and folksy Rajasthani and Maharashtrian to the lively Gujarati garba and the peppy Punjabi bhangra were performed. Ashwin and Dhwanika enthralled the audience with a flawless performance on Pyar ki yeh kahani while the graceful trio of Swapana, Vandana and Malti kept everyone spellbound with their breathtaking movements to Breathless.
Choreographer Vandana Gandhi Shah, who has choreographed more than a thousand shows all over India and abroad in the past 26 years and teaches children with autism, was rewarded for her patience by sterling acts by the Rotarians and Rotaryannes. Her compositions and the able support provided by her two assistants — Prachi, a stickler for work and Ujwala, a reiki master — finally bore fruit as participants with two left feet danced their way to near-perfect performances.
It was exhilarating when Past Presidents and their spouses — Vithal and Lata, Nandan and Shreelekha, Harry and Biba, Arvind and Rashmi and Nalin Parikh — sportingly shook a leg to Jogi nach le in response to an impromptu invitation. Incoming Rotary President Shailesh Haribhakti and spouse Ameeta were also cheered as they joined in.
Young-at-heart couples Deepak and Neeta Kapadia, Shivkumar and Komal Israni, Pranay and Sweta Vakil, Nirav and Devina Shah, Hiren and Bijal Kara, Ashok and Vatsala Jatia and Mudit and Malti Jain professed their love for each other as they danced to the tune of Jab koi baat bigad jaaye.
The presence of Honorary Rotarian Ajay Piramal and Swati Piramal lent special grace to the occasion.
The show was hosted with great wit and Manish Reshamwala and Freyaz Shroff’s humour added to the merriment of the dazzling evening. The show ended with President Nirav’s signature Jai Ho and all participants took their bows and cheered for one another. President Nirav acknowledged the presence of the oldest Rotarian, 99-year-old Haso Thadani, and thanked his parents for their support. The birthday of Rtn. Samir Mogul and Rotaryanne Miloni Sampat was also announced to happy birthday cheers.
Rtn. Poonam Lalvani added “love and light” to the evening as she gave out diyas made by children of an NGO that is supported by Life Trust, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of the store brand Lifestyle.
Towards the end of the evening, an epicurean buffet, meticulously planned by President Nirav’s father, Niranjan, to suit every palate, was laid out by Harish Bhai of Popular Caterers. The starters began with malai broccoli, asparagus wonton rolls, saffron risotto fritters, murgh adraki tikka and whet the appetite for the main course spread of Greek yemista, bourekakia, souvalaki, cocas, zucchini spaghetti tossed with roasted almonds, Amritsari nan kulcha, chana, rich and spicy Punjabi paneer, baked corn handvo, dal dhokli, corn curry with rice and more. When it came to dessert, one was again spoilt for choice with a veritable assortment of delicious delights — apple pie, chocolate truffle pastries, peach pastries (all homemade under the guidance of President Nirav’s mother), baked butterscotch halwa, sarafa rasmalai and tender coconut malai.
As the evening neared its end, everyone got up to dance to the music of DJ Shiva, wishing that every day was Diwali!
Fellowship Chairperson Ashok Minawala and Co-Chair Manoj Murarka excelled in organising yet another fun-filled fellowship. The evening also would not have been such a success without the effort of Inner Wheel President Vandana Daga and Rotaryanne Swapana Murarka.
Their commitment, creativity and support — from conception to planning to decoration of the celebrations — were unparalleled. President Nirav and First Lady Devina also did their best in gathering as many members and their families for the evening and also hosting it in such a manner that everyone enjoyed and bonded with one other, a primary Rotary objective.
A very happy Diwali to all!
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