Holika Dahan or Choti Holi was celebrated in Ram Vihar on the eve of Holi festival. The programme started with lighting of the bonfire at sharp 7.00 pm. Lots of residents collected around the firewood and prayed for the well being and good health of their near and dear ones. Recorded songs on Holi were played before the programme commenced, to get everyone into the momentum of Holi.
The beautifully lighted and decorated lawn area enhanced the beauty of our society campus. What better way to ring in the festival of colours than with a musical programme!! This musical evening was put up by a team of veteran officers from all the three services Army, Navy and Air Force. The name of the group was “ANAGRAM”. ‘ANA’ got its name from Army, Navy and Air Force. ‘GRAM’ from Gramaphone. This group “ANAGRAM” was formed by Gp Capt GC Mehra. He along with 4 other singers is in the age group of 65 to 85 years. Age is just a number for them. They have a passion for singing and go to small gatherings like birthdays or anniversaries in Delhi and NCR for performing free of cost.
They are all Noida based and reside in and around Jal Vayu Vihar. These singers are Gp Capt G C Mehra, Maj Gen Sunil Kumar, Commander and Mrs Shalini Mathur and Col SS Malik. The evening began with the iconic Holi number ‘Holi Khele Ragubira’. Single and duet numbers which were very old and all time favorite were sung. The talented singers entertained all with their melodious voice and kept the audience spell bound. Couples and children got into the mood of dancing as they could not resist when such beautiful songs were being sung. The catchy lyrics and playful dance numbers instantly transformed the evening into a grand get together.
At 9.00 pm the programme ended. AVI caterers had put up a stall of vegetarian and non vegetarian Biryani. This was a perfect and hearty dinner which was served with raita and salad. It was super delicious with bursting flavours. Ice cream vendor was around and ice cream was sold like hot cakes. Coupons were sold earlier and thus the sale went off smoothly. The audience wanted to hear more but due to the time constraint could not continue further. The singers were escorted by the BOM and their spouses to the Community Hall, where they were offered drinks and dinner.
Col S Kochar (D- 614) knew the ANAGRAM group, so that’s how we could have the electrifying evening of music and entertainment. In the end our President Brig Ashok Anand gave a short vote of thanks. We are trying to have such entertainment evenings more often as this is how it brings us close to each other. The residents loved every minute and could not have expected anything more.
