Dandia: where every step is a story, every twirl is an emotion, and every beat is pure magic! And on 23 October ATS Village reverberated in the purely magical Dandia beats resonating across the length and breadth of the society. The evening was young, the music was riveting as if calling the residents – “Come join me in this mesmerizing festive fervor and soak yourselves in the spirit of dance and devotion.” And voila! The response from the villagers was fervid as they turned up in large numbers flaunting traditional garba attire – men in Kafni Pyjama, round Kurta, and a turban embellished with sequins for the head and women flaunting intricately embroidered Lehengas with tiny mirrors and shells, dupattas adorned with heavy silver and gold plated jewellery, Maang tika, chunky metal bracelets, scintillating Jhumkas and the list is endless.
Dussehra and Navratri are the most eagerly awaited epic Indian festivals that celebrate the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance in the form of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana. ATS Village has always celebrated all festivals in an aura of bonhomie and this Dussehra was no different. It was an evening meticulously organized by the BoM and ably led by the cultural secretary, Shail Tiwary, with support from Mr. David under the guidance of President, PS Arora and Secretary, RK Sanghi. The grand centre stage was the cynosure of the gathering where the evening started with lighting of the auspicious lamp by the office bearers of the BoM. The cultural extravaganza started with Ganesh Vandana followed by dance performances by a few residents. This was followed by the showstopper of the evening – The grand Dandia presented by ladies of the society who had put in lots of efforts practicing in the run up to the evening.
The shopping arcade along both the sides of the stage was adorned with intricately decorated stalls selling a vast gamut of items on home décor, apparels, bric-a-brac home interiors et al and a vast gamut of delectable spreads for the connoisseurs of food. The air was redolent of the aroma from the street food area selling lip-smacking Tikki chaat, Golgappa, Paav Bhaji and a diverse range of authentic regional victuals.
The village seems to have regained its mojo in living and celebrating life and its happiness together as a community. After a hiatus of a few years, the residents are back again on a roll celebrating all the festivals together. This Dandia evening will be remembered for long for the unprecedented number of people joining in the celebrations and have certainly opened the gates for a festive fiesta in the days to come.
Kudos to ATS Villagers’ unwavering penchant for fun and frolic to unwind and escape from the humdrum of their lives!
