It rained on the night of Holi and so the grand celebration planned at DL Block had to be postponed till the weekend.
The event was rounded off with a musical feast by guest artistes but not before residents set the tempo for the evening.
A chorus of women performed songs like Ora okarone chanchal, Shob dibi ke and Ore bokul parul. It was directed by Bharati Chatterjee. And then it was over to some 30 dancers who performed on behalf of Kalangan Nrityalaya, the DL Block-based dance school.
Devleena Lahiri, a software engineer who lives in BJ Block, opened the recital with a kathak-based piece on Krishna, the deity has a strong connection with the festival of colours. No sooner did she finish than other dancers started filtering out of the audience.
“It was like a flash mob. The song Ore grihobashi played on the speakers but the audience didn’t expect the dancers to emerge from among them,” smiled Arpita Chatterjee, a lawyer who runs the dance school. “We mingled on the ground before hitting the stage.”
All 35 dancers performed to Ore grihobasi and then there were smaller groups dancing to songs of spring like Phagun haway haway and Khela bhangar khela.
Not just children, there were several mothers of dancers who took part too. “Some students like Sisriksha Maity and her mother Piyali, and sisters Prishni and Prerana Patra along with their mother Tripti had left for vacations after Monday, when the Holi show was originally planned. When the show got rescheduled they took trains overnight to make it to the show,” said Arpita, impressed with their dedication.
There was also Nalin Bose, an energetic boy, who took part with his mother Sampa.
Block secretary Archita Deb said they celebrate the festival every year with probhat pheri in the morning, play of colours during the day and cultural programmes after dusk. “This time performers as well as audiences turned up in the evening only to return dejected as it started raining,” said Deb. “But with everyone’s support we could pull it off successfully in the weekend.”
Minister and MLA Sujit Bose and councillor Kakali Saha were also present. “Being a resident of DL Block I have been closely associated with its activities for years. This is a season to meet loved ones and celebrate. Now I am attending Dol events as well as Iftar parties,” said Saha.
The show concluded with songs by Tushima Bhattacharya, Suday Sarkar and Deepanwita Choudhury of Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa fame.