Bharatiya Gorkhali Welfare Association – Gorkha Saanjh (14th Sep, 08)
For every Bharatiya Gorkhas staying in Bangalore, 14th of Sep will be the day which they will not forget in their entire life as that was the very day our Nepalese residing in Bangalore, put up, for the very first time in the history of Bangalore, a function, for our Nepali brothers and sisters, which was of a majestic scale. Therefore, it marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Gorkhas in Bangalore. We can called it a dawn of a new era, an important milestone for the Gorkhas. The association, a brainchild of one Ex Army man, a resident of Bangalore; with an overwhelming support of the youths who have come over from different parts of the hills, put up a major function at St John’s Auditorium, Koramangala on the 14th of Sep, 08.
It all began with a friend of mine telling me that there is a function that the committee members are working upon, as he had been in touch with them for a couple of weeks. I dismissed it to be a rumour. But much to mine and everybody’s surprise, there indeed was a function that was to be held in Bangalore. Emotions were running high because for all our Nepalese who are working in various private sectors such as BPOs, and students in various colleges, it was a platform to meet up their fellow Nepalese in what is now their home away from home. Also it was the “We Feeling” that was inculcated by the the sudden news of the all Gorkha show. Last but not the least; it was a major platform for our very own Nepalese people to showcase their talents.
Tickets were priced at 250, 300, etc for which there was a lifetime membership. The Scheduled time was 4:30pm but was later extended to around 5:30pm because of the continuous inflow of people from different parts of Bangalore.
The weather was on our side that day. Arriving at the scene early, what we witnessed was a chunk of our people busy with their chores. A lot of known faces were what we could see inside the auditorium. Everything was running smoothly, from lights to the sound. It was picture perfect. From what we could see, we could tell that, even before the show had started, that the show would be a tremendous success because of the hard work and endeavor that had gone in making up the show.
However, in some time, it started raining cats and dogs, but that did not deter the enthusiastic and much devoted Nepalese people to brave the extreme rain and make it to the show. As the crowd gathered momentum, the show started with a Welcoming speech, followed by the Chief Guest lighting the lamp, marking the beginning of the show; a new chapter for our Gorkhas in Bangalore. The crowd roared with excitement. People were still pouring in, making the auditorium jam-packed, much to everyone’s surprise.
Once the Lighting ceremony was over, it was followed by a brilliant cultural dance performed by our brothers and sisters of Christ College. Dressed in the traditional Daura-sural and Chaubandi Cholo, they surely did steal the show. That was followed by a huge round of applause.
This was followed by popular Nepali songs which got an overwhelming response. Next was the Fashion show in which our Nepali models showcased their trendy street wears. A model who is a former Gladrags Mr. India contestant also walked the ramp. This was followed by another Nepali song and then there was a cultural dance by students of Mount Carmel College. A lot of popular Adhunik and Lok Nepali songs kept the audience on their toes. There was also a Skit (satire) that was put up which was quite humorous.
There was an intermission of around half an hour for people to refresh themselves. Stalls had been put up that were selling momos and pork rice, a typical Nepalese delicacy. Since the food was excellent and there was such a massive queue built up that it got over in no time. Everyone seemed to have relished the food. After the intermission was over there many bands playing some good Nepali music which had the crowd go gaga. Everybody was having a gala time. There were another few rounds of Fashion shows in which models showcased their latest collection. At one point of time, there was a song called Nepali ho being performed when the crowd went crazy. They literally climbed the staged and danced their way to glory. In fact one could see everybody standing from their respective seats and swaying away to the rhythm of the song. This was one sight to see.
With the passage of time, the show was coming to an end. But the crowd was so excited, that they wanted more of it. It looked like the crowd loved each and every bit of it. For the organizers, to see the smiles on the faces of hundreds of Nepalese, this was a time for them to rejoice as they had executed this task smoothly without any hassles.
Lastly there was a speech by Mr. Pravin Subba followed by a vote of thanks which marked the closure of the grand function. This was followed by a last group song in which they sang a very touching and old Nepali song called Chalaychha Batash which filled the air with nostalgia.
From what one experienced that day, it is sure that the memories of this function will linger in the hearts of all the Nepalese people who had come to witness this function of a grand scale in a different corner of our country. This has also paved way for a stronger Nepali fraternity which was the basic idea. It was also a constructive approach to unite the Nepalese so that in this place, at any point of time, we as a strong community, can help and lend a hand to our faltering brothers and sisters and move towards the upliftment of our people. Hats off to all those who made this show a success and sowed the seed for many more shows of an even bigger scale to take place in the days to come. Figments of our imagination have been made into reality. Cheers to that!
