The fourteenth day of February, Valentine’s Day, is earmarked for the Significant Other in your life, who you honour with flowers or chocolates or jewellery.
That is, if you’re bae’d up.
If you’re baeless, you lament the crass commercialisation of it all.
But if there’s a fun party happening in your circle, such as a masquerade ball, then you’ll go along regardless, especially if it’s a Friday night affair.
The party-lovers at the Australian Hindi Indians Association (AHIA) did just that: organise a masquerade party on 14 Feb.
Heart-shaped balloons welcomed the followers (and non-followers) of St.Valentine, some 150 masked guests, at Manjit’s Concord Function Centre.
Great pains were taken with the masks, given a competition had been announced for the ones most in the spirit of it all.
A fusion dinner, raffles for fund-raising (thanks to donations by Twinkle Diamonds and Angad Homewares), and some spectacular dancing defined the night.
What added to the fun of the evening were the flashmobs that swayed to Michael Buble and the Latin beats of the Rumba. Event organiser Preeti Thadani said, “I didn’t want the event on 14 Feb to merely be an end point, which is why I choreographed and taught dances to a wide age group of people. Everyone who enlisted to be a part of the dances was enthusiastic and game to try something new. The youngest in the group was 15 years old and the eldest in their 70s. To co-ordinate movement, rhythm and synchronicity amongst people who haven’t danced together before was a challenging journey but a very rewarding one. Over a few weeks new bonds of friendship were formed crossing the generation gap. Every dance practice ended with drinks, supper, laughter and good times.”
(For the popular Preeti, the Valentine’s Day motto that best suits must surely be ‘Let everything you do be done in love’.)
And for those who preferred a more desi flavour, emerging talent from the Natraj Academy kept all on their feet.
The event also gave AHIA management, head Sushma Ahluwalia particularly, to tell the guests about the activities of the organisation. Their community-based agenda has been strong over the years, especially for seniors, but it can safely be concluded, they also know how to throw a good party.
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