Sydneysiders fund fifteen rickshaws with Holi Hullad
Sydney Poet Rekha Rajvanshi along with The Indian Down Under and Sharma’s Kitchen organised a Holi variety program for charity collecting funds for rickshawwallas in Delhi and Queenland Flood Relief. Seen here Sydneysiders enjoying the night in a benevolent spirit.
Holi Hullad, a charity function at Parravilla Function Centre on March 25 , 2011 was an excellent gathering with a hall decorated in pink, blue and golden hues. The program was organised by Sydney based poet Rekha Rajvanshi and was sponsored by the Indian Down Under and Sharma’s Kitchen. It was supported by Best & Less Travels, Parravilla Function Lounge and Sydney Sakhi Sangam.
Bipen Sharma of Sharma’s Kitchen, Mala Mehta of Indo-Aus Bal Bharati Hindi School and Chandru Tolani’s mother lighted the ceremonial lamp to an auspicious start and then Astha Rajvanshi, an upcoming Kathak dancer, presented a classical dance ”˜Tarana’ for the auspicious occasion. Avijit Sarkar’s students Will and Geetanjali sang two popular songs which were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. Dholi Sunny’s Dhol warmed up the evening as people mixed and mingled in the inviting atmosphere. Thandai ”“ a drink served on the festival of Holi, was also being enjoyed. Many singers pelted favourite numbers from the golden era to the latest film songs. A newly arrived singer from New Zealand, Chitra, sang ”˜barish ka dosa hai’ which was adored by everybody, whilst Riaz Shah reverberated the hall with his ”˜O Dunia Ke Rakhwale’. A young and upcoming Bollywood play back singer, Ankita Sachdev, sang ”˜Lag ja gale’ beautifully. This Sydney starlet arrived fresh from Mumbai, where she is currently based, after her song for A R Rahman’s film Raavan, and having earlier sung ”˜Jana Gana Mana’ in Krazzy 4 was welcomed with open arms by all, with many fans mesmerized by her song delivery.
The evening was a success as people enjoyed various styles of dancing from Kathak, Dandiya and Bollywood. Dancers from Ruchi Sanghi Dance School included Astha Rajvanshi, Cheryl Khurana, Natasha Handa and Anika Misra, who danced to an old favourite ”˜Tumko Piya dil Diya’ and ”˜Holi’ from Mangal Pandey. Purvi Desai choreographed a beautiful Gujrati folk dance for the show, which was a mix of Dandiya and contemporary dance. Akshita Mohan entertained the audience to a sizzling Bollywood number.
It was an interactive evening with the audience participating in a Bollywood trivia quiz presented by well-known singer Vinod Rajput and upcoming starlet Divya Dhingra. Vinod Rajput’s group ”˜Band Baja’ performed some excellent numbers. Sunanda’s Holi Thumri was a masterpiece of classical singing and she sang ”˜Thandi Hawayein’. Rekha Rajvanshi, Ajoy Ghosh and Divya Dhingra engaged the audience as MCs, whilst Richard Singh of Saraswani Orchestra provided the music.
There were plenty of prizes to be won including two tickets to upcoming Jagjit Singh concert, a Taronga Zoo family pass, dinner for two at 3 restaurants and a camera by Phoenix World Travel. The Indian newspaper donated beautiful flower bouquets for all the people who participated in the event wholeheartedly.
Holi Hullad was a night of pure entertainment along with scrumptious food, wine and piping hot Jalebis cooked by Chhindi. Sharma’s Kitchen donated their famous paneer, which the guests heartily enjoyed as the chefs of Parravilla turned them into freshly fried paneer pakoras. The evening’s proceeds collected funds for two charitable causes ”“ the Queensland Flood Relief and a Rickshaw Giveaway project conducted by Delhi University students pledging 200 new rickshaws to Rickshawallas operating in the University area. Sydney siders were quite generous in donating 15 rickshaws for the worthwhile cause.
People who donated rickshaws include: Chandru Tolani, Kamal Athwal, Percy Vij, Sheba Nandkeolyar of Multicall, Mala Mehta, Madhu Chaudhary, Sanjay Deshwal, Ajay Raj, Joginder Lamba, The Indian down Under and Lalit Anand.
Holi Hullad has been added as another successful social event in Sydney diary as it delivered its promise of spreading the colours of joy in people’s life.
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