Residents of 7th A/B/C mains Kalyan Nagar once again came together in an unique show of camaraderie and celebrated community Diwali on a grand scale.
To recall, we celebrated 15th August’09 Independence Day celebration on a grand scale, which consisted of the following events
• our children exhibiting their talents through painting competition,
• Individual and group talent events,
• felicitating Government officials,
• Exciting games and
• the entire neighborhood enjoying the fun and frolic followed by a sumptuous dinner.
The momentum built needs to be sustained, and we planned to organizing the next set of events in our neighborhood.
In our residents meeting on 26th-Sept-2009, members made a proposal to celebrate community Diwali. The aim was to bring the Neighbors together and enhance bonding between each of us.
A core committee was formed to deliberate further and the team recommended the following
1. Aerial fireworks to be organized on 18th October-2009 (Sunday) in the open space between 7th A and 7th B main road intersection. 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
2. Potluck snacks get together to be organized in the evening. (Each family can bring in some sweets, Kara, special items etc made in their homes and share with their Neighbors). 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
a. Venue: Wing Commander Thomas Babu’s portico area
The contribution amount per family was fixed at Rs 400/- [Contribution for the event is voluntary]
Leaflets were circulated to all the houses in the neighborhood with an unambiguous and clear message “ Your Participation is key in making this event a grand success”
The event was a grand success. The atmosphere was very lively, with all the residents and their family in full attendance. The festive spirit was at its peak. 17 varieties of dishes along with betel leaves and nuts were available for the potluck dinner with residents enjoying the culinary skills of the neighborhood. Childerds and elders enjoyed the Aerial cracker display and dinner.
An article about the Community Diwali celebrations appeared in "Bangalore mirror" paper.
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=others&do=epaper
Page number 8 and article "TOGETHER, WE HAVE A BLAST!"
Community Diwali Celebrations
Gayatri Nair has nicely summed up the celebrations and the event and I do not want to repeat myself. the article is enclosed….
Article in Bangalore Mirror dated 15th Oct’2009 – By Gayatri Nair
TOGETHER, WE HAVE A BLAST!
Residents of 3 crosses in Kalyan Nagar will celebrate Community Deepavali and burst only aerial crackers in order to reduce noise and garbage
Akin to the community Ganesha festival, Deepavali too is going that way. All the 40 families who reside in 7th A, B and C crosses of Kalyan Nagar will celebrate Community Deepavali this time and burst only aerial crackers . Result: Less garbage and less noise.
SPREAD CHEER, NOT PAIN
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror , D S Rajshekar, a resident of Kalyan Nagar, said, We have, for the first time, planned to have a community Deepavali. All the 40-odd families living in 7th A, B and C crosses will come together to celebrate this festival on a BDA plot in Kalyan Nagar.
This is not just a neighbourhood building programme . It is much more. It is being done to keep surroundings clean and to prevent noise pollution, he said. Rajshekar said if the fire crackers are burst in one place, then the garbage collection , which includes the wrappers, will all be in one place, which means lanes will not become dirty .
BONDING EXERCISE
The Seventh Cross Friends Neighbourhood, as they call themselves, decided on this idea in August itself. This will enable the neighbours to bond better with one another , said Sundaresan Jagadeesan , a resident and senior manager, S T Ericsson . We have appointed sweepers who will clean the place after the celebrations.
Residents hope to reduce noise pollution too through this approach. We will not use any ground crackers. No bombs or chakras. We have opted for aerial crackers, including anar and rockets, for which all the families had to contribute Rs 400, said retired Wing Commander Thomas Babu, a resident of Kalyan Nagar for the past 15 years.
Giving a different perspective on aerial crackers, Kaushika Rama, a resident and a forex officer in Vijaya Bank, said, It is difficult to keep children away from crackers as they dont understand its repercussions. Restricting them to only aerial crackers will ensure they will have fun; at the same time, it will reduce the possibility of accidents.
When so many families are celebrating together, there is a better chance of elders watching over the children, he felt.
GHAR KA KHANA
Residents have taken the initiative of community building one step further by bringing sweets or eatables from home. Rajshekar said, We cant possibly ask one family to make food for all of us and we were not keen to have caterers. Each family will obviously make food for themselves, so they just have to slightly increase the quantity and bring some to the venue.
- by GAYATRI NAIR
To sum up, Of course in any society, we always have few Doubting Thomas’s. The organization of the event had its own challenges. The core committee had to burn its midnight oil to overcome these challenges. Finally we were successful in overcoming the incredulous thoughts and skepticism of few residents.
The collective will of the residents overcame all hiccups and ensured that the event was a grand success.
Thanks to the core committee members , the Residents, Bangalore Mirror for encouraging us in this initiative.
