Dhunuchi, Diwali and divine music

Roshan Choudhury writes on the entertainment of a spectacular evening.

Bijoya, marking the victory of good over evil, is celebrated with great devotional gusto as Ma Durga defeated the evil Mahishasur. Diwali, the beautiful festival of lights, also marks return of Lord Rama after the defeat of evil Ravan.

DI celebrated Bijoya and Diwali with aplomb and laid out an evening of mesmerizing dhunuchi naach, spectacular fireworks, followed by a melodious musical evening and a barbecue which Amit Dutt will tell you more about in his inimitable style.

Our DI children welcomed members and guests with warm giggles and tilaks. Artistic ‘rangolis’ decorated the entrance. Guests settled on the lawns and festive wishes could be heard as they greeted each other. We awaited the beginning of festivities. 

I could see that due care had been taken for safety. Fire extinguishers, water hose, gunny bags all laid out ready in case of need. Rope was tied across the lawn demarcating the performance and firework area from the audience area.

Excited children took the front seats, not wanting to miss any part of the evening. Members and guests filled the chairs. Emcee Joy Mazumdar greeted everyone and announced the start of the first performance.

The evening festivities began with the all familiar sound of the beating of the ‘dhaks’ by the Dhakis. Beautiful Dhunuchi naach followed with the dancer carrying two dhunuchis filled with burning coal. The dhunuchi naach was a fine balancing act with graceful moves. White smoke from the dhunuchis filled the air as he bid farewell.

Little dashing Jaden Robinson was the show stopper as he energetically performed the dhunuchi naach to the beat of the dhakis. Jaden was a sight to behold and all his little friends crowded around and cheered him on.

Fireworks started exactly at 7.30 pm as planned with a sparkler tree being lit and the shower of golden sparkles lighting up the spectators’ eyes. A rocket from the tennis court made all the spectators turn towards the court and more rockets followed. One after another, anaars, the golden firepots were lit and it seemed sparkly golden Christmas trees magically appeared in front of us, giving us a fleeting glimpse of the festivals in the coming months.

Spectators rejoiced and clapped when trees of ariel chakris, colourful crackers, whistling crackers were lit. Rockets from the tennis court made the sky light up as 60 shots were lit. An errant parachute made its way to the roof of the DI kitchen area and slowly drifted down to the lawns. Children could be seen running to catch the prize, the parachute. As a child, like most children, I always wanted to catch one and today, even I wanted to run with the children to catch this one. I could see the beam of pride and happiness in the smile of the child who caught the much-coveted prize.

Marking DI’s commitment to a Green Diwali, a giant green and white lantern was lit and children and adults shouted their joy as it rose up high in the sky. Even when the whistling tree was lit, our lantern could be seen far up in the sky, behind the leaves of our DI gulmohar tree.

Next, the super long string of ‘ladis’ also known as ‘kali patakas’ was lit and what followed was two minutes of the familiar sound, leaving behind glowing embers in the grass.

After the successful ascent of our first glow lantern, another one was prepared to be lit. This one was red and white. A gust of ill-timed wind made the lantern itself catch fire and instead of rising it began burning and transformed itself into a bonfire it seemed. The spectators from all around clapped, apparently to say  “we are with you”, to the people burning the fireworks. Watchful and alert, they came in with water hoses and soon, the impromptu bonfire was doused.

My eyes drifted from the performance area and I could see spectators everywhere – on the lawns, on the stairs, in the badminton area, in the balcony. Time had flown by, it was past 8 PM when the last part of the firework of the show was lit. A brilliant cascade of golden waterfall flowed followed by a glowing wish of ‘happy Diwali to DI members’. Spectacular shots from the tennis court made all look up at the sky as the burst of sparkles filled the sky bringing the show to an end.

Emcee Joy, asked us to simply turn our chairs around to enjoy the musical performance by Abhishek Roy Chowdhury, planned for the rest of the evening. Abhishek took the stage with his guitar along with two more band members. Beautiful sounds of strumming filled the air and the first song for the evening “Ai zindagi, gale lagale’ began. One after another, a magnificent medley of what would be called by teenagers ‘retro’ songs, followed. Soon people could be seen singing along their favorite numbers with Abhishek. From ‘Jab koi baat bigad jaye’, ‘Raat kali ek khaab me aayi’ to the evergreen ‘pyaar diwana hota hai’. I could see people tapping their feet and swaying to the music -- exactly what I was doing too.

Soon Abhishek had the crowd singing along to ‘O haseena’, ‘Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche’ with him. Abhishek and his talented team moved brilliantly from one song to another. Among all the Hindi songs, he sang the ever-favorite Bengali ‘Mone pore ruby roy’. A short break followed.

The mood of the evening after the break was more energetic as the pace of the songs became faster. ‘Bachna ai haseeno’, ‘Hal kaisa hai janab ka’ got the foot-tapping audience to the dance floor. The electrifying music got more and more people to take to the dance floor and soon tables had to be cleared to make space for the increasing number of revelers. Abhishek’s yodels from Kishore Kumar classics made all amateur singers in the audience join in. ‘Chalti hai nau se barah’ got children on the dance-floor. Ever too soon it was time for the evening to end. Abhishek kindly agreed to sing another four songs on the request of the audience who were clearly enjoying themselves thoroughly and didn’t want the evening to end. Each song that was sung was the perfect selection for the evening and the tuneful singing and music made the musical show an undoubted hit. I for one, await the release of the music album Abhishek is working towards. Abhishek expressed his joy at singing for the delightful DI audience. Amid promises by the emcee to bring back Abhishek and his team, the evening ended.

This was truly an evening to remember and cherish. A big thank you to the entertainment committee and all who made this happen.

And then came the Barbecue!

Barbecue after the Fireworks!

Amit Dutt meanders around the kitchens and between the sigrees to bring us the inside story on the delectable feast that night.

It is oftentimes said that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This fast-track gastric route to the inner recesses of the auricles and ventricles, -- as, doubtless, many a lady gifted with culinary expertise and in a tearing haste to win over a male of the species would bear witness -- once again proved true on the Courtyard@DI on Sunday, the 4th of November, 2018. While it would be grossly unfair to deny that the dhak, the dhunuchi naach to the  rhythmic beats of the percussion, the dazzling display of fireworks, – in the narrow two-hour window accorded by the apex court for bursting, what their Lordships have restricted, to the pulmonary relief of the gasping citizenry, to   “green firecrackers” --  followed by the melodious renditions by Abhishek Roy Chowdhury went a long way in lighting up the proceedings of the autumn evening, as Roshan Choudhury’s eloquent account  in these columns enlightens you at length, the delicacies that the food counters conjured up outran them all in an otherwise tight race. To the cardiac sanctums. To be specific. Spurred on by Debra Saldanha, whose untiring efforts over the last few days produced a fitting end to the seamless merriment of the evening.

The spread was, in one word, lavish. The Sanjha Chulha platter, under the able stewardship of Maqsood Saif and Shamsuddin Saif, was, to summon a cliché, overflowing: there was fish, there was chicken, along, of course, with pulao, naan and dal makhani. The kebabs, marinated in a batter of yoghurt, coriander, cumin, nutmeg and mace and  skewered over glowing charcoal, had the insatiable gourmand drooling for more. Not to be outdone,  Maxim’s had the signature touch of the master chef, Michael Gomes, witness the clearly audible lip-smackings. There was a choice of chicken, beef and pork, complemented with a base of provencal sauce, the mix of tomato, garlic and onions lending that right tang, along with a spread of salads and dressings.  The chicken, marinated in piri piri sauce, the skin crisped over a grille, leaving the inside just right; the beef steaks, smothered with teriyaki, a cocktail of soy sauce, oil, ginger, garlic and sugar, grilled to well-done; and the honey pork chops, grilled in  a marinade of honey, soy sauce and garlic whipped to a glaze, to succulence. So vowed those who picked the barbecue menu.

Taj Mandal and Madhab Das, meanwhile, proved once again that humble vegetables can be alchemized heavenly with haute cuisine. New Deeya Bati, with its fare of hari bhari kebabs and paneer in  various avatars,  catered to those who subscribe, with a stridency that the attribute, vehement, qualifies eminently, to the reasoning that explicit in non-vegetarianism (a word frowned upon by puritans) is the criminally mindless slaughter of living beings, -- a transgression that, for certain, leads to forfeiture of any semblance of  God’s  grace. They also hold, as recent studies have unfolded, that animal agriculture contributes heavily towards pollution, methane – an emission considered more than twenty times as toxic as carbon dioxide -- in particular, apart from a colossal waste of that fast-dwindling resource, potable water. By contrast, growing a vegetable, say the ubiquitous potato, does not entail such casualties. Incidentally, the one service that the European explorers of the 18th century had indubitably rendered to mankind was to ship this transatlantic staple and popularise it across extensive swathes of the planet, especially their motherlands and the lands they subsequently colonised. One  alludes to the lowly tater. The barbecue dressings had an abundance of these. Hash browns, crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Aloo Dum constituted an important, and delicious, component of the NDB menu.

 

If by the above momentary digression the reader has arrived at the conclusion that yours truly is a congenital herbivore, the reader is mistaken. Believe you me, dear DItes, that aroma of the Mughlai concoctions, succulent drumsticks et al, along with the distinctly smoky savour from the grilles, wafting across the courtyard, allured  carnivores of my ilk faster to the kitchens than a moth buzzes towards a flame, albeit, not with the same result. Happily. And, to hark back to the opening lines, faster – if just a trifle -- than the  collective entertainments of the evening in warming the cockles of the heart.

All of the above notwithstanding,  it would be an exercise in exaggeration to eulogize the feast as ambrosial. Nonetheless, the epicure blessed with a discerning palate avers – with a couple of stentorian burps for emphasis, never mind if they, the burps, breach the limits of de rigueur – that  the cuisines were just shy. Of divine flavour.  Vive les Kitchens@DI!