Bumper day at DI

Over 200 members  and guests gathered at our beloved DI. Indoors@DI was all primed and ready for the much loved and awaited Diwali Bumper Housie. It was good to see so many known faces back at the club.
Members and guests queued from 2:30 p.m. to get their tickets for the exciting evening. Each set had 6 sheets for the 6 rounds planned.
Members collected their Coffee/Tea and snacks as they prepared for the afternoon. Guests had the option of buying coupons for snacks from Snack Break Cafe.
The Housie team waited for all to be seated and started the first round. Instructions were shared and the prizes announced. No sooner had the game started that we heard the eager players shout out as they won the prizes for different rounds. Ten claimants won the first prize of 'Jaldi 5'. The prize money was equally distributed amongst all the winners. This set the tone for the rest of the rounds that followed. The Housie Master Barry Antunis was on a roll as he called out 'Rishi Sunak's new address' for the number 10. The checkers, helpers and volunteers and the Housie team ensured that the vast hall was adequately covered as they efficiently moved from table to table.
The third round was planned as a Mini Bumper with INR 5000 as the full house prize. This was followed by a break to allow players to calm down before the final rounds.
Enticing prizes and goody-bags of Goodricke tea, wine and much more awaited members, guests and winners. A Lucky draw decided the winners of these coveted prizes where there was more than one claimant. Sweta Dhanuka won the member special prize and Prince Emmanuel won the guest special prize, right after the break.
The excitement was palpable as the game progressed with each round offering higher prize value. The last and final 'Bumper' round offered the full house prize of a whopping INR 20000. When the claimants shouted for the first house, you could hear the gasps and sighs of excitement and envy of all. The joint winners of the grand Bumper prize were Denise Smith and Jerome Dias who shared the most coveted prize of the evening.
The exciting Bumper Housie evening ended with the announcement for the next Housie session planned on 26 November.

Halloween Night @DI

That time of the year is here when pumpkins are decorated and looking eerie is the 'thing to do'.
The Halloween special spooky selfie corner at the entrance near the library had many vying to get their clicks.
The DI kids were all Halloween ready- ready to spook. From little fairies Saanvika and her little friends, to Draculas, to the horned Devils, to witches, every costume had a story to tell. The little fairies moved around with their little pumpkin baskets as they trick-and-treated.
Spooky skeletons welcomed guests into their lair for the Halloween evening festivities, Live@DI, the lounge.
The lair was spook ready, lined with orange and black balloons, Skeletons hanging from the ceiling, scary pumpkins smiling. The Bar had been transformed into a Halloween party zone. 
DI had planned a musical Halloween party with the popular rock band Urban Monkz.
The Urban Monkz describe themselves as 'a union of five friends who find their common ground in music'. Find out more about our band for the exciting Halloween evening:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100063793086574/about/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/theurbanmonkzz?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

The band took to the stage promptly at 7.30 pm and started the evening with popular rock numbers like 'Want to break free' which had the audience swaying to the music. Tapping into the pulse of the audience the Urban Monkz switched seamlessly between popular English and Hindi Bollywood numbers.
'Intehaan ho gayi' had the audience dancing on the dance floor. The band took some requests from the appreciative listeners and had the dancefloor full when they played ever-popular numbers like 'Jailhouse rock', 'Daddy Cool' and 'Summer of 69'. It felt like old times as members swooned to the foot-tapping music and danced with abandon on the DI dancefloor. It was wonderful to see our beloved Mr. Sweeny jive to the music. Regulars like Noel & Paula Fernandes, Tariq & Jhumu Ansar, Clinton Vincent, Sandip & Ann Marie Sen and many more enjoyed this very special Halloween Bar night @DI.
The night festivities ended on a high with most people having danced off their feet with the Urban Monkz. 

Member speak:
"This was a typical DI party evening like old times. Everyone was on the dancefloor. We went to other clubs but nothing like coming home to DI. Self service is working well...no waiting for bills when we want to leave. Nothing like being independent. Love being back at DI." - Sandra Noel.

"Very positive vibes" - Andrew

"Great selection of Music" - Nigel.

While the Halloween night party vibed in the Bar,  some members enjoyed sitting in the Courtyard@DI and chatting, catching up. The cool weather was perfect.
The Children's area was again full as our spooky bunch enjoyed this homecoming.  Food flew off the woks, karais and tawas at lightning speed - our kitchens, Sanjha Chulha, Deeya Bati, Snack Break Cafe and the newest, Dzomsa are making sure that members and guests are well fed. 
The day of celebrations that The DI had put together drew to an end and members like me left with a grateful heart to have DI back.

Editorial Note:  Special thanks are due to the Entertainment Team led by Council Member Tanya Robinson who managed two events on the same day despite organisational difficulties. They were backed by Honorary Secretary, Michael N Rao and supported by the Council.

Check out the album Housie & Halloween on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/dalhousieinstitute

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