The vibrant Gujarati community in Mattancherry showcased their exceptional talent and joyful spirit in the recently concluded event-IDEA -10, held by the Sri Cochin Gujarati Mahajan. Camaraderie and fun marked the occasion.
A parent body representing Gujaratis and Marwaris of Kochi, the Sri Cochin Gujarati Mahajan was formed in 1883. Since its inception the Mahajan has undertaken projects of social importance and educational activities.
This event, Indusind Bank IDEA'10: Information, Development, Entertainment and Arts (IDEA-10), was conceptualised with the aim of bringing people of all age groups in the community on a single platform. It was also aimed to bring out hidden talent of the youth, kids, ladies and all the members of the community, through quality entertainment.
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The different subsets of the community that participated were Agarwal Samaj, Cochin Bhatia Mahajan, Cochin Brahma Samaj, Dasa Sorathia Samaj, K.D.O. Jain Gnyyati Mahajan, Kutch Jain Gurjar Samaj, Cochin Lohana Mahajan, Sarvajanik Samaj and Visa Sorathia Vanikgynati.
Competitions
Several competitions were held. The day and night tennis ball tournament was ‘galli' cricket at its best. It was youths versus members above the age of 35. Under Talent Time there were contests in the form of Spell Bee, The Power of Knowledge (quiz contest), sab kuch bikta Hai(Mad ad. Sell), rangoli competition, made with garment accessories, aarti decoration contest, space arrangement contest, an entertaining oye Lucky contest. There was a unique group fancy dress contest with a Go-Green theme. It was a fantastic showcasing of the skills, knowledge and creativity of the members. The four-day fun jamboree had a musical evening led by well-known artiste Azad, who enthralled the listeners with his melodious renditions.
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The piece de resistance of the event was the food fiesta with a difference- Anand Bazar. Each team had put up decorated stalls that made the venue (Gujarati School) looked even more charming. Dishes like dhai kachori, misal pav, rotla kadi kichdi, dhai vada, puttu kadla, sev puri, bhel puri and pani puri, ragda pattis, battata vada and spicy gugra were there to savour. Gujarati meals were served in the afternoon. The ice gola, a cool, fresh home-grown icy sorbet was a hit taking one back to childhood days. The spirit of fun and frolic was infectious and the four day get-together was a mela to remember.
The prize for the best performing samaj of the event went to Sri Kutch Jain Gurjar Samaj.
“It was a big four day carnival for the Gujarati community. It will be an event that will be remembered for a long, long time,” said Ketan A. Shah, convener of the event.