Independene Day in SFV

SFV celebrated with gusto India’s 70 years of Independence. This year the venue was moved to the ampitheatre, reminiscent of the Roman empire period and the Colosseum in Rome. 

It would seem rain God too had been preparing no less for the event. Holding close to his chest the August quota of rainfall, He unleashed it in one go in the wee hours of Independence Day. If His action resulted in several areas getting inundated, vehicles floating on water, and some residences submerging up to the first floor level, don’t blame Him; hold the town planners responsible for their disgusting drainage infrastructure. He couldn’t take the plight of farmers any more. Also, for posterity, it is for us, equally, to have made arrangements to harvest the rainwater for ‘rainy’ days, rather than let it go waste into the sea.

The residents assembled at the venue on the dot - over 200 we learn. Soon began the programme,  the flag-hoisting first. Alas, the flag just wouldn’t unfurl itself - probably drenched completely in the rain; nor would it release the flowers it was holding unto itself firmly for warmth - they must be lovely and fragrant. Soon Vishnu, the Security supervisor brought it down to a level where he could unknot the rope for the flag to unfurl. No luck. Then our Vivek Jain, a man for all seasons, volunteered, did some jugglery. His countenance sporting a beard probably helped him to pass for a magician. The flag readily loosened its grip. Thus, Vivek and Vishnu jointly hoisted the flag what originally the Chief Guest had been invited to do. Nonetheless, the Chief Guest thanked them for their joint efforts. Moral: Never take things for granted. Expect the unexpected. Anything can go wrong at any time.

The Chief Guest began his address. (This time the honor fell on this writer. Yes, many of the residents had gone on vacation availing of the long holidays, having to take only a day off on Monday.) The mike disowned him. Probably it had prior knowledge that it would be nothing but a flamboyant display of mediocre ability, and the audience won’t miss much if they didn’t hear. Some make-shift arrangements were soon pressed into service. The mike obliged, but alas, only for a while. Anyway this hide and seek game went on till his address. Nonetheless, some of the residents from the armed forces and the SFVian ladies seemed a happier lot. They thought they heard some encomiums showered on them.

The mike was tamed, however, for the programs that followed. The soulful song,Yeh mere vatan ke logon….took the cake. For the uninitiated, during the Chinese aggression, each of the leading music directors of Bollywood were requested to compose a patriotic song to boost the morale of our soldiers. And this song, written by Kavi Pradeep, set to tune by C Ramchandra, and sung by Lata Mangeshkar, won accolades. It is said when she rendered this song, Nehru went into tears. And the SFV music troupe did full justice to the song. Also some talents, hitherto unknown, came to light. We’ll look forward to more such hidden treasures.

The dance performance by a young girl, to the lyrics of Ustad Zakir Hussain the renowned table master, was done to perfection. Last but not the least, the function also witnessed the launch of SFV Newsletter - a fortnightly, in digital format. If the announcement was any indication, the team is overflowing with ideas, and it would seem we are in for some exciting reading pleasure.

The function ended with light refreshments, with one resident sponsoring the sweet, Dharwad peda - if the corridor news is anything to go by. Happily, by and large, residents chose to follow the line for their turn, with only a select few, initially in the guise of being engrossed in a chat with someone already in the line, joining the mainstream closer to Destination Snacks Table.

Kudos to the organizers. What next?

V V Sundaram

Maple 3195

17 Aug 2017