On 29th March 2014 Vanza Community of South London held their second disco dandia event. In 2013 our vision was to start a tradition where by annual disco dandia events would be held. Alas although no doubt the evening was hugely enjoyable, the turnout was not what we expected.

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Fast forward 11 months past TFL delays, retirement of the greatest manager ever (!) and yes, even more TFL delays, and we found ourselves preparing once again for the night. This time however there was a steely determination amongst the committee to ensure that this time we get the turnout we know we could achieve. The committee worked tirelessly to sell as many tickets as they could and in this light special thanks must be given to our resident DJ’s – Contagious – for their huge efforts in not only promoting our event but also selling tickets.

On the night we had a turnout close to 100 participants. Success had never looked so populous. Looking at the crowd there were some familiar faces, but plenty of new comers who had taken a gamble from as far as north London and Harrow.

The gamble paid off. The night was hugely successful. At one point I vividly remember seeing participants engage in dandia raas, raas garba and ramjonyu in different quadrants of the hall as I took a breather at the refreshments table (with a rose syrup milk shake, of course). Special thanks once again to all the volunteers who donated the much appreciated water, crisps and other drinks.

The music played long into the night and we rocked the hall Gujji style. The music was a fantastic mix of Bollywood and English classics with beats that would not let you sit down.

For me however the icing on the proverbial laddu however was over-hearing, “…will it be on next year?” Simple answer; yes it will. And it will be even better and bigger than this year.