After the warm welcome at the entrance, the guests and members were directed to the dinning hall for a delicious meal. Bhaturas and Kachoris were cooked at the premises and rest of the items were warmed for the diners to enjoy the food.

All the donations from the guests, members and their friends were accepted gracefully at the official desk and the donors’ names announced intermittently by our Secretary, Suchetaben Samant, and applauded by the audience.

The main entertainment programme began with VCSL Youth Committee members holding divas and sparklers in their hands entering into the main hall up the stag, greeting the audience with bangs of party poppers at the far end of the hall. What an appropriate start! This was followed with two welcome dances by Hareena and her sister Poonam, daughters of Harish Amratlal Parmar. Both the sisters were very gracious and artistic in their dancing moves. We were also fortunate to have a team ‘of amateur actors and actresses’ from The Vanza Society of London who performed a comedy play that everyone found it unique and enjoyable. It lasted for 15 minutes but many of our members wished the play had lasted for atleast another 15 minutes.

Our invited guests who attended were: Arvindbhai Popatlal Solanki, the newly elected President of The Vanza Society of London together with the past President, Maheshbhai Mathur Sonigra. We were delighted to receive both of them with few of their other members including Daxaben, the first lady. We were also honoured to see the presence of Ramnikbhai Chimanlal Taank the President of The Wanza Community of Coventry and Manjulaben, the first lady.

Soon after our Chairman, Arunbhai Tank, formally welcoming VCSL’s guests, members and their friends, wishing them a very happy New Year and our Secretary proposing a vote of thanks to our committee members and all the volunteers, the main Hingraj Mataji’s Aarti took place. This year the honour was given to Shree Jagjivanbhai Liladher Bhundia and his family. We are very grateful to Jagjivanbhai in accepting our invitation and making generous donation to VCSL. The Bhundia family has been our supporters since VCSL’s inception.

As soon as the Aarti finished, it seemed that everyone was so relaxed and looking forward to the music & songs that followed so vibrantly by the Shalimar Musical Group. First part of the musical programme consisted of old and recent songs and the second part, which was awaited eagerly by the youngsters (as well as elders!), was dancing to cha-cha-cha, twist, jive and bhangra tunes. The floor was packed with dancers with ladies taking the lead! (Gents were not lagging behind either!).