The Meraki Waltz

The Meraki Waltz, organized by the Rotaract Club of Manipal was a charity ball that took place on the 18^th of March. ‘Meraki’ is a Greek word which loosely translates to ‘the part of oneself put into one’s work’, which might just be a reference to the amount of work The Rotaract Club of Manipal put into making this happen and the passion with which they organized it. Unofficially dubbed a ‘prom night’, it was the first event of its kind in Manipal. Besides the classic slow-dancing, the night also featured a performance by Showstoppers and speeches about the event and Women’s Rights in general.

The guests of honor, Parvadavardhini Gopalakrishnan, Principal and Head of Institution of WGSHA, Mrs. Sarita Santosh, owner of Sunshine Travel Agency and Mrs. Ritu, owner of Ashlesh Hotel, were welcomed to the dais by Rotaract’s faculty advisor Balakrishna Maddodi at around 8:15. The purpose of this event was to promote Women Empowerment and all proceeds would go to the same. Mrs. Sarita and Mrs. Ritu, being women entrepreneurs themselves and a part of the Rotary Club, spoke about their experiences and were very happy to see the number of students promoting the cause.

The masked couples, elegantly dressed in formals took the dance floor as soon the music started. The couples danced their hearts out to the beautiful music, being mesmerized by the wondrous allure of the evening and losing themselves in dance. This was stopped momentarily by the Showstoppers, who brought in their personal blend of excitement to the evening by unleashing their impeccable and perfectly synchronized dance moves upon the cheering audience. The dance was followed by a salsa lesson and last few minutes of the event featured EDM and other pop music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBqG_CkvW2Q

Vedang, the Vice President of Rotract said that a charity prom night was something that the Rotaract Club of Manipal had been trying to organize for a couple of years and that this year finally gave them chance to bring it to fruition. The Director’s support was instrumental in making it a reality and emboldening them to undertake such a risk. He was very pleased with the turnout for the event and hopes that this would be the start of something that prevails for many more years to come. Suffice it to say that the charity ball was a success.

– Rahul Basu and Komal Kahlon