Is an image of Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai dancing in traditional Gujarati clothes the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words “Dhol Baje”? Well, if you are anyone even remotely associated with any of the 18 colleges affiliated to Manipal University, or a localite of this place, it’s probably not what you’re thinking of.
An evening of music, dance, fashion and food, The Rotoract Club’s gala event, “Dhol Baje” is the talk of the town. Held at KMC greens on the 22 of October, Dhol Baje – an event that is being conducted annually for a long time now – gave everyone who attended it a night that cannot possibly be matched by anything but its own next edition.
With preparations starting almost 4 months prior to the actual event, Dhol Baje featured a local DJ who made the crowd forget all their worries, and lose themselves to the beat of the music, 2 fashion shows organized by the 2 fashion and modelling clubs of MU, ‘Glitz and Glam’, and ‘Burning Ice’, that exhibited chic trends, and also a jaw-dropping dance performance by the crew of ‘Showstoppers’. The event was also graced by the presence of illustrious names, such as those of Dr. Geetha, Dr. Srikanth Prabhu, Balakrishna Maddodi, Mr. Jai Vitthal, and Dr. Narayan Shenoy. It also had refreshments provided by Pizza Hut, Hotel Ashlesh, and the Manipal crowd favourite – Gola waalas.
Dhol Baaje, apart from being a night of fun and enjoyment, also serves a greater good, in that, all the earnings made from this event is donated to charitable causes. Whatever the Rotoract Club makes, is then matched, and doubled by the University, and provided to the less-fortunate. Last year, they managed to garner a sum of 1.5 lakhs, which was given to ‘Asare’ (an old age home), and an MU sponsored orphanage.
“We managed to sell around 2400 tickets for this year’s Dhol Baje, and this was more than we had ever imagined. This would definitely not have been possible without the continued support of our parent organization – Rotary International, and the love of the people of Manipal. This edition of Dhol Baje was an even greater success than the last, with an upgradation in the quality of the venue, and the performances, we have definitely upped the ante for the forthcoming year. One thing that really made this year’s event special for me was how well the first-years conducted themselves. It was the first time they were given perm time to attend an event outside the campus, and they were very well-behaved, and made the most out of this event in a very mannerly way. I am proud of how our Rotaract family was able to meet every expectation we set out with, without facing any major bumps, due to our well-in-advance preparations, and I am sure that the event will set an even higher bar next year,” said Achyut Keshav, the Rotoract Club President.
In conclusion, KMC Greens was THE place to be on the 22 of October, and in case you missed it, make sure to mark your calendars for October next year, for the tickets of the upcoming edition of this magical evening that is “Dhol Baje”.
-Pujan Parikh for MTTN
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