Orchid Gardens was colored with the aroma and various hues of Holi colors on the 13th of March. The United We Stand, an initiative of the United Music Festival, a property of a2z events saw a gathering of around three thousand people at the venue. Prior to the event, United had hosted a Whatsapp Holi themed photography and Dubsmash contest. Some of the best videos were screened at the event. Furthermore, Calcuttans made their City of Joy proud by making it to the Limca and India book of records. This was done by a hundred and eighty people who consumed 1500 jalebis at the same time within 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Upon entering the venue, the first thing which hit me was the typical aroma of Holi colours. They were herbal and were smooth on the skin. Apart from colors, I saw the people, especially the children and the youngsters grooving to the dance beats of songs like ‘ Balam Pichkari’ or ‘Lets Naacho’ played by the DJ’s. A star attraction of the event was the folk fusion dance Troupe Bawalia. Interestingly, the members of the group themselves came down from the stage and danced with the audience making the atmosphere very homely and enjoyable.
The centre stage made out of recyclable materials appealed to the audience a lot. It was the first time that an event had created a stage out of recyclable materials. It was here that famous DJ’s like DJ Akash Rohira, DJ Girish, DJ Felix and others played Bollywood, Fusion and Special Holi Mixes for the enthusiastic crowd. Co-organiser, Aparajita Chowdury from a2z events said, “We like to offer something different all the time and contribute to society in our own small way. Apart from using recycling products for UNITED stage, we have ensured a minimal water usage in our event. . “
Foam blasts, colour blasts, paint ball, flower shower etc. were the major activities one could take part in. According to me, there were a few highlights of the event. I loved the idea of mobile phone cases to protect the phone from damage. The stall selling masquerade masks, Rajasthani pagdis and other little tit- bits was my favourite. The unlimited Thandai glasses gave a fresh respite to those weary with dancing and playing colours for a long time.
United We Stand was a really fun way to celebrate Holi with friends and family. It was an opportunity to have fun, enjoy, make new friends and of course create innumerable selfie memories with your near and dear ones.
Kolkata Bloggers have been the proud online partners of this event. A big shout out to the organisers for having organised such a successful event!
by Subhadrika Sen 