Mangalore: Disco Music, Dance, Crackers Welcome New Year 08
by Nina Rai - Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
for Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
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Mangalore, Jan 1: The city of Mangalore wore a festive look with colourful lights dotting every building and street corner, especially M G road which was lit-up right from PVS to Lalbagh, along with private parties and bashes organized on the night of December 31 for the cosmopolitan masses here, to usher in the new year in a grand fashion.
All attempts were made to outdo the previous year’s bashes. With the result glittering and fun-filled parties with blaring music was held all over the city be it the elite Eden club, the prim n propah Ladies club and the star hotels in the city like Hotel Taj Manjarun, Abhiman, Pegasus etc and the latest entrant Hotel Gold Finch which in fact had a live band ‘The Harvest Moon’ specially flown in from Delhi to perform at their pool side.
Not to be left behind, a grand ‘New Year’ bash was held on the terrace of Hotel Poonja International with its radio partner being the Big FM 92.70. The theme of the party “Are you ready to take off’’ started with a bang with The function compered by Ashok Pai keeping the audience regaled throughout the function with his witticisms and innovativeness, along with his playful bantering with the Big FM RJ Sumesh Goni.
The programmes started with songs belted out by the topmost city band led by Srikanath and troupe. His repertoire of songs consisted of the famous number “Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Hare Krishna, Hare Ram” followed by songs from Tamil films to the well-known Daler Mehndi number “Raja Miya Isq Di Maari….Hojayagi Balle Balle”. The highlight of their performance was a song sung by them with a local touch namely ‘Surangani..Surangani.’ This consisted of lyrics from most of the local languages.
Also as part of the show were various dance performances by the young ‘Sky Rockers’ dance troupe to numbers like ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’, a remix dandiya disco number, Britney Spears song ‘I am your slave’ and concluding famous numbers ‘Aa kushi se kudh kushi kar le’ and a remix of Sholay song ‘Mehbooba Oh Mehbooba’.
Moreover, exquisite foot-tapping numbers were sung by singer Anita one amongst which was the song “Yeh Isq Aaye …Janath Deekaye Baithe Bitaye” from the Hindi film ‘Jab We Met.’ Also in the course of the function were various games and an ‘Antaksari’ held, which surprisingly threw up some very good singers in the audience. Several prizes were also given out for the winners of these contests.
The show went on with the MC exhorting the audience to take to the dance floor and finally once the public hit the dance floor there was no stopping them, till the clock hit 12. And then on the dot of midnight against the backdrop of crackers and fireworks and loud heart thumping music the year 2008 was thus ushered in. The party crowd was seen wishing and hugging their near and dear ones, friends and strangers alike.
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