Over 100 residents of B. S. Panthaki Baug aged between four and 82 came together to display their talents at the golden jubilee celebrations of the colony on December 25, 2021. Fifty-five days of daily practice preceded the final show, noted a write up from Zubin Sodawaterwala, president of their Welfare Centre. The "otherwise quiet colony in Andheri East” rocked to some "noise and impact” on that evening, he noted. Scholarships and prizes donated by colony residents were given to students of classes 10 and 12. "Resident Porus Jussawalla and his team added a professional touch with their superior sound and lighting equipment provided free of cost,” said Sodawaterwala.
Top: Committee members of the Panthaki Baug Welfare Committee with guests;
above: talented tots at the Baug’s golden jubilee celebrations
There were music performances by the colony’s boy band and ladies’ choir, noted the president. A Taekwondo martial arts show was performed by children aged four to 11. The colony’s teenagers took part in a fashion show put together by model Hufriya Bhivandiwalla. Dances performed by children aged nine to 13 years choreographed by Sherzad Wadia "stumped the audience,” noted Sodawaterwala. Performances to Bollywood numbers were choreographed by resident Monaz Siganporia. The participants were trained by Khurshid Wankadia and professional dancers Godrej Wankadia and Delnaz Edulji. "Fifteen pairs performed seven different dance forms like waltz, salsa, cha cha cha, tango, jive, samba and twist and no one could believe that these participants are not trained dancers,” noted the president.
Sodawaterwala appreciated the efforts of the two co-organizers, his wife Khushmeher and his committee member Shahrokh Bulsara "who worked relentlessly in conceptualizing the performances.” Bulsara "instilled Parsi culture into the young ones by training them to sing songs like Parsi Hamé Chhaiyé, along with piano accompaniment by Bakhtawar Gandhy.” Khushmeher trained the participants "to shake a leg.”
The evening kicked off with a rendition by the colony seniors of Chhaiyé Hamé Zarthoshti, and ended with "yummilicious patru by (caterer) Tanaz Godiwala,” noted Sodawaterwala. The event was compered by Jennifer Bhiwandiwala and Zubin Sidhwa, stated the write-up.
The managing committee of the Baug, reconstituted in January 2021, comprises, besides Zubin and Bulsara, Eric Lath, Zubin Elavia, Mahiyar Khambatta, Percy Dangore and Kurush Wadia. They "left no stone unturned in ensuring that the event came through just as grand and seamlessly as they had envisioned it,” appreciated the president. The event was funded by donations from colony residents and some sponsors.
The Baug has approximately 325 flats and is run by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) whose trustee Kersi Randeria was the chief guest for the evening. "He had planned to leave early due to pre commitments, yet stayed back as he got totally involved watching the stupendous performances,” noted Sodawaterwala.
F. J.