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Amdavadis dance their blues away Wednesday, March 7, 2001

AHMEDABAD: If Ahmedabad was badly shaken up and despondent after the disastrous earthquake, there was no indication of it at the Artists for Artisans concert held on Sunday evening in the city.

The audience with their cheers, applauds, dance steps and hoots were like any other zestful spectators and the revelry belied any hardship experienced during the disaster. The concert was the first major entertainment event after the quake, and from tiny tots and young musical wannabes to middle-aged enthusiasts and families it appeared to be the perfect getaway to unleash their pent-up fears and apprehensions.

"We are meeting in a relaxed atmosphere after a long time and it's fun talking about something other than the earthquake," gushed an excited 20-year-old Pinal Patel of H L College of Commerce. "In fact, we wanted to shut away any thought concerning the disaster." A viewpoint, also echoed by other youngsters present in the venue. Any reference of the earthquake or the suffering thereafter by compere Ruby Bhatia or the other artists was met with either boos or uncomfortable titters by the youngish audience.

More than an hour's delay in the programme had perhaps frayed the nerves of impatient crowd. So speeches and sermons by the organisers and the officials were a strict no no. Even "a few seconds silence in memory of the earthquake victims", was not without giggles and comments passed by a fidgety few.

The barriers demarcating various audience categories didn't prove much of an obstruction, with the excited crowd on one side jumping over the hurdles to occupy seats on the other. For Sameer Jain and his friends, students of Gujarat Law Society, however, such a response was not in the 'right' spirit of the concert. "Though the atmosphere speaks volumes about the unbeatable spirit of Amdavadis, I think it's a wee bit irreverent," said Jain.

However, as the evening progressed and the musicians urged the audience to forget their woes and enjoy their performance, the crowd sprang into action, swaying to the tunes of Bombay Vikings' Woh Chali, Sagaraika's Disco Deewane, with requests of 'once more'. "The past few weeks have been really grim for the people. The concert is not only for a good cause but has also lifted our spirits," enthused Kendriya Vidyalaya student Akanksha and her parents.

Though the concert was in aid of the artisans in Kutch who have been badly affected by the quake it certainly wasn't a grim reminder of the disaster. At least not from the crowd prancing into the late Sunday night.

 

This site is dedicated to our friend Younus M, who passed away on 28th Sept 00, and left on us an indelible memories ! - Team GujaratPlus.com

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