THE OLD SETTLERS OF SIKKIM

It’s a Rajasthani Teej

BY Alkesh Sharma, TNN | Jul 21, 2012, 06.00AM IST


LUDHIANA: Rajasthani hues will brighten up Teej celebration, as the city's fair creme de la creme get together for the festivities this Saturday. Geetanjali Ladies' Club, which has over 900 members here, plans to turn its Teej venue into a mini-Rajasthan, with all the traditional paraphernalia.

Conventional attires and accessories, like 'ghagras', 'lehenga' 'bandhini' and 'borla', and the state-special mouth-watering delicacies, like 'kheer' and 'poore', will spice up the monsoon revelry, which will be attended by 400 members on the club premises on Hambra Road.

Agog, the club members have many a plan up their sleeve. "As Teej is chiefly a Rajasthani festival, we have decided to season our celebration with a fair amount of the state flavours. The festival is also known as 'Ghanghor' there. The fiesta will be a blend of traditional and contemporary events. It will kick start with a Shiv-Parvati 'murti pooja' in Rajasthani style," Neeru Singla, president of Geetanjali Ladies' Club, said.

Swinging and whirling and a host of other activities will complete the jubilee. "Power-packed performances will soon ensue. About 15 of the club members are busy preparing for Rajasthani songs and dance events. Then, there will be lucky draws, hair-styling competitions and bindi-making events. For 'murti visarjan', we will go to a river near Ludhiana on Sunday morning," she smiled.

The enthusiastic members have been practising their moves for 15 to 20 days under the guidance of a trained artist.

And excitement is getting the better of members. From Rajasthani dresses to blings, their shopping bags are brimming with all the related stuff. "We had started planning the celebration about three months ago. And since then, we have been sweating our guts out to make it a big success. The aim is to make people aware about the festival's origin. On Saturday, the entire Ludhiana will witness the vibrant shades of Teej," Payal Mohindra, the club secretary and resident of College Road, said.

Sunita, a club member, chuckled, "All of us are quite excited about the revelry. We will slip on the finest traditional dresses and accessories. I have ordered for a Rajasthani saree and bangles for the festive day... each member wants to outscore the other."