The ELSA Gala Fundraiser – January 17, 7.00 pm at the India Habitat Centre
There are not enough words to say about the main event – the Gala!
It was three years since the last ELSA reunion and through the days of countdown the excitement was palpable and reached its feverish pitch on the evening of Jan 14th!
The day dawned bright and sunny (almost like the Gods themselves were smiling for ELSAs!). It started with the testing and checking of the sounds and lights at the venue by Clifton who accompanied Sharon. He – like Sharon – is a perfectionist and every note and every sound had to be just right. The hustle and bustle reminded us of ‘shaadi’ preps – our sponsors were getting their booths ready, the décor person the flowers and standees, the sound and light folks testing and testing – everyone excited and looking forward to the evening!
The staff at IHC were so helpful and handled all last minute panicked asks with equanimity! The LSR student volunteers were AMAZING! With just one instruction, they were ready to go, and handled the registration and lucky draw coupon management; and the bar coupons flawlessly! Hats off!
We cannot thank our Corporate Sponsors enough! With generous support for our Fundraiser, catchy videos, presence at booths, the famous Lucky Draw – we are ever so grateful to Times Internet, Tanishq, Manohar Lal Jewellers, ITC, Joyville Shapoorji, and the Shriram Welfare Trust! Their support we could not have done without!
We are equally grateful to the many ELSAs who donated generously – both directly, and via the Gift-a-Pass initiative, thank you so much!
We were collectively able to raise over Rs 25 Lacs!
ELSA President welcomed the gathering with an Urdu ‘shairi’ and thanked the sponsors and the special invitees, and indeed all the ELSAs who had come together. Our MC for the evening, ELSA Tanushree Roy, took over and started the evening with playing the sponsor videos and then welcomed Sharon to the stage.
ELSA Sharon Prabhakar demonstrated why her talent shines so bright! Her singing, her stage presence, her humor, her energy – she had all of us on our feet, dancing to her beat! ELSAs swarmed the aisles, and some even went up to the stage – her power packed performance stole the show! ELSAs Dimple Wanchoo and Neeru Mehta sportingly went up and sang a couple of songs too!
Two guests – one a current LSR student, and one an ELSA mother – were the lucky winners of the very generous Rs 1 Lac Gift Voucher sponsored by Manohar Lal Jewelers! The sponsors made such a graceful speech – and we hope to continue a partnership with them in the future too!
We were honored to have LSR Governing Council member Justice Gita Mittal in our midst, and delighted to have Dr Meenakshi Gopinath join us towards the latter half of the evening.
Post Sharon’s show, ELSAs continued chatting over dinner and drinks, renewing old friendships, cementing new ones, while Amitabh and his team belted out old Hindi movie favorites in the background. Despite the Delhi winter, the warmth generated had folks unwilling to leave…and we finally wound down only near midnight!
Around The Gala Events
Friday Jan 13 – Qawwali at a ‘Hidden Gem’ Dargah followed by dinner at Qla overlooking the iconic Qutb Minar
Impeccably planned by ELSA Rekha Singh (1984 Eco Hons.), the visit to the Dargah of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki went way beyond expectations. A special carpet laid out for us ELSAs, listening to qawwalis, including favorites like Mast Kalandar etc. kept us spell bound for over an hour.
Visiting the Dargah took us back to a time when the spirit of Sufism must have enthralled so much of the subcontinent – and for good reason.
Factoid: Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki was a Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disciple and the spiritual successor of Mu’in al-Din Chishti as head of the Chishti order, and the person to whom the Qutb Minar, Delhi is dedicated. Qutb al-Din Bakhtiyar Kaki had much influence on Sufism in India. As he continued and developed the traditional ideas of universal brotherhood and charity within the Chisti order, a new dimension of Islam started opening up in India which had hitherto not been present. He forms an important part of the Sufi movement which attracted many people to Islam in India in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
His importance continues to this day and can be gauged by the following historical fact. When Mahatma Gandhi launched his last fast-unto-death in Delhi in 1948, asking that all communal violence be ended once and for all, he was pressed by leaders of all denominations to end the fast. One of the six conditions that Gandhi put forward to end the fast was that Hindus and Sikhs as an act of atonement should repair the shrine of Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki which had been damaged during the communal riots.
From the Dargah, we drove the short distance to the edgy resto Qla
with spectacular views of the lit-up Qutb Minar, great food, music – and the best special – a specially curated set of drinks based on LSR values, created courtesy ELSA Apoorva Bapna ask of her friend the sommelier. The cocktails were aptly named Powerhouse (whiskey based), Wunderwomen (gin-based), and Martini on Heels. There was much merriment and bonhomie and the true spirit of ELSAs was so heartwarming to see!
January 14th, Saturday: 10.30 am Nostalgia Walk in LSR
Preceding the Annual Dinner Fundraiser Gala on Saturday, 14th January 2023, ELSAs gathered around 10 am in morning for a Nostalgia walk across the 55 pillars and red walls of our alma mater Lady Shri Ram College.
Basking in the comforting warm rays of the sun in the cold Delhi winter, ELSAs shared the pleasure of visiting LSR college in the company of fellow alumni who graduated either in the same decade as them or years ahead or later. The ones having graduated over 50 years now, were eager to see how much the college had changed since they had last been there.
The college began gradually bustling with activity. Students were walking around the campus and cafeteria. ELSAs were welcomed by the college administration with a large “Welcome ELSAs” rangoli of flowers laid wide and vibrant in the exhibition arena.
ELSAs were delighted to see how much the college had done to improve its campus environment, with more trees and greenery. Soon all assembled at the lower seminar hall for a chat with the principal Dr Suman Sharma. ELSAs introduced themselves and shared snippets from their experience at LSR and how this experience has shaped their lives after graduation.
Members of the ELSA EC: President Smita Premchander, Vice President Bulbul Dhar James, Honorary Secretary Suki Iyer, Founding Member Snimer Kaur Sahni, and the Youngest EC member Aanya Wig, and many other ELSAs participated in the nostalgia walk across the campus. Current students of the college had the opportunity to interact in person with ELSA seniors and extract valuable advice regarding how to chart a path through graduation in LSR, especially through the confusion that we all have experienced in the space.
The college magazine team interviewed the ELSA EC members seeking opinions on a variety of topics. It was all fun and engaging throughout the walk. ELSAs cherished the chance to catch up with old classmates and reminisce about their college days. They all left feeling proud to have attended our alma mater and excited for its future.
January 15, 2023 11.00 am Heritage Walk at Humayun Tomb
As a trailing event to the annual dinner, ELSA hosted a Heritage Walk across Humayun’s Tomb on Sunday 15th January 2023. Founding member Snimer Kaur Sahni and ELSA Vinita Sethi were the guides for the ELSAs visiting the historic monument. Participating ELSAs gathered at the ticket booth around 10.30am in the morning.
Humayun’s Tomb is a magnificent 16th-century Mughal monument in Delhi. It was built as a memorial to the Mughal Emperor Humayun, who died in 1556. The tomb was built by his widow, Haji Begum, who was the first woman in India to commission such a grand monument. The tomb stands in a walled garden, which is known as the Charbagh. The octagonal-shaped sandstone structure, with its white marble inlay and minarets, is a classic example of Mughal architecture.
ELSAs explored the garden, admiring the intricate carvings on the walls, and learned about its history. The walls of the tomb were adorned with intricate carvings and calligraphy in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. There was also a mosque and a water tank within the complex. Vinita Sethi highlighted how the masonry was done from a very Indian view of how a grave or place of worship must look like. The high rising tomb with circular design in the inner dome was breathtakingly beautiful.
Visiting Humayun’s Tomb is an excellent way to learn about the Mughal architecture from the view of Indian history and culture. Following the walk, ELSAs entered Sunder Nursery for a sumptuous lunch and chattered about their experiences, observations, highlights from the Gala and more. It was a great weather, and great company, making the winter afternoon joyous and full of enthusiasm. The relaxing Heritage walk on a warm sunny day after the Gala evening helped everyone get over their post Gala exhaustion.
Here’s to many more such outings!
Team ELSA