KRISHNA’s  RASLEELA  AT  BKC, MUMBAI  

         It was an honour to have been invited for an enchanting evening on 12 Mar, by Mr Mukesh and Mrs Neeta Ambani for the Reliance Dancing Fountain Show at BKC organised for about 3000 Armed Forces personnel. On the previous day Mr Harsh from Reliance rang up and invited me along with Meena and her Mom, Veer Nari Urmila Bakshi and arranged for a pickup and drop facility. The occasion was the continued celebrations of the Wedding of Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta on the 9^th of Mar at the same Venue. The spectacular colourful  Dancing Fountain had recently been inaugurated on 6^th Mar and the Ambanis had hosted about 2500 underprivileged school children for the show.

    Stepping into the Jio World Centre was an enriching colourful experience, thanks to Cmde RPS Ravi and Cdr Vijay Vadhera, who had extended the invitations to the Navy Foundation members Capts SS Sethi, Rakesh Agrawala, Cdrs Shailendra Sharma, Vineet Wason, SK Patnaik, Abhishek Kankan, GC Rai and self with our better halves and Veer Naris Janki Bhandoola and Mrs Urmila Bakshi. We met up at the entrance and circumvented the huge corridors, adorned with massive masterpieces of floral Animals, some of which were automated, to reach the Dhirubhai Ambani Square. There we met the Army inmates of the Paraplegic Rehab Centre, Pune. It was a chance encounter with one of the most talented and skilled Army orator Raghu Raman, with whom Cdr vadhera and self-had a short discussion on ways to build up Armed Forces brand in the Civil World.

     The gates to the Fountain Arena opened at 6.30 pm.  The Arena around the Fountain is huge with cushioned seating arrangement in a semi-circle around the fountains and a temple centred at the stage end. Mr Mukesh and Mrs Neeta Ambani escorted the Chief Guest LtGen SK Parashar, GOC M&G Area to the stage to light the Lamp and pray to Lord Ganesha. Mrs Neeta Ambani then addressed the gathering and welcomed the Armed Forces to the show and sought blessings for the newlyweds. Then began the spectacular extravaganza of showcasing the Brindavan and performance of Raasleela by Sri Krishna and over a hundred Gopis dancing, angels flying and performing aerobatics over the colourful fountains. The tricolour fountains rising in rhythms to the crescendoes of melodious music. One particular manoeuvre was breathtaking, as a performer executed stunts hanging on his single wrist. The enormous performance was so spacious that it was untenable to concentrate and absorb the grand happenings. But the sum total effect was heavenly euphoric as you’d ingest in the Videos below. The show was Choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant and accomplished by about 170 skilled artists in batches. The show rightfully deserved a unanimous standing ovation.

     We were then escorted to the Spring enclosure where Sonu Nigam regaled us with his popular numbers even as the Guests savoured the sumptuously laid out Buffet topped up with varied sweet Desserts

        It was indeed one of the most dazzling and astounding evenings of my Life, as would be evident from the snaps and videos below. Hats off to the Ambanis for dedicating a scintillating sundown in honour of personnel of the Armed Forces and their families. JAI HIND.