Dandiya beats the deadline

Bangaloreans are swaying to the beats of dandiya way past the Cinderella hour though organisers say the crowds have come down this year due to the rains and swine flu.

Given the weather, organisers have taken adequate measures. The Shree Bangalore Vaishnav Samaj that has been organising Navaratri celebrationsu00a0 in Gayatri Vihar for the last 84 years has arranged for rainproof pandals (tents) across 25,000 sq ft and bus pick-ups and drops at a few key locations.

"We get a crowd of at least a 1,000 people daily and on weekends, it's around 2,000 people," said Rajesh Valia, a part of the organising committee. But Ramesh Sejpal, Samaj secretary, says the numbers have decreased slightly since last year and it could be due to the swine flu and the weather. "But there are still people coming in large numbers," he adds.

Vasant Desai, president of Chandramouleshwari Temple Trust events, says the trust has been organising the Dandiya for 20 years and at Palace Grounds for the last nine years. The event, which he says is the biggest in Bangalore, is spread across 60,000 sq ft.

He too admits to a substantial drop in numbers. There are at least 2,500 people on weekdays while the numbers go up to 4,000 on weekends.

"To control the unruly crowds and to safeguard young girls, we are issuing donor passes," he said though senior citizens and kids can walk in free and so can the ladies before 9pm.

And what about Bangalore's midnight deadline? Vasant says, "Our timings are 8 pm to 12 midnight officially but the volume of the music is lowered post midnight and the dances go on till two in the morning."

The Samyukta Gujarati Samaj organises Dandiya nights across 15 different locations .u00a0 Even software firm and apartment complexes join in the fun. Hewlett Packard organised a Dandiya night within its complex this year.