Techies’ Bonalu Festival

Techies’ Bonalu Festival, proves point that they too care for their culture, tradition.

It is commonly believed that techies are tech savvy and dont follow much of customs, traditions. But, IT associates of DST India proved otherwise. Showcased that they too care much for customs and traditions.

Showed that they are proud of their culture, roots.

Showcased, a popular Telangana Folk Festival on stage for the benefit of their colleagues who are new to the culture as well as few foreign delegates.

They made a never before kind of a 20 minutes audiovisual presentation of any IT Folks about the festival.

Backed by the presentation as a prelude to the Bonalu Theme Dance, they took 1400 plus associates of the company who assembled on Sunday night for their Waarshik Sammelan in JRC Convention in city.

The festival which has origin in an epidemic of plague in 1869 in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, which killed several people. And popular belief that the epidemic was the result of the anger of Mother Goddess. The festival ritual which was started to ward-off the anger of the Goddess was performed live with their spell abound performance on stage much to the dellight of their colleagues. And left on their audience with such an impression that they dont lag behind.

Conceptualised by one Senior IT Associates of the company Lokesh. It was conceptualised and executed in just three days proves a point of their dedication .

25 plus associates donned various roles. Pravallika and Mony priya as Ammavaru and Narsimha and Sandeep as Potharaju. Kishore Kumar played a role of Chief Minister of Telangana K. Chandrashekar Rao, who graces the festival in the melodrama.

They took very minute details into account so much that one lady associate acted as a woman cop to control the mob and other two as police and escorted the procession.

They literally showcased the festival on the stage in twenty minutes that strangers like foreigners could also follow well.

They performed the ritual on the stage in honor of Mother Goddess - Mahankali. Another associate donned a role of a purohit.

The women colleagues offered food made to the Goddess coocked by them which was later shared by the family and friends as ‘prasadam.’.

The entire Bonalu Theme Dance had all the ingredients of the real festival. It has colorful processions and community feasts.

The procession marked with the Kalasha sthapana to the temple site on the stage. The Kalasa Stapana which is an indication of commencement of the festival.

Two Potharajus. role played by Narsimha and Sandeep.

These two as brothers, the well-built and bare bodied IT Associates, wearing a tightly draped dhoti and bells on the their ankles and anointed with turmeric on their bodies and vermillion on their forehead lived in their roles.

They danced to the resounding drums with popular numbers such as Mayadari Mysamma. Other colleagues in the audience started dance to the drums.

The entire auditorium bore a festive look suddenly.

Audience were suprised looking at all those pomp and gaiety. For some time they were clueless as what was happening.

Every member of the audience took by surprise whe way wole festival was enacted.

The live performance was so perfect that it appeared to audience that it was perfected be several rehearsals prior to the live performance.

The Bonalu Theme Live Festival concluded with Ammavaru role played by Mony Priya giving bhavishya vani(predicitons) with lashing whips and emerald neem leaves (margosa) tied around waist, accompanied by trumpets and drums .

She went into trance (Shigam) standing on a wet urn and announced loudly future predictions. One of the associates asked her the future of their company(DST India) and his own future.

Then she replied that she would send him personal pridctions by Whats App.

Hearing this the jampacked audience burst into peels of laughter.

The entire play was witnessed by DST Senior management Tilak, Raju and Manjula as well as by two foreign dignitaries--Wade Freeman and Gary Wells.

Sharing the toil behind the show, Gavuji Praveen. K, a senior associate of the company said, thought it was done at shortest possible time, everybody excelled. It was possible only because of the wholehearted participation of all associates.

None of us are professionals. There was no external performances except Anuj Guruwaran, the famous tollywood singer of Magadheera fame said Lokesh.

We took help of Monica for dance choreography that is all. There was no involvement of any external resources. It was organized by the Recreation Committee of our company, informed Praveen.

Bonalu Dance by IT professionals is somehting we havent heard before. Though i dont know history, how it is celebrated etc, but, the twenty minutes adudio-visual-cum-live performance did all the trick to get hooked to them said Mounika, one of the associates who witnessed the Bonalu Theme Dance and Paly.
Our Waarshik Sammelan is the cultural day out. It is the festival of IT Associates of the Company for the colleagues of their own.

After this we have realised that if given a chance IT Professionals can prove their talent not just with computer programming but also in dance, drama, play, singing and acting.

The event brought associates working in the company together to showcase their talent in singing, dance and other cultural events and funny games like Straw Game and fun and frolic outbound acitvities.

The theme of the Cultural extravaganza was Bollywood.

It served to bring them together to applaud for each other's achievement, show pride, reflect on the prior year's memories and above all have some fun said another associate.

The Waarshik Sammelan also had a senior executive Raghu of the top management performing mouth organ, a small bit.

There was devotional song which was a welcome dance.

They had western dance, a mimicry imitating several well known politicians and actors by Venkat etc.

Any work with pleasure is a pleasure for life. A family that plays together is the family stays together. This helps us to go fresh to work the next whole year observed another IT Professional of the company.