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64th EPISODE. I am not sure which year it was, but if my memory serves me right it must have been 2007 or 2008. DANDIYA PARTY by Divya Bhaskar were world famous in Mumbai and Delhi advertising circles. This was one night or uninterrupted music and dance. Timed just before the real Navratas, it was a great icebreaker, relationship creator and cementer in B2B terms. The invitees would be mostly media agencies and client team.
Till the year that I am referring here, Dandiya Parties by Divya Bhaskar were a held in real traditional setup. I in my stupid wisdom that year tried to innovate. Keeping the Dandiya theme the whole getup changed. It started with creating a big dance floor. The floor instead of flowers and bandani style favoured till last year gave way to high hung lights and strobes on the trusses. The set up was full discotheque style. The DJ console was at an elevation on one side of the dance floor. The Bar was on both sides of the dancing arena and I was ready to contemporise Dandiya Party.
The invite said 730 PM and we expected the crowd to build up by 830 PM or so. The crowd did come and the hall was full. There were groups of people all over the large hall at the ITC GRAND MARATHA in Mumbai. But there was no one on the floor. The excitement was apparent and the music being played just right but no one moved and there was no one even considering getting on the floor. Maybe this new setup has taken people by surprise. It seemed they were not ready for it. But as the leader it was my responsibility to ensure that the show was a success. The comment ‘It does not seem as a Bhaskar party but like a TV Channel party’ that seemed so encouraging sometime back was now haunting me.
I waited and I waited. Nothing happened. Then someone advised, maybe we could get few of our own team members on stage and then other will join. Sounds great. When I looked around, I found no one was willing to be the first dancer on the floor.
DANDIYA PARTY
This was not done. Not happening. This was my party. How the ownership kicks in with failure staring you on face. Without much thinking and unaware of the consequences I moved to the elevated DJ console and requested people to move to the floor. Nothing happened. Then I heard myself saying ‘Guys, get on, lets party and if I do not see anyone on the floor by the time I get down, I am going to the first one to be on the floor and trust you will have to tolerate me as I do not know how to dance’. Nothing happened. I stepped down and reached the floor and nothing happened.
Now all eyes were on me and more so my team members were looking at me. I had no other option but to get on the floor. I did that and then I started dancing the only way I know- the north Indian shaddi style- where the beats do not matter- the music does not matter and what matters is your peace with self. I just danced with my two left feet. Fortunately for me Pallavi (Name changed) of Bhaskar decided to support me. She slowly swinging in with the music moved on to the floor. In that lovely blue tinted sari she matched my steps. If those could be classified as dancing moves. For the next 20 odd minutes it was she and I on the dance floor. Dancing together will be misrepresenting facts. Initially we were dancing wild. Dancing close. Dancing like the same poles of a magnet. Unsynchronised. And with god grace and her attempts later on it did seem as if we were dancing together. Dancing as if it was the last opportunity. She was superb.
Slowly the crowd moved in. the party picked in. As soon as there were 20 people I slowly edged out. I picked a drink on the way and came out towards the pre-function area. Pallavi followed me and I thanked her profusely.
Now there was a question that I wanted to ask. Pallavi and I were colleagues but we have never been friends. I would have hardly
spoken with her. We were from different department and wing and yet she was the one who saved the day. So, naturally I asked her ‘what made you join me on the floor’?
She was holding my hand. She just smiled. I got up and hugged her. That was for being indebted to her and appreciating her courage. She pulled me by hand and said ‘You will never understand’. We moved in. The party that has started with our dance was in full swing.
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As a marketer this move to change the traditional Dandiya Party to a contemporary style was a fiasco and maybe the reason that led to Dandiya parties not happening from the next year. Maybe when you have such a good property going there is no need to fix it.
……….. OTHER ADVERTISING MARKETING EPISODES …
THE CHASE that could have got us killed ● SHARING IS CARING The coded message by a PSU client ● SLEEP How Swaraj Mazda account was won by Anil Maitre ● The other semi-final – How beer has answe to everything ● RUMBLING – amplifying the peace ● COWARD – A sad smiling face had lot of unanswered questions ● OVERDOSE – What happened with a good B2B initiative at holi. ● CAN YOU MAKE SOMEONE AN ENGISHMAN OVERNIGHT ● THE WATCH: How do you know what your client is signalling ● IRRATIONAL DEMAND – how clients expect agencies to do things ● DOUBLE SURPRISE– Never walkin a party not knowing the occassion ● DING DONG EXCITEMENT AT MACAU – the addiction to casino ● HOT RIDE AT PUSHKAR – adventure ● THE WALK : How we discovered the culture at Macau ● The Jump – a team of 7 go skyjumping during annual conclave at Pattaya ● HIGH SEA GAMBLING – the merry making in international waters ● KOTI ANGLES: Gambeling in Goa ● MISSING LIPS : How friendship develops to create different expectations ● The Trap: How the AE searching for adventure got duped ● Equal Opportunity to Indulge: How HR finds itself ina spot in Pattaya ● THE LOST HAUNTING MUSIC– An experience ● UNNAMED SPIRIT- A SPOOKY EXPERIENCE at Mcleodganj ● PUNJABI LINTAS – Amrit Puri takes over Lintas ● DELAYED LAUNCH – Why HT Delhi Colour supplement launch was delayed ● UNDERGROUND – Printing fake currency could have led to jail ● STRATEGIC RAIN BREAK – How ZID KARO DHONI film was shot ● THANK YOU ● RAIN CLAUSE – I – The fight with Whitelight film over Maruti film ● LETHAL COMBINATION ● APPETITE – It does not matter where you get the appetite till you eat at home ● Puncture – how not to get caught ● ADULTERY- THE MOMENT – Its all for you to decide how far you would go ● ASSET – how a famous Indian model was rejected ● I AM SANKAR – soft ragging of new trainee ● THE COUNT ● INTRODUCTION ● TIME BOMB – How to avoid embarrassing situation ● SMALL TILE – eye for detail ● SHOOT REPORT – junior saving the issue by innovative process ● SARDAR KHUSH HOGA – the agency reaction to a demand ● SHOOT AT MUD ISLAND – shooting with Denzil ●KAALI PEELI PICTURE – what do you do you’re your model is featured in Debonair ● UPGRADE – Bangalore ITC ● JUHI EFFECT– there is something called lady luck in gambling ● POWER OF PUNJAB ● OUT – let game be game ● TWO MORE – how not to pay for the drinks ● ELEVEN MINUTES – client tackles late agency ● THE CHERRY WIN –Team plays a prank ● THE PRESENTATION – junior takes revenge for last minute changes ● BLACK GOLD – A lesson on TVC presentation ● BUFFERED –delivery at airport ● CONTINUE WITH CLIENT – The management supports a high pitched battle with client ● NOT FIRED – just in time action by agency ● ONE LESS DECISION – a campaign thought represented umpteen times● HIGH JACKING THE GOAFEST DELEGATES – a ground event that took Goafest by surprise ● THE GHOST OF 35 RANI JHANSI ROAD JHANDEWALAON – The unsiad stories ● THE PROBLEM – Agency tackling a no-brief from client ● IMPORTED ART CARD – a quick retort to finiky client ● BANYAN TREE AGENCY – Agency tackles cost issue on unapproved estimates
