Evening at MEANT

MEANT stands for "Malayalee Engineers Association of North Texas". The evening started with a call to my Uncle, who told me that there was this MEANT cultural evening. I have heard about MEANT for some time now, and was looking forward to become a member of the same. By evening 5:30, I reached my Uncles place, and by like 6:30 PM, we all were on our way to the place where the program was to happen. By the time we reached the place, it was 7:15, and the program had just started. A quick look into the hall told me that I already knew many people in the hall. I had met many of them at different parties and gettogethers at my relatives places. When I entered the hall, there was a group dance going on, and soon, I was tapping my feet with the rhythm. The Kerala environment was verymuch in the air, and felt good to be in the middle of all the malayalees. The evening continued with good songs, and small children performing in the stage, then the typical Kerala "Deepam" which happens in the evening, and then, came the "Strike". When you mention Kerala, you cannot avoid talking about the strikes in Kerala. And, I guess, taht was the reason, it found a place in this all Kerala program too. It was fun, as my friend "Ani Chettan" followed with couple of others, walked into the stage and started calling out slogans... and what funny slogans were those!!!. The whole hall was roaring with laughter, on slogans aimed against the president of MEANT. It was fun, and as I scanned the croud, I found the president himself laughing so much, that he was finding it difficult to sit.

Well, as in Kerala, the strikes come soon, and go soon, and so did that happen here. After the strike program, it was time for another Kerala original program. "Vallam Kali" or boat race today has a special place in keralas entertainment chart. In times of the kings, one of the major entertainment was the boat race.. but the problem was to synchronize 200 pepole in each boat. The solution was a song!!!. Yes, specially composed songs, with rhythemic beats told all the 200 people when to row. And, it worked!!!. All 200 people rows at the same time, and the boat goes forward like a bullet!!!.

So, the song was the next program at MEANT, and though not rowing, we all were enjoying the rhytm in the songs.

Finally, the evening came to an end, and we all headed home. I went to my uncles place first, and from there, to my place. By the time I reached home, it was 11:30, and went to sleep.