Our annual fest which Mumbaikars look forward to is fast approaching. Powaifest20, in its seventh year, is like a cherubic cheerful baby calling out to everyone. We had a fantastic FunStreet19, powered by Kanakia Future City, on December 29, 2019. The Central Avenue was jam-packed – for want of a better word to describe an energetic, vibrant, dancing, singing, laughing, eating, bonding, screaming, swaying mass of people of all ages. There was smile on every face. Ganesh Vandana  song by Sa re ga ma winner Avddhut J Rege gave an auspicious beginning to the event. His “paoos aa” was so very moving that many of us from Rotary Club of Powai wondered if the rain gods would decide to concede to his request and prayed silently and fervently that He should not answer his prayers just that day. Gagan Singh Chauhan – the famous master of ceremony at most national and international marathon events of repute made sure that even zombies danced for zumba. First it was a session for kids. Who cares? Everyone decided to be kids. Then there was the session for all. By then the place was hot with energy. Sonia Chugh, once again, thanks for introducing this great ball of energy, enthusiasm and heart. Abhishek Tiwari’s Bollywood Songs evoked the golden era of Hindi film world. Amazing voice and breath control. It was so beautiful to see Mrs Tiwari literally dancing to his tunes. Pranav rocked the stage with his dance pe chance maar le. Superb swift moves and peppy numbers made it a swell experience. Then Tishya came to twist the crowd on her little fingers. The crowd roared, swayed, shifted, and swirled. These budding Podarites Shivin Suri, Aditya Kumar, Rohan  Updeo and Manasvin Thakur – with their Razzmatazz Rhapsodies band proved that the proof of a pudding is in the eating. Unless you listen you won’t know their strengths. Queens n Queens presented Deepika Satoskar. She belted Asha Bhosale’s numbers seamlessly. While her glittering attire caught the eyes, her voice mesmerised everyone. Bharat Verma’s group gave an impressive performance that left the audience asking for more. Parul Sharma, the pre-teens Beauty Queen presented a very graceful dance. Avanie Joshi’s range – and at-times husky at-times shrill voice – spoke of her regular riaz that is the secret of her bubbly confidence. Jigna Shah’s Garba Gigs created human ripples in front of the stage that swelled and swayed with the music. Avddhut Rege, Chiranjeevi and Saloni Sharma truly made it Shaam Shamang ke Naam. During their one hour of performance no one moved from the stage. When the hunger of the soul is met, who cates for the hunger of the palate? The frenzy rose to a crescendo as we closed the event at ten. If there was so much energy, where did it come from? Food ranging from pasta to panini, momos to maggie about 35 stalls were making huge business as they satisfied the hunger of the active audiences. All thanks to Earth Angels Foundation – Amit Nariani and Neeraj Agarwal. Kid’s were too busy. Music, food and dance did not distract them from their masti. They were at the gravity wall, or doodling or cycling on the open street, or jumping at the trampoline. Amit Kakade’s anchoring was just as it should be – like the strong string that unobtrusively holds the beads together. Crisp, clear and creative! PODS team Sunil Chhugani, Promita, Vikram, Kunal – you have been awesome. Your creatives made the streets come alive, and your responsiveness makes my heart alive. PowaiLive beats were buzzing too. Pallavi Das, your call from chilling Newyork gave me so much warmth! Utsav and Bhushan did a flawless job of creating a fantastic stage. FunStreet19 was all fun! Hiranandani lighting made it so heavenly, and their care and support makes life so lovely! There are little acts of kindness and big gestures of thoughtfulness from my Rotary Club of Bombay Powai that I have to acknowledge. That deserves a separate post!