I am of the belief that behind every moderately to very successful event, there is a harmonious team that works relentlessly to make it a beautiful and insightful curtain closing. As I speak from being one of those who was backstage at the event, which was the Matrimony Gala, I had my experience and a lot of learning through the discussions until the event had ended.

I used to be a more active member in YAC earlier on, after which there was quite a gap. When I learned that there was going to be a Matrimony Gala, it intrigued me, and I thought to myself that I'd love to be part of the event, for it is something very unheard of.

I was told about the event by my dear friend Yashna Advani, who is an active member in the YAC (Young Amil Circle), always participating and doing her best in events. Later, I was told about a meeting that was to happen at the radio club in order to discuss exactly what this event was supposed to be and the objective of it amongst YAC members, and the meeting was to be headed by Sidharth Makhijani. It was a brief meeting with the outline of the event being discussed.

Closer to the event, there was a recce conducted at the Otters Club, followed by a discussion over dinner, this time having both KAP and YAC members. At the table we realized that there were so many things that had to be decided and worked out at length, right from confirming the attendees to discussing the flow of activities that would be part of the event to the details of what these activities would be and who would be conducting them on the day, making sure that any and every other miscellaneous arrangement is made in time. The list itself was quite long. Bad with the names of the participants, which they would wear during the event; the chits having the quotes for the introduction; the names of the movies for the second activity; the banner; the standee for the venue; and the design for the memento, which had to be given to everyone present at the event. All this was possible only if collective effort and many heads came together. As a team, we were headed by Geeta Aunty at all times, who was beaming with enthusiasm and encouragement for us, having her objective very clearly stated to all. Ghanshyam uncle, being the most senior, made sure that he underlined that certain aspects were very important and also gave his nod when the youngsters came up with ideas for the activities. Devesh was the pillar we all were relying on for a lot of major needs that had to be fulfilled for the event, which included the chronology of the activities, the script, following up with others for those errands that were delegated, and checking in with the office as well. Raahuul's efforts were seen when the design for the banner and standee turned out to be most appropriate for the occasion. Sidharth and Garv's meticulous nature ensured that, right from the invitations to the event to other logistics, everything was in place. Manisha cooperated well with them, which was helpful to have everything arranged in time at the venue. Lajwanti aunty was looking through everything and making sure all the lists were ticked, and everything was done at a good pace. Tina Gidwani covered the event through the lens of her camera.

The event went well, with there being learnings and a takeaway for everybody, especially those who put in weeks of effort to make it a success. We had feedback amongst ourselves as well, where we did understand two areas could have been better, speaking from the overall point of view, that being the event starting on time and there being no waiting for more participants to come in if they are late. The second being an activity like dumb charades should either be at the very end of the event or shouldn't be included if there are time constraints.

At the table of discussion where both YAC and KAP members came together, there was the idea of the fourth activity, which was to be conducted, that being the debate, where there were two subjects to be spoken about, both very vital to the topic of marriage.

1.⁠ ⁠An Intimate small wedding or the Big fat Indian wedding 2.⁠ ⁠Joint family or nuclear family. Unfortunately, the fourth activity was missed as time did not permit.

The bird's-eye view from where I see it is that, for a first attempt, we all did exceptionally well as a team, which includes making the critical observations to do better next time.