Dance stage a hit among kids, grown-ups alike at carnival

Pune: Driving down the Pimple Saudagar’s Kokane Chowk this Sunday, the revelry of the Happy Streets carnival could be spotted a kilometre away, with colourful helium balloons, up-beat music and laughter filling the air.

Happy Streets returned for the third time and citizens made the most of it.

For software professional Umesh Jain, who lives nearby, the early morning sound-check at the dance stage factors as a wakeup call. “I live nearby so around 6am, when the Happy Streets organisers call out “mic check” it wakes me up.”

Jain was at the carnival with his daughters Tanvi (11) and Avni (8), who were engrossed making paper bags at the crafts section. He arrived at the venue with them around 7am, he said. “They love it here. They slept at 12.30am last night, but that didn’t deter them from waking up early to reach on time,” he said.

“My kids and I love dancing here. Sometimes, the kids don’t want to leave the dance stage. My younger one loves to exercise, she can spin the hula hoop for 33 minutes straight. As for me, I try the skipping rope and tug of war and also dance along with my kids. My most favourite activity out here is the drum circle,” Jain added. He added that he has taken his kids to all the Happy Streets carnivals that were organised at Pimple Saudagar. “I think they should be made more frequent and continued throughout the year,” he said.

A group of bright-eyed teenagers who had just arrived at the venue had no hesitation making their way straight for the dance stage. “It’s Zumba all the way for us,” said Nishi Pherwani (14), who lives in the vicinity.

She, along with her friends Pratiksha Jadhav and Bhavika Lund, were going to take a stroll down the street to check out the other activities, once they had had their fill of Zumba.

“It’s my second time here, and the first for Pratiksha. Such carnivals should be organised more often. It’s a great way to hang out with your friends,” she said.

Jyoti, a home maker, was seen leading her friend Rashmi, who runs a preschool, to the dance stage. “We’re quite excited to start-off our Sunday with Zumba,” they said.

“The best thing about Happy Streets is that they cover all age groups, from tiny tots to teenagers and even senior citizens. For the last few years, new activities are being added, so there are more new things to do. The schools that are exhibiting their information are also very informative for parents. It’s essentially a whole family package,” said Rashmi.