Lavasa celebrates Independence Day over the weekend

More than 55,000 people headed to Lavasa City to celebrate the Independence Day weekend with music, food and entertainment. The Freedom 2014 fest took place from August 15 to 17 and witnessed an eclectic mix of live musical and dance performances amid lush green landscapes and natural waterfalls.
About the fest, Nathan Andrews, President and CEO, Lavasa Corporation, stated, “We are happy with the overwhelming response to Freedom 2014.It has been our constant endeavour to make Lavasa City a premier tourist destination and through such interactive and engaging programmes, we hope to offer a fresh experience every time.” The event started with actress Tisca Chopra participating in the I-Day celebrations at Christel House, which educates local underprivileged children. She judged a drawing competition, which had ‘Freedom’ as its theme and gave away prizes to the winners. A master class was conducted by BBC Good Food at Ecole Hoteliere with Chef Ajay Chopra, who kept visitors hooked by revealing the secrets of some delicious Indian recipes. At the Lavasa International Convention Centre (LICC), the crowd was rivetted with an energised musical performance by Rahul Sharma and a dance recital by Mallika Sarabhai. At the Lavasa JKD Academy, Yagnesh Shetty taught self-defence techniques in a martial art class. The action at LICC continued throughout the day with shoppers thronging the flea market. Apart from this, visitors could also tuck into some scrumptious street food. There were live grills and assorted cooking counters, dishing out recipes from across India in the form of a khau gulli. On day two, the culinary journey continued at Ecole, which saw a full house as Chef Shailendra prepared mouth-watering Indian recipes with a delightful combination of colours, flavours and tastes. At the LICC, crowds cheered as singer Sonu Kakkar launched her single digitally at the event. Also performing were musicians Gary Lawyer, Joe Alvarez and the Band of Rockstars featuring Warren Mendonsa, Jai Rao Kavi, Karan Joseph and Adi Mistry, who kept the audience on their feet with rock and fusion music. Day three saw performances by Nandini Srikar and Suchismita Das, who sang folk and fusion songs.