1,200 families to celebrate 75 years of Gujarati Samaj

COIMBATORE: In 1942, a few Gujaratis got together and formed the Coimbatore Gujarati Samaj, and on Saturday, the association will be celebrating 75 years since its foundation. The Samaj, today, has more than 1,200 families and is involved in several social activities.
The president of the Samaj Harish Shah is all excited about the 75th year celebration."It is a pride for the Samaj to celebrate this milestone. This will help us strengthen ourselves as an association," said Shah. "We have tied up with the Gujarat Government in organizing the celebrations which will be called Sadakal Gujarat meaning perennial Gujarat," he added.
The most popular event organised by the Gujarati Samaj is the Navaratri celebrations every year. "The entire Samaj premises glows in serial lights and the evenings are abuzz with music and dance. Men, women and children join the dance and celebrate," said Sharmista Shah, the joint secretary of the senior citizen wing.
"A special band is invited all the way from Gujarat to perform for the 10-day programme. In the evenings, from 5 to 7pm, the celebration is restricted to women alone, and from 10pm onwards everyone participates," she said.
During the Navratri celebration, dinner is served free of cost to members of the club. "We also organize 'aarti' every day. The expenses for dinner and other arrangements are borne by the Samaj. Funds are raised through donations," Shah told TOI.
The Samaj is also actively involved in other activities. There is a kids zone, a youth wing, a women's wing and senior citizen's wing.
"We organize competitions, monthly activities that engage the kids. The idea is to bring children together and teach them Gujarati and the culture of Gujarat," said Nitin Lodaya, secretary of the senior citizen's wing. "Last month, we organized an oratorical competition on Gujarat. Once we organized a dental camp," he added.
Senior citizens too meet once a month. "We invite guests to speak to the senior members. They range from doctors to philosophers. There is no joint or place in the city where senior citizens can get together," said Lodaya.
The Samaj recently launched a dispensary that provides low cost health services. "We have got doctors and specialists on-call. Patients from any religion or caste can come and take treatment with us," said Vipul Joshi, chairman of the medical wing of the samaj.