The programme is set. Women keep a tab of their to-do list.
Men get busy, collecting funds and listing out the number of guests to send an invite.
The community hall at the Eastern Park is beaming with a fresh look as people at Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board (APSEB) Colony bond over Navratri celebrations.
It looks more like a family get-together where every individual in the neighbourhood has a role to play. Residents enjoy taking ownership and contribute to the extent possible during special occasions. Women meet and decide on the delicacies offered to ‘Ammavaru’ to be installed and decked up in various avatars for all the 10 days at Sri Chelasani Narayana Rao Memorial Community Hall during the festival, commencing in a couple of days.
Though the 16-acre site of APSEB Colony charms one with its green canopy, well-built houses and better amenities, what makes the place more adorable is its people living here for decades. “Years before, the place was occupied by the employees of APSEB. Over a period of time, half of the colony residents have moved out to meet professional demands, paving the way for diverse communities. Despite a new breed of professionals seeping into the colony, what continued to stay is our unity,” says G.S.N. Murthy, chairman of APSEB Colony Welfare Association and a colony resident.
PlanningThe colony association has a separate wing for women headed by C. Sujani. She says, “A lot of planning goes behind every initiative that we undertake as a team. Be it birthday celebrations, special occasions or kitty parties, we coordinate with one another before drawing a conclusion.”
Reminiscing about the olden days, K. Kanakadurga, a retired lecturer, who has been residing in the neighbourhood for the past 33 years, says, “A dull day at work would transform into a different world as soon I reach home as the scenic beauty of the locality has its own charm to lift my spirits.”
