It all finally happened on 4th November, 2007. The day a young Group of individuals made history. They say one must not boast about oneself, but when the emotions and feelings are overwhelming, then there is not much one can do. Goonj, Goonj, Goonj.. the name just seems to reverberate again and again in the mind. There is so much to say, yet the memories keep you so absorbed, that its difficult to put them down on paper. There is so much to tell, but the mind is confused as to where to begin from.

Lets make it simple, lets just start from the beginning... 9th September, 2007 - some 25 odd people meet up, and are given the task of coming up with a convention/fest for the Gujju Youth of Delhi. They are told that all that they do is upto them, the ideas, the conceptualisation, the execution with the big support that Samaj would be available as and when the need arises. What follows is an intense discussion, with everybody wanting to get in his word, give that crucial input which would make the difference in the success of the fest. Barely acquainted with each other, everybody goes back home with thoughts swirling in his/her mind , thinking how to go forward. Meetings take place on subsequent Sundays, meetings that include fresh creativity, newer ideas, formations of new friendships, meetings that also include discontent, shouting, but most importantly meetings that include young boys and girls who are set out on not just organising a Fest, but making it a grand grand success. There was pressure, there were obstacles, there were times when things din't go the way one would have wanted them to, but Team Goonj kept going on, it kept moving because it had to achieve a larger goal...

Over the weeks the team gets closer, it starts getting to know more about each other. During one of the meetings, the name "GOONJ" is adopted for the fest. Work keeps going on in the form of thinking about taglines, event names, promotional strategies, increasing workforce and so on. There is excessive publicity during Navratri and on the net, apart from word of mouth that kept doing the rounds, which led to good response in terms of registrations and eagerness of participants to be a part of the fest.

Time passes swiftly, and we find ourselves jus a few days away from the fest. Yes, the preparations are in full swing, the performers are practising hard after auditioning for various events, the coordinators are putting in every ounce of their energy trying to ensure that the fest is a success, but everyone is worried.. worried about the fact that will people come to a unique event like Goonj, will the youth be interested in sparing time to interact with more people from his/her community, will the audience on whole accept the fact that young individuals can make a mega event happen, all by themselves..

All the answers remain unanswered until Sunday, the 4th of November, 2007, the day that will go down as a landmak in the lives of many many people. Show begins 2:00 pm, the crowd is thin, discussions are doing the rounds that not many would eventually turn up.. People start trickling in, then they start pouring in, and then it becomes somewhat difficult to make out the empty seats from the filled ones. So far, so Good.. the people have come.. But will the event stand upto their expectations? If you were present there on Goonj day, then i don't need to answer this question, but for the benefit of others, here it goes - Event after event, the cheering kept getting louder, no matter if one was a song & Dance, Theatre or a Literary fan, there was something in store for everyone. And the fun kept going on till the very end, with the Fashion Show leaving every one spell bound. They use this phrase everywhere, but i cant seem to find anything else that fits here better - THE SHOW SIMPLY ROCKED! And it is the support of all the members of Samaj, the participants and Visitors that helped Team Goonj do it.

Glorious are the events that leave such an impact on your life.

Thanks,
Member, Team Goonj.

You can get in touch with Team Goonj at 98990 12999, 99680 51033