Silent dandiya night to combat noise pollution with headphones

Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

In one of the most recalled scenes from the Ranbir Kapoor-Anushka Sharma starrer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, we see the two get their groove on in a silent disco, that shows everyone dancing with their headphones on. The track that plays in the background, The Breakup Song, went on to top the charts and still continues to be a party hit. It is from this song that Amboli Ambardekar got the idea of organising what's being touted as the world's first silent garba, for the upcoming dandia nights during Navratri.

The 25-year-old is the director of Rajmahal Banquets, a popular garba venue, that has been their family business. "Every year we do dandia nights and they are always fun. But, this year I wanted to try something different and offer dancers something exciting to look forward to. When I saw the Breakup Song in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil earlier this year, I toyed around with the idea of translating the same concept for a dandia night, instead of a disco night. And here we are!" says Ambardekar, who did her MBA from NMIMS. They roped in the same headphone manufacturing company that provided the silent disco headphones to the Karan Johar film as well. Each headphone comes with three tracks. "Track 1 is for Gujarati folk, track 2 has only Bollywood garba songs while Track 3 is a mix of both. Each track is colour- coded. The neon lining on the headphone is indicative of which track is playing at that point," explains Ambardekar. Each track will have about 40 songs under the specific genre. "The way the songs are playing one after another in each track, is synced. Dancers will need to identify people playing the track that matches theirs and go with the flow."

While the indoor banquet hall can accommodate a crowd of 1,500, organisers expect no less than 1,200 registrations. "People are showing a great amount of interest in the concept, especially youngsters. Also, owing to the fact that a silent garba would be free of noise pollution, more environmentally conscious people want to sign up," she says.

We ask about the health repercussions of using headphones at a stretch for three hours. "The headphones manufactured by this company took over five years to develop. It combines the technology of Japan and Germany. From Karan's team to us, and several silent discos around the world use their headphones specifically for this purpose. We have tested it too and we can assure you of the sound quality. Besides, if at all it gets too much for a dancer, they always have the option of taking a break. The concept is new, and people might take a little while to warm up to it. But once the stumbling blocks are out of the way, I believe the 'silent' trend has a great power to catch on."

Where: Rajmahal Banquets, Link House, Link Road, Malad West
When: 10.30 pm to 2 am
Entry: Rs 1,500
Call: 9820176446