Devi Balika PPA(UK) Autumn Ball 2014

On Saturday 22nd November, the Devi Balika Past Pupils Association (UK) held their Autumn Ball. This annual event was at the Holiday Inn, Wembley.

The guests were welcomed individually by the President of the Association, Mrs Jeeva Disanayake. Following a reception in the Empire suite, the guests were invited to the, candle lit Ballroom , elegantly decorated with floral arrangements and candelabras. The guests were welcomed, and settled down to the melodious music of, Denzil Lazarus, Suresh David and The Breeze from yesteryears and today.

The Asian buffet was well presented and delicious, and included a variety of Sri Lankan and Indian dishes. When coffee was served, the President addressed the guests. She highlighted the importance of their scholarships programme in helping financially disadvantaged , alumnae of Devi Balika in Sri Lankan Universities to enable them to pursue their courses and reach their academic goals. Jeeva stressed that the Autumn Ball was the main fundraiser in our calendar of events and contributed substantially to the Scholarships Fund. She concluded by saying that the dedicated Committee were the pillars on which the continued success of the Association's events rest.

The President was then invited to open the dance , to the strains of Tennessee Waltz. They were soon joined by the rest of the committee and guests and dancing continued into the night. The band varied the tunes and the guests displayed their talents in a variety of dances - jive, rock-n-roll and cha cha cha. Everyone lost their inhibitions and gyrated to the beat of the bailas, a form of Sri Lankan popular music and there was not an inch to spare on the dance floor. The ladies in their colourful sarees and evening dresses and the men in dapper suits swayed to the catchy rhythms. There was much camaraderie as Devians from many vintages mingled on the dance floor.

Apart from a short break for the Raffle draw, to which the guests contributed generously, the dance floor was full. When the clock struck one, the school anthem, national anthem and British anthem were sung in succession.

The evening concluded with a vote of thanks from the Secretary of the Association. She thanked the Banqueting staff and the guests for making the Autumn Ball a truly memorable event.

Photos by Karu Somasiri