Participants at the two-day camp of Patna Marwari Mahila Samiti in Patna on Thursday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, June 23: Sheila and Munni coaxed the women of Patna Marwari Mahila Sammelan to the dance floor as they prepared to enjoy their two-day off from responsibilities back home.

The members of the organisation danced to the beats of popular Bollywood songs like Sheila ki jawani and Munni badnaam hui at the opening day of a summer camp organised for the women at Sammelan Bhavan.

The two-day camp offers tips on cooking, decorating salads, hairstyles and grooming and the different ways to drape a sari. The members, irrespective of their age, managed to have a great time, leaving their routine life behind.

Daya Agrawal, 60, the president of Patna Marwari Mahila Samiti, could not wait for the camp to start. Agrawal said: “I had been preparing for the camp for the past one week. I am very excited today, as I knew I would be spending two days with my friends without any work or any tension of home.”

The president of the organisation took only 15 minutes to get ready for the opening day of the summer camp. “Yesterday morning, I had already decided what I was going to wear today. My family helped me decide my outfit for today’s programme and I also co-ordinated the accessories to go with my outfit in advance. So, today, it took me just 15 minutes to get ready,” she said.

While member Madhu Khowala displayed the Japanese style of flower arrangement (ikebana), choreographer Amar Kumar taught the women steps that brought them to the dance floor, shaking a leg in tandem.

Anita Goel, the secretary of Patna Marwari Mahila Samiti, said: “Around 50 women are taking part in the summer camp. The idea behind the camp is to come up with programmes for the members, who mostly devote their time among their husband, children and other family members. The participants shared home-related tips today like how to remove stains from saris, how to reduce weight, how to make pickles or chutney and snacks from left-over food. A cooking competition has been planned for tomorrow where the participants would be required to make snacks from a common ingredient.”

Snehil Jaiswal, a human resource professional and member of the organisation, said: “I am associated with the organisation for the past two months. I have found the best kind of people here.”