Written by: Sonia Bangera and Saloni Sanekar, Mumbai

Edited by: Pooja Vishwanathan, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh

The worldwide global sensation Bangtan Boys, also known by their acronym BTS, which consists of seven members: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, made their debut on June 13th, 2013, and recently celebrated their 11th anniversary. To mark this special occasion and their 11th debut anniversary, every army planned to celebrate it grandly. The BTS-themed restaurant/café, Bangtan Shefs, was the best place for it as it is the heart of every Mumbai BTS Army. 

After a long time, “Bangtan Shefs” organised an event and it was full of emotions after Jin returned from his mandatory military service. Bangtan Shefs hosted the event at Bangtan Lounge, Mira Road. It was held on June 13th (Thursday) and began at 2 p.m. Every Mumbai Army’s dream is to visit this magnetic place once and through this event, we got an opportunity to get a glimpse and enjoy this well-planned and well-organised event. Read ahead to learn more about this anniversary event review and the experiences shared by our volunteers who attended it on behalf of Team Hallyuism.

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WHOLESOME ACTIVITIES AND SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCES

We had many surprise performances and all were super awesome. But first, we started with Korean food: a plate full of delicious Ramyeon, Corn Dog and Kimchi. The event started with Arana Samson’s singing performance, as she sang Only by LeeHi, Just One Day & Make It Right by BTS, etc., where her voice and pitch were too good to ignore.

Then we took a pause and warmly welcomed our special and sweetest guests of the event, the people of Sai Darshan Old Age Home. The organiser included a beautiful charity event for the people residing there. It’s a simple family that takes care of around 30 elderly people and they are all live happily together. Everyone was so overwhelmed that they came all the way here and made the event even more special. Ms. Riya Goon, the event organiser and owner of Bangtan Shefs, gave them a warm welcome. The residents gave a heartfelt speech and blessed us all with their presence. One moment that touched our hearts was a sweet gesture by an elderly lady who has hearing problems, but she always greets everyone with a smile, saying “Jai Shree Krishna.” She did the same at the event. Oh my, what an overwhelming moment it was.

Then came the most-awaited performance of Snehil; he just took the whole show to a new level for all of us. He started with BTS’ Stay Gold with his melodious voice and continued with Jin’s solo, The Astronaut. After that, he took his guitar and crooned Euphoria by Jungkook and Spring Day by BTS, where Armys started jamming along with him, creating a whole new vibe.

We are Desi and of course, we needed our Desi energy too. He sang Hawayein by Arijit Singh and Husn by Anuv Jain and gave the event an Indo-Korean touch. Also, how can we forget our special guests? A special performance for them was a must. For the people from Old Age Home, he took us to the 70s-80s era by singing Lag Ja Gale by Lata Mangeshkar, an evergreen song that brought special memories for all of us. Then he took us to the 1990s romance era by singing Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon by Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Alka Yagnik. Later, he took over with Ek Main Aur Ek Tu by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle and Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh again by Lata Mangeshkar, which gave a perfect Bollywood twist to the event. And guys, then guess what? We had our Garba night too, where Snehil sang Chogada by Darshan Rawal and no one could resist hopping on the floor to play Garba, including the elders from the Old Age home. That was just so cute and wholesome. I never thought that we would witness this moment at an event dedicated to K-pop fans.

He also sang his special surprise mashup song that he made himself of Korean and Hindi songs a few years ago. The mashup of Life Goes On and Hosanna. The amalgamation of songs with his beautiful voice was just amazing. After that, he performed Everytime by Chen and Punch, OST from the K-drama Descendants of Sun. It was a WOW moment for us that he was performing live for the first time. Every K-drama fan there went crazy with happiness as he took us all back to the 2016 K-drama era. Finally, he concluded his wonderful performance with Love Wins All by IU. It was mind-blowing. I loved it to the core.

After Snehil’s performance, it was time for the Random Dance Party (RDP), where the Army’s hit the floor, causing wilderness. Few of them even won gifts and danced to their fullest to their favourite K-pop songs. After RDP, we started with sizzling dance performances by 21st-century girls, Smruti and Nirmiti, then Aishwarya. They burned the stage through songs such as Easy by LE SSERAFIM, Magnetic by ILLIT, Maniac by VIVIZ, Go Go by BTS, Ping Pong by HyunA&DAWN, Swalla by Jason Derulo, 3D by Jungkook and Maria by HWASA. Their moves left everyone in awe. The next performance was from Blaven, who came to Mumbai from Delhi to meet and kill the Mumbai Army with his swag. His dance performance made everyone go speechless and crazy. He started with our favourite Boy with Luv by BTS, followed by Crazy Form by ATEEZ, Smart by LE SSERAFIM and more. We must say his alluring moves and dance were just lit! 

Last but not least, a beautiful poem was presented by Fatimah for BTS. It touched everyone’s heart. Here we thought it was the end, but we got a surprise element from the collab performance of all the dance performers: 21st-century girls, Aishwarya and Blaven. What a perfect way to end the event.

At the end of the event, we had a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the incredible 11 years of BTS that they had given to us all with the wonderful BTS-themed cake of the members’ solo releases prepared by the organizer. It looked so yummy and delicious. We even had an Army’s birthday celebration there. Lastly, Bangtan Shefs had prepared a tribute video for the 11th anniversary of BTS; it just brought back all the memories of our boys. Their struggles and the love they gave and received are just beyond everything. Everyone got a little emotional. Also, we would like to highlight one statement from the video:

“ The power of this fandom is unparalleled. For 11 years, you have stood by BTS, amplifying their voices and spreading their message of hope and unity across the globe.”

We officially came to an end with the event with a DJ party by DJ Shubhu. Dancers and non-dancers all rocked the dance floor and grooved to the BTS and K-pop songs in a purple world where all Army members enjoyed and cherished all their favourite moments.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

Sonia Bangera

“First of all, being in Mumbai, I wanted to go to Bangtan Shefs for so long but couldn’t somehow. Who knew that I would visit it one day—that too, on BTS’ anniversary as a part of the Hallyuism Team? It was a joyful moment, as it was my first BTS event that I was going to attend and cover so I was super excited. Also, I was a little nervous as a corporate employee working at night, thinking, Will I be able to manage everything, and will I be able to go on time? I had attended other K-events and was still tensed. But as we say, God has his plans; everything went so smoothly and was just wow. I loved everyone and everything. I and my Minomi enjoyed it a lot! I also met Snehil and we had a heartfelt talk about his performance. I told him that we were glad to meet him again and watch his live performance. Guess what? He even remembered me, so I felt happy. He is such a simple, kind-hearted person. I wished him good luck in his future endeavours. We also met Ms. Riya Goon, the owner of Bangtan Shefs and had a word with her. She is just a sweetheart, and we are grateful to her for organising such a wonderful event. The highlight of the moment for me was the Granny from Old Age Home, who lovely and cutely said “Jai Shree Krishna” to all of us. I was overjoyed and blessed. I sincerely thank Team Hallyuism and Bangtan Shefs.”

Saloni Sanekar

“Firstly, thank you, Team Hallyuism, for this opportunity. As it was my first time, I was nervous and excited at the same time. I had always wished to attend K-events but due to my workload, I never got a chance, but by God’s grace, I did so. It was my very first K-event and that too of my favourite boy band, BTS. The whole event was mind-blowing, from singing to dancing to poetry; everything was just beautiful. I seized every moment. The heartwarming part was the scene of elderly people who enjoyed themselves a lot and graced the event. Last but not least, the owner of Bangtan Shefs, Ms. Riya, is such a jolly person that talking with her was like having a chat with a longtime friend; she is such a sweet soul. Many thanks to her and the team behind the scenes for organising this event.”

ORGANIZER’S EXPERIENCE

Ms. Riya Goon, Bangtan Shefs

For me, organizing a BTS event is always more than entertainment; it embodies a community, self-awareness, and the essential need for self-love. It signifies an understanding that the world is beautiful place were amazing people like RM, Suga, Jin, J-Hope, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, and all the ARMYs coexist. Being among such incredible individuals inspire me to aim higher and do more meaningful things, rather than just mundane tasks. This motivation led me to a special event where I was determined to help an old age home. Having lacked close relationships with my own grandparents, I felt a deep connection with these remarkable elderly people who have been abandoned by their families in these tough times. I urge all ARMYs to stand up for their beliefs, to be inspired, or to inspire others. With these goals in mind, my team of Bangtan Chefs worked tirelessly to show the world why we love BTS so much. It was an honor to be among individuals dedicated to doing what is right by attending the event and recognizing the incredible support they provided to these wonderfully kind grannies and grandpas. Thank you for being in this fandom and being so good to the world all of you. I am incredibly blessed and grateful to you!

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

To conclude, overall, celebrating the 11th anniversary of BTS wouldn’t have been better than this. Bangtan Shefs organised the event well, on time and for a good cause. The crowd of Army’s, the vibe, and the energy took the event to another level. Making BTS proud by spreading their message and giving happiness to others. We were blessed by the old-age home elders. We had fun and also took blessings of our Elderly people. We also had a variety of performances, from singing to dancing and a poem recitation written for BTS. It was such a wholesome event! Our favourite performance overall was that of Snehil. Just an amazing one! Also, how can we forget the delicious Korean food we had? Thanks to Ms. Riya Goon and the volunteers of the event from Bangtan Shefs for organising such an amazing event. Ms. Riya Goon spoke with everyone so sweetly and shared her views regarding the event wholeheartedly. We hope to visit again soon. Cheers to our seven boys, who brought everyone together! Borahae. Signing off with lovely memories that we’ll cherish forever.

Have you all ever attended a K-theme event like the one held in Mumbai? How was your overall experience? Tell us in the comment section below.