News India Times
August 21, 2015
14
– that’s all you need to know
Community
India Fest Showcases Culture, Arts At Merrillville, Indiana
By Ela Dutt
round 1,200 people
came to enjoy Indian
food, dances, music
and much more at the
20th annual India Fest
inMerrillville, Indiana Aug. 9. It
has been a signature event
organized by the Indian-
American Cultural Center since
1995, organizers said.
Shailesh Bhatt, chair of the
IACC, said at least 50 percent of
the crowd was of non-Indian
descent. “The festival usually has
more attendees but the date
clashed with the County Festival
and rain was predicted so atten-
dance was a little less,” Bhatt
told News India Times.
“But our five food vendors at
the festival were happy. They
made money as did the other
vendors,” he said.
The Festival tries to showcase
the different cultures within
India, Bhatt told the Northwest
Indiana Times.
“India is a vast country. The
southern part of the country is
very different from the north,”
he is quoted as saying in
nwitimes.com. Three cultural
programs featuring traditional
Indian dance forms from differ-
ent parts of India were held at
the IACC banquet hall.
A fashion show and a demon-
stration of how to wear a sari, as
well as henna painting, a palm
reader, and other activities were
part of the full-day program.
Outside the halls of the IACC,
which also houses a Hindu tem-
ple, vendors offered different
foods under tents, and there was
a place for people to sit and
enjoy the food and browse the
stalls selling jewelry, clothes and
other items.
Several volunteers help plan
and host the festival every year
and it attracts people of different
ethnicities.
Mark Seert and Dana Behler,
of Merrillville, came to enjoy the
spicy food last year and got
hooked.
They were instrumental in
establishing a program to learn
more about Indian culture and
the Hindu religion in their
Bethel Church in Crown Point,
Indiana, nwitimes.com reported.
The IACC opened its center in
March 2002.
“This was a dream for our
community for many years,”
organizers say on the website.
Since its opening, the center
has become the hub of many
cultural and social activities of
the community.
Built on 14 acres of land, it is
able to hold numerous activities
including sports as well as reli-
gious festivals. The Bharatiya
Temple of Northwest Indiana is
also on the same location.
From Chicago Bureau
T
he 2015 Telugu Festival
organized by Chicago
Telugu Association Aug. 1
at Copernicus Center brought
Telugu people fromChicago and
surrounding areas under one
roof, demonstrating unity, cele-
brating culture and success of
the organization’s service activi-
ties.
The festival part of the annual
conference of CTA started off
with the Pradhana Song
(Ganesha) performed byVeena
Gayatri, Swetha Rao, Sruthi
Thakur and followed by welcome
address by conference coordina-
tor Sridhar Mumgandi.
The guests included Music
Director Anup Rubens, North
American Telugu Society presi-
dent Ravi Achanta, popular
Tollywood singers Geetha
Madhuri, Revanth, Pridhvi,
Jabardash Comedy teammem-
bers Sudheer, Chanti, NATS
director Sridhar Kesani and for-
mer Columbus Telugu
Association president Suresh and
entrepreneur fromChampaign
Raja Pathuri.
A large number of Telugu
families gathered at the festival
with the total estimated by the
organizers to be over 1,400.
United States Senator Mark
Kirk sent his good wishes in a
message to the community on
this occasion.
Several Tollywood Medleys
were presented by Swathi,
Lakshmi Laalasa and Dazzling
Dudes TeamBharat Achanta,
Siddharth Sai Muppavarapu,
Rithvik Muvva, Arnav Thotakura,
Gopi Thotakura, Yashasvi
Mumgandi Rina Rockers per-
formed a medley. Classical
fusion composed by Anusha
Naidu was well-appreciated and
performed by Malishka Ambati,
Hanitha Sharma Puranam,
Geetha Priya, Sreehamsi
Koganti, Namashritha Koganti,
Asritha Tunguntla, Mahitha
Pamulapati and Anusha Aravind.
A recital dance was presented
by Bindya, Revathi, Sneha
Ankitha,Sravanthi, Nikitha, Jaya
Prada, Anusha, and Meghana
Aleti. Pushpanjali, a classical
Kuchipudi dance was performed
by young kids Priyanka Achanta,
Tejaswi Achanta, Pranavi
Polavarapu and Laasya Rangu.
On the occasion rich tributes
were paid by the organizers to
former President A.P.J. Abdul
Kalamwho died last month,
according to an AsianMedia
press release
The evening session started
with grand welcome song
(“Swagatham Palukotondi CTA
Kovelaa..”) specially written,
composed and choreographed
for the festival.
Chicago Telugu Association
executive members presented
the brief history and activities of
CTA. Conference coordinator
Sridha Mumgandi welcomed the
audience and secretary Madan
Pamulapati presided the CTA
hour during which CTA facilitat-
ed the outgoing president
Murthy Koppaka and team.
A
Chicago Annual Telugu Festival Attended By An Estimated 1,400 People
Above, Inaugural ceremony for the 20th annual India Fest held in Merrillville, Indiana
Aug. 9. Below left, Several groups of children performed at the day-long India Fest held
in Merrilville, Indiana Aug. 9. Below right, Close to 1,200 people attended the day-long
India Fest in Merillville, Indiana Aug. 9.
Above, Mahila team members singing and dancing with Music Director Aunp Rubens
during the Telugu festival August 1 at Copernicus Center. Below, a section of the audi-
ence at CTA Telugu Festival which was attended by an estimated 1,400 people.
Vijaikumar Dharla
SwadeshMedia USA
