INDIANAPOLIS: The ninth Annual Asian Festival on March 25 at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis turned out to be an affair full of fun replete with education and entertainment.

The Festival had some familiar features: the cultural displays of various Asian countries-Sri Lanka, Laos, Israel, India, Pakistan, China; commercial booths - Tibetan crafts organized by Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington and the Henna Painting Art by Pramila Shah. Clusters of colorful balloons and large inflated parrots hung from the ceiling floating overhead, and multi-colored posters decorated the walls throughout the Multi-Purpose Room.

The room was transformed into a festive feast for the eyes and senses: an Indian brocaded silk draped canopy as a gateway, several tables with bright tablecloths reserved for faculty and honored guests; a large stage graced with a photo-mural of The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India framed with colorful paper drapes.

The entire space was filled with inviting aromas of Indian chicken tikka masala, mixed vegetable, potato-peas curry, naan, Chinese eggrolls, chicken low mein, chicken satay, and other delicious dishes for the hungry and the brave. An attractive backdrop of murals, saris, and signs added a special touch to the buffet area. Beautiful North Indian music welcomed the guests to this annual party of Asian cultures and traditions.

The two-hour Festival was a composite of serenity, exuberance, laughter, and spectacle. It began with an Invocation of Quranic verses and followed through with sacred chants by the Tibetan Buddhist Monks. The audience of several hundred students, faculty members, parents, and guests was greeted by Mrs. Winnie Ballard, the wife of the Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, who later made a surprise appearance.

Both highlighted the importance of our growing diversity and the need to celebrate this cultural and ethnic richness in our midst as a major community asset.There were the ever-favorite Indianapolis Japanese Minyo Dancers, invited each year to perform traditional Japanese folkdances at the Asian Festival.

We were treated to a Turkish Pop Belly Dance and Turkish Gypsy Flower Girl Dance performed by Brebeuf students under the direction of Ms. Catalon. There was a demonstration of the traditional Hora dance by the Jewish Student Union.Another highlight was the colorful and vigorous Bhangra, a Punjabi folkdance and now an international rage, under the direction of Sonya Gill.

The seven young ladies and two young men dressed in vibrant traditional Punjabi clothes- ladies in brocaded silks and boys in majestic turbans gave a tremendous account of their dancing skills and joyful spirit to learn new things. They were joined in Bhangra by two Hoosier Punjabis, Jagdeep Walia, a senior at Franklin Central High School and Deepinder Gill, a senior at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Indianapolis.