CHICAGO: The near weeklong India Day celebrations in Chicagoland beginning August 13 were off to a fine start, but for a change, it was not by the Chicago Mayoral office as had been the case for past many years. The lead was taken by an Indian umbrella organization, the Associations of Indians in America (AIA).

The Mayor office of Special events did however, conduct its own three hours program a day after the Independence Day at Chicago cultural center.In between, there were celebrations by the Federation of Indian Associations and the Indian Consulate hosted a dinner banquet marking the celebration of 60th Indian Day anniversary at Chicago Cultural Center on August 15. FIA celebrations involved hoisting of Indian flag at Daley Plaza in Chicago Down town followed by a cultural program. Indian Consul general Ashok Kumar Attri, his staff, Clerk of Circuit Court, Dorothy Brown, and Indian community members in great numbers were present.

The August 15 celebrations were followed by a well attended and well conducted banquet by FIA, a colorful India Day Parade on Devon Avenue done again by FIA and a grand Mela on Rogers Park. Attendance at the Parade and Grand Mela ran into thousands (India Post will cover extensively with pictures both these events in its next issue).

The AIA event opened with the hoisting of Indian national flag by Consul General Ashok Kumar Attri and rendering of national anthems of America and India by Lisa Mishra. P Rajagopalan, president AIA, welcomed the gathering and talked about various contributions made by Indians living in America and how AIA is dedicated to foster good relations between India and USA.

The two biggest democracies of the world are working together for common good, he said.Dr Ghanshyam Pandey, Chaiman, AIA Board of Trustees, said that this oldest Indian organization in the US founded in 1967, and one of its objectives has been to help Indian community be a part of the American mainstream. He also congratulated members of Indian Diaspora for their outstanding contribution as professionals and entrepreneurs in the US. Nand Kapoor, National Vice President highlighted the unity of India -a country with diverse values and numerous religions and how it has been consistently striving to realize its true potential.

"The country that was left dry and bleeding by the British in 1947, has bounced back with vengeance. India is poised to overtake Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan within the next 10-20 years" he observed.The chief guest, Consul General Attri, conveyed his warm greetings and observed that "we can all look back with great pride and satisfaction at the numerous important and lasting achievements like our largest vibrant democracy, strong education system, sound industrial and economic base and constitutional underpinning of social justice and equality." Guest speaker Eugene Moor, Recorder of Deeds, Cook County, highlighted the importance of celebrating the Independence Day of a great nation like India.

Tom Dart, Sheriff, specially praised the Indian community of Chicago for their law-abiding nature. Pradeep Mishra, CEO State Bank of India, Chicago also addressed the audience. Representative Lee from the Mayor's office read out Mayor Daley's message for the Indian community. Keynote speaker Linda Yu, anchor ABC, captivated the audience with her eloquence and sincere speech. She told how she is involved with the Asian Americans and how much she loves to be a part of the great culture.

A colorful cultural program showcasing the classical and folk heritage of India as well as the modern experimental fusion performances was coordinated by Om Dhingra, Anil Sharma and Thakar S Basati. Shrishtee Dear presented a beautiful Bharatnatyam performance, followed by Bollywood dance by Akansha Sharma. Punjabi dance team presented their trade mark Indian pop dance. Usha Kiran Attri, wife of the Consul General, joined the ribbon cutting ceremony for the booths. Stalls with Indian clothes, jewelry, decorative and gift items were huge crowd pullers.

The Indian Consulate event started with Hema Rammoorthy welcoming guests and Denise Jorgens, director International House University of Chicago taking up as emcee. Attri in his brief address said that sixty years in the life of a nation was but a small span but still looking back, it was heartening to note that India has taken giant strides in all directions. The country has democratic values embedded in its political life and also could boast of a strong legal system.

The progress that is made in the past six decades, made the nation look to the future with confidence, he said,India notched a double digit growth rate in the past two decades and this was done without a significant inflow of foreign investments. The growth rate could have been significantly higher had there been a good flow of foreign investment, he observed. "We need to maintain a growth rate of 8 percent in the minimum to sustain surging population," he said.Dr Prakash Desai. Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, University of Illinois, was the key note speaker. In his address, he recalled the day India achieved independence and also recalled the prophets of gloom like Sir Winston Churchill and Robert Dole, making not very charitable predictions about India's future.

Churchill went on record saying that chaos will prevail and it would be cruel to let India ruled by Brahmins. He also talked about the usual American perception of India- maharajas, mystics and pathetic poor farmers. Fortunately, he observed, they have proved wrong and India has recorded a tremendous progress in the areas of agriculture and industrial growth, health care and education. "It is the best place to be born now," he said.He however, alluded to some of the problems that India faced now. Riots, female infanticide and poverty. He pitched for sustained efforts and vigilance to overcome these problems and added that it would be "the best place for American investment and business." Dorothy Brown, Clerk of Circuit Court, attended the event and won the hearts of 200 plus invitees and guests saying" Bharat Mata Ki Jai."

She congratulated Indian Americans on 60th anniversary of Indian Independence and said that India contributed to the richness of city life. Rajinder Singh Bedi of Illinois Dept of Commerce read out a congratulatory message from Governor Rod Blagojevich while Hardik Bhatt of Mayor Daley's office read Mayor Daley message.Other highlights were classical dance performances- Kathak by Anila Sinha Foundation students and Bharat Natyam by Natya Dance Theater. No Indian event would be fully complete unless a Bhangra is performed too.

This was done by Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago. Usha Kiran Attri presented CDs to participants of cultural program.Surendra Ullal adds:As festivities of the 60th Independence Day of India continued unabated in Chicago, Mayor Richard M. Daley hosted a reception on August 16 at 5:30 at the Chicago Cultural Center in keeping with the tradition established by the Mayor for the last several years showing his participation with the Indian American Community of Chicago land in the celebration of this historic occasion.Mrs. Megan McDonald, Acting Executive Director, Mayor's Office of Special Events welcomed the guests as she greeted the community paying compliments to their valuable contributions for the progress of the City.

She also noted the phenomenal rise of India in her industrial, economic and technological progress, creating new opportunities for millions of people to raise her living standards and lifestyles.Consul General Ashok Kumar, in his brief remarks noted the extraordinary cooperation of the United States in all possible avenues of development and hoped that this will continue as both countries would create much closer ties conducive to peace and progress.

In acknowledgement of their community services in respective fields of their endeavor Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to Subhash N. Bhatt, Dr. Ram Gajjela, Vandana Jhingan, Rajkumar Rambhajan and Mohammed Ashfat Sharief.Iftekhaar Shareef, the President of Federation of Indian Associations, Chicago in brief remarks pointed out some of the salient features ofIndian democracy and how her institutions and people are making steady progress in improving the social, economic and political conditions in a democratic process.

He paid compliments to the greatest experiments of Indian society and economy, which is steadily making headway in a peaceful and harmonious way in spite of the great diversity of people in terms of languages, religions, customs and economic disparities.A short but beautiful cultural program highlighting two dancing items performed in classical Indian dancing styles by Mudra Dance Academy entertained the audience which included several distinguished IndianAmericans, especially Niranjan Shah, Babu Patel, Prem Lalwani, Smitha Shah, Sohan Joshi, to mention but a few.Hardit Bhatt, Chief Information Officer for the City of Chicago was the Master of Ceremonies.