Naperville community plans grand India Day Parade

NAPERVILLE: The Indian Community Outreach and The City of Naperville will be host to a grand India Day Parade and Celebration on August 16 to mark the 69th anniversary of India’s independence.

Several thousand people from Chicago and the suburbs are expected to attend the event which will be held at Center Street and Central Park, Naperville. In addition, Naperville will continue its tradition of celebrating India’s Independence Day by raising US & Indian flags on August 15 at Naperville Municipal Center.

The India Day Parade will serve as a showcase of India’s rich and diverse culture, with several floats organized by Indian cultural, business and political organizations. Spectators will be treated to a rich variety of Indian cuisine, ethnic arts, apparel and jewelry. This event has the distinction of being the first India Day Parade backed by any city in Midwest America.

The event has been organized by the Indian Community Outreach Organization (ICO) in association with the Alliances of Midwest Indian Association and the City of Naperville. ICO is a non-partisan and a not for profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and contributions of Indian Americans while promoting their integration in the growth of Naperville. It’s chairman Krishna Bansal has been appointed by Mayor of Naperville.

Bansal said that the Indian community saw a dramatic growth since nineties and it now comprises ten percent of the suburb’s total population. Moreover, with the recent influx of information technology workers and other professionals from India, over 70 percent are first generation immigrants.

Several South Asian community leaders, restaurants, businesses and cultural organizations have come forward to support the event. Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico and Consul General of India will be chief guests. Mayor Emeritus George Pradel will be the Parade Marshal. Among the other dignitaries attending are the state and local elected representatives and prominent leaders of the Naperville community.

Nimish Bhatt, Vice Chairman of ICO, explained that parade will begin at Center St and 4th Ave in Naperville at 2pm while the celebration will be at Naperville Central Park demonstrating outstanding performances. Flag raising ceremony will be at the Naperville Municipal Center on August 15 from 9am to 10am.

Naperville, ranked as one of the most desirable American cities for a family, is home to more than 10,000 Indian-Americans making it the suburb with the largest and growing population of the community in an area outside Chicago. Indian-Americans have been contributing greatly in the field of business, medicine, information technology and as the leaders of large corporations.
For more information visit website www.napervilleindian.com.

Dave Vasudevan