CHICAGO: The highlight of the near four-hour Hindi Diwas celebrations at Ahyana Banquete Hall in Downers Grove (a south west Chicago suburb) by Hindi Lovers Club was a spirited speech competition among kids age 9 to 15 under the theme “Why we should learn Hindi’.
It was a grand effort on the part of contestants – the six finalists out of score of contestants. It was highly appreciated all around by 250 plus strong audience and Hindi fans from across Chicagoland. Another highlight was the Rajasthani folk dances, Kathak classical dance, Bollywood style performances and Hindi songs rendered by young ones.
The celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Club can be deemed to be a great affair but not the grand one that was billed to be by the organizers. One of the factors was that there were quite a few other community events. And the second reason was organizational failure to generate enthusiasm among members of the Indian community about Hindi and its promotion.
The absence of Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed, who informed the organizers of his inability two days before and many other community leaders, was felt all around. The Indian Consulate in Chicago had blessed the event earlier and was billed to be under his patronage. The Hindi Lovers Club announced that the CG would attend the event. He could not make it but the Consulate was very well represented by Consul OP Meena who in his Hindi speech got himself endeared among all present.
The program commenced with traditional lighting of lamp by OP Meena, Consul in the Consulate General of India and the Board Members of the Club. Vande Mataram was sung by Preetish Chakraborty, Indian National Anthem by Balodyan kids, and American National Anthem by Kiran. In attendance were over 350 guests.
OP Meena, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said that the demand for making Hindi as one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization is gaining momentum, at a fast pace, considering the staggering 457 million Hindi speakers across the globe, including 337 million in India.
Meena said that Hindi has been the most popular language among Indian immigrants in different parts of the world while at the same time it has emerged as the acceptable link language in India with 70 to 80 percent of the Indian population speaking or understanding it. He underlined the importance of Hindi in preserving the culture, identity, and unity among Indians, irrespective of the region to which they belong.
Meena laid emphasis on the need for popularizing Hindi among the new generation of Indian-Americans. He also pitched for a unified approach to advance the cause of Hindi in India and abroad.
There was a heart warming greeting from Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner who congratulated the organizers and underlined the importance of the efforts of the Consulate General of India and Hindi Lovers Club in popularizing Hindi in the USA. Nimesh Jani, an elected Schaumburg Council member, had brought this message of the Governor.
Vinita Gulbani, President of the Hindi Lovers Club, said that serious efforts are being made to ensure that Hindi language is available in the classrooms of schools in Illinois.
Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, Club’s Founding President, commended the efforts of the Indian-Americans in preserving Hindi language and Indian culture in the USA. Rich tributes were paid to APJ Abdul Kalam, Naren Patel and Prashant Bhargav.
The cultural programs, which were presented by associations representing different regions and communities of India, were eye-catching. Some of the important programs which touched the hearts of the audience included: Ganesh Vandana and Sajda Dance Performance by Sheetal Dhanani; Hindi Bolo Song by Balodyan Kids; Unity in Diversity Dance Performance by Shanu and Group; “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” by Shan and Group; Dance Performances by Suhanee Patel, Neepa Shah, Shalini Dixit and Prachi Jetly; Rajasthani Dance by Madhu Choudhary; Punjabi Dance by Shalini Dixit Group; Bollywood melodies by renowned Chicago Singer Nipa Shah and Preetish Chakraborty; Saregama Lil’s Champ North America 2015 2nd Runner up, etc.
A vote of thanks was proposed by Kamal Gupta. A sumptuous dinner was served and all those who were present enjoyed it thoroughly. Mrs Nipa Shah took over the stage to entertain the audience who danced on a few Bollywood numbers.
Ramesh Soparawala & Asian Media USA
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