CHICAGO: Uttarakhand Samaj of Greater Chicago (USOGC) celebrated Deepawali, the festival of light signifying victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. USOGC members congregated in huge numbers in their traditional and colorful Uttarakhandi attire at the Marriott Hotel in Schaumburg, a Chicago suburb.
The evening began with welcome of guests by Emcees – Mrs Rashi Upadhyaya and Mohan Rawat. The entire atmosphere got sanctified with chanting of Holy mantras by Pandit Sri Shanti Prasad Nautiyal.
Dr Anuja Gupta, founder Veranda Retirement Community, was the Chief Guest. She started the event with a lamp lighting ceremony in the presence of USOGC board members. As the evening progressed, various cultural performances were presented. These acts were adaptations of authentic songs and rituals from Uttarakhand. There were many musical dances and instrumental performances by people of all age groups.
The highlight of the near three-hour program was Ramleela – an abbreviated musical adaptation of Ramayan performed on the stage by local Uttarakhand artists. Besides the kid dances and live instrumental music, Uttarakhand folk dance by Rajeshwari Rawat, Richa Chand, Nupur Tewari and others were highly appreciated by all those present. The Garhwali Jagar Folk dance and Raffle draws were other attractions.
In accordance to one of the objectives of USOGC, a food drive was also organized at the event. Non-perishable food was collected for the local food pantry. USOGC also collected donations for the relief of victims of the latest hurricanes in the Gulf region.
USOGC Executive team includes Rajeshwari Rawat, Richa Chand Vice President, Ruchi Dabral Secretary, Shailendra Rawat Jt Secretary, Shashi Tiwari Treasurer, Ravinder Rawat Executive director plus six Directors, two advisors and Manish Upadhyay, Spokesperson.
USOGC believes and preaches… “Garv se kaho hum Uttarakhand se hain”. New members are encouraged to register at www.usogc.org.
Manish Upadhyaya
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