CHICAGO: “Rangla Punjab 2018” organized by the Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS), has met with great success. More than 1,000 PCS members, guests and invitees came at this sold out event that has about 250 participants, more than 35 acts, and 50 organizers.
The celebration of Punjabi festival of Vaisakhi electrified the audience for nearly five hours at Meadows Clubs in Rolling Meadows, a Northwest suburb of Chicago. This family-oriented show encompassed a record-breaking number of vibrant, energetic, authentic Punjabi folk dances and cultural performances.
Participating teams hailed from all around Chicagoland and the neighboring states of Wisconsin and Indiana, and they featured children as young as the age of five, all the way up to adults. Many of the young participants were taught by volunteer coordinators who were once young “Rangla Punjab” participants themselves. This event serves as a platform for the youth to develop their cultural identity through performance and for community members to showcase their talent.
Once the audience was welcomed by Vice President Bikram Singh Chohan, the evening started with a “Shabad” prayer, by children of the Sikh Religious Society (SRS) of Palatine’s Gurmat School. This was followed by colorful dances and songs, which were performed by local artists of all age groups.
Bhangra and Gidha teams like Navi Paneeri, Kaum Punjab Di and Warriors Bhangra were performed by groups like Shaunkana Chicago Diyan, Milwaukee Gidha, and Bollywood Arts Academy. Chicago’s renowned singers Manmeet Kaur, Mona Bhalla, Maddy Singh and Parina Mehrotra put on an unforgettable show. Bhangra, featuring the signature Punjabi “Dhol” drum beats, and Gidha, characterized by traditional “Bolis”, mesmerized the audience. Audience members could not help but respond by cheering, tapping their feet, and clapping along.
It seemingly transported everyone back to the villages, fairgrounds and university youth festivals of Punjab. This was a nostalgic moment for many, as the Meadows Club hall became the microcosm of Punjabi culture and entertainment. It felt as if the spectators were sitting in Punjab amidst the view of its heritage and colorful suits, dupattas and turbans surrounding them.
The program which was divided into four parts, was enthusiastically emceed by Raskirth Singh and Gurkiran Kaur Palia, Guru Dhaliwal, Seerat Kaur Kaler and Mona Bhalla. The program also featured a number of unique events including a book release ceremony held on stage in the presence of the PCS President and Chairman; “Engineering a Life” by author Krishan Bedi, who also had a book signing at his vendor table. It also included the Chief Guest releasing a new music video by Maddy Singh, who also performed. Throughout the night, the venue’s lobby was crowded with guests checking out the merchandise and refreshments vendors, socializing, and taking photos.
Rajinder Singh Mago, one of the event’s organizers, introduced the PCS Board and event sponsors, who were honored with plaques. Mementos were presented to the outgoing President Sukhmel Singh Atwal and the outgoing Chairman Hardial Singh Deol. Incoming President Surinder Singh Palia and Chairman Bhupinder Singh Dhaliwal, were introduced. President Surinder Singh Palia thanked the Board of Directors, organizers and the supporters and presented awards. Grand sponsor of the program, Bhupinder Singh Dhaliwal and the Chief Guest Gurdeep Singh Nandra, along with several other Silver and Bronze sponsors were also honored with plaques.
Dr. Bhupinder Singh Saini of Advance Pain Management Milwaukee was the patron and Dr. Narinder Singh Grewal of Advance Pain Management of California was the Platinum sponsor.
The event’s Grand Sponsor was Rajpreet Kaur and Bhupinder Singh Dhaliwal. The Silver sponsors were Major Gurcharn Singh Jhaj, Kevindeep Singh Atwal, Lakhvir Singh Sahota, Santokh Singh DC, and Jesse Sahota. The Bronze sponsors were Dr. Amarjit Singh, Harkewal Singh Lally, Nick Balwinder Singh, Jaidev Singh Bhathal, Gulzar Singh Multani, Amrikpal Singh, Jagjit Singh Dhindsa, Manjeet Singh Bhalla, Dr. Bhupinder Singh Pelia, Harjit Singh, Dinesh Sharma, Mehar Singh Salhan, Prince Ghotra, Harpreet Singh Chawla, Manmohan Singh Saini, Amrik Singh (Amar Carpets), Harkirat Singh Sandhu, Bikram Singh Sohi, Happy Multani and Laddi Singh.
PCS’s upcoming events are “PCS Youth Graduation and Scholarship Night”, which includes “Rangla Punjab” participant appreciation and awards on June 10 at the Viceroy of India Restaurant in Lombard, Illinois, the “PCS Sports Festival” in August, and an appearance in the “McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” on November 22 at State Street Chicago. “Rangla Punjab 2019” will be held on April 27, 2019
The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is an all-volunteer not-for-profit community service organization devoted to promoting Punjabi culture, language, performing arts, education, good citizenship, healthy life style, and sports in the metropolitan Chicago area and beyond.
Hema Shastri
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