CHICAGO: It was for the first time that members of the Nepali community in Chicagoland came together in a large number – 400 plus – to celebrate an event and it was the festival of Holi that the Nepali Terain Society of Chicago hosted here last week.
The event was at Big Band Lake place in Des Plaines and it was graced among others by a good number of non-Nepalis and Americans too. Prominent among them were AAA Illinois State Council president Carmen Estachio, AAA council member Ms Elizabeth, the founding president of Hindi Lovers Club Ms Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, the founding president of NRI Press Club Madhu Patel and his doctor wife Ms Suzan Patel, Asian Human Service Director Thidaporn Lamsutta and CEO, field supervisor Nana All.
The highlights of the nearly four-hour program was a happy get-together, play of color, Holika Dahan ( Sacred fire) , play of colors , songs and dances by a good number of participants and toping them all was traditional Nepali food like Mappua, Pakoda, varieties of veg dishes and chicken and meat items.
President of the Society Ramkrishna Shah said that the entry to the event was free and so also all the food items served at the program. He said the celebration of this festival by all accounts was so successful that the members and guests felt that the Nepali community should be organizing such events more frequently to cement the community bonding.
Harish Rao
