NEW YORK: Prominent members of the Indian American community gathered at the Consulate General of India office in New York City to greet each other on the occasion of Eid, which is celebrated all over the world as an auspicious day after the month of fasting – a ritual meant for purification of the soul, developing self control and taking people closer to God.
With these festivities, the Consulate General of India in New York continued its tradition of celebrating the diversity of Indian culture. Supported by Juned Qazi, a promising young entrepreneur and New York based community leader, the celebration reflected a rare combination of social and cultural integration.
An added attraction of the evening was the enchanting Ghazal singing by Sudhir Narayan, a well known singer of Agra Gharana. Qazi recently came to limelight after he hosted a reception in New Jersey in honor of Digvijay Singh, a spokesman of India’s ruling Congress Party and a former chief minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh.
“Eid is a festival of friendship, fun and peace. People belonging to diverse faith and religions should ignore their differences and greet each other with love and happiness”, commented Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, Consul-General of India in New York. Regretting that an atmosphere of suspicion currently prevailed in the world, the Consul-General hoped that the people of Indian Diaspora would work towards strengthening harmony and peace in the world.
He introduced singer Sudhir Narayan as a talented artist whose singing represented love and friendship among people and lived to the true message of peace and harmony. Trained under the able guidance of Late Ustad Shabbir Ahmed Khan of Agra Gharana, Sudhir Narayan entertained the audience with songs that celebrated beauty, love, luster, happiness and good times.
He sang a wide range of traditional and folk songs that made the evening even more enjoyable. Successfully engaging his audience in a series of romantic songs Narayan described the gestures of lovers and their beloved. He also sang poems of many popular traditions, such as, Amir Khusroo, Sufi and folk traditions.
Prominent Indian American professionals and business owners of tri-state area, who belonged to different faiths of India, attended the event. Dr. Anita Soni, a singer of high caliber, also recited poems and ghazals on the occasion.
Nazma Sultana, a leading community leader and executive committee member of Indian National Overseas Congress, congratulated Qazi for his efforts to create friendship and harmony in the community. She said that time had come to pass on the leadership to the youth led by Juned Qazi. Her feelings were echoed by many.
India Post News Service
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