FREMONT: On a hot weekend with temperature soaring over 97F and summer coming to a close, 21st Festival of India opened with a bang in California, which has over 13.6% of Asian population. Festival of India and Parade in Fremont organized by Federation of Indo Americans of Northern California (FIA) is the most awaited event of California and it symbolizes the unity, integrity, culture and best of the things that are hall mark of Indian community in Bay area.
It started as a local event some 21 years back and has now grown manifold. It showcases the perfect blend of fun, entertainment and national integration. Today it has become a national event attracting participants from as far away as east coast.
Hosted by the Federation of Indian Associations of Northern California (FIA), the 21st Festival of India was held with great pride and patriotism on August 17 and 18 at Fremont, California. More than 80,000 people participated in this grand event. The attendees were a mix of various ethnic groups showcasing the diversity of California.
The celebrations kicked off with a flag hoisting ceremony on August 15, 2013 at the San Jose City Hall. The event was hosted by Councilmember Ash Kalra. The event was attended by Consul General N. Parthasarathi, Mayor Chuck Reed, Dr Romesh Japra, Rajesh Verma to name a few. Dr Japra, Chairman and Convener of the FIA, spoke about what the flag raising ceremony meant to him, “Every year it keeps getting better and bigger – I think we realize how fortunate we are to have this freedom, unlike many others. This flag hoisting makes us proud and makes us realize who we are and what we are.”
The festival opened on August 17 at 10 am in Paseo Padre Parkway with the “Free Health Fair”. The Health fair had about 30 Indian American physicians and other medical professionals providing free medical services and follow up. The fair was organized by FIA team members with physicians and other medical professionals from Kaiser Permanante, Doctors Express, Uppal Dental care, Gateway eye care. The health fair was attended by over 2000 and lasted for about four hours.
Doctors Express were the title sponsors for the health fair. Health fair testing included screening for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, body analysis, risk assessment for heart attack and stroke. Dr Romesh Japra, Dr Harpreet Dhillon, Dr Bhupinder Bhandari, Dr Veena Puri, Dr Sarabjit Hundal, Dr Monika Chugh, Dr Charanjit Uppal, Dr Mohini Alexander, Dr Anupama Patnaik and Dr Ahmed Sadiq were a part of health fair physicians’ team and counseled with the patients.
Health fair was coordinated by Priya Nayar, Jenny Feng, Kushal Vepa.
Gala parade, the most awaited event started at 12:00 pm and lasted for over two hours on August 18, 2013. Grand Marshal Bollywood star Jimmy Shergill led the parade with FIA Chairman Dr Romesh Japra. The Parade route was on the main street of Paseo Padra Parkway. The parade was coordinated by Deepak Chhabra and there were about 12 floats showcasing the rich culture and heritage of India. Many local ethnic gropes such as Bay Area Telugu association, Bay Area Tamil Manram, RANA, Kannada group, Telangana participated in the parade with colorful floats and entertainment programs highlighting the state’s culture and heritage. Cultural events showcasing the talent of Bay area kids and adults went on for all two days. The cultural events were spread for two days under different categories of groups and solo in both Indian and Western dance forms.
This year’s festival also marked the centenary of Gadar movement, 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and 100 years of Bollywood. Colorful floats and halls with exhibits on Gadar movement and Swami Vivekananda were an instant hit among kids.
The Ghadar Party was an organization founded in 1913 by Punjabi Indians in California, United States and Canada with the aim to liberate India from British rule. Key members of the movement included Sohan Singh Bhakna, Kartar Singh Sarabha, and Rashbehari Bose. After the outbreak of World War I, Ghadar party members returned to Punjab to agitate against British rule in India.
It soon caught on and resulted in revolutionary efforts. Well-known revolutionaries like Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh were influenced by the movement. FIA celebrated this occasion with many activities and events about Gadar. The activities included kids’ contests, exhibitions and showcases for the Gadar movement.
Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birthday celebrations started at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, where Swamiji gave his famous Vedanta lecture. There were many activities planned around his life and teachings. Tiny tots were dressed up as Swami Vivekananda and explained his teachings.
Bollywood, the giant Indian movie industry started 100 years ago with famous actors like Prithvi Raj Kapoor beginning their cinema journey. Many activities involving exhibitions, floats, and kids contests are planned to commemorate the anniversary.
The Festival of India, besides having the entertainment factor, is the best platform to market your business. The festival offers an opportunity for businesses to provide support, patronage and encourage events that increase and strengthen the cultural diversity and community involvement. There were around 110 trade booths and 15 food booths. The trade booths catered to wide range of business starting from fashion jewelry, clothing, mend designers, real estate, insurance, credit union etc. There were stalls carrying multi-colored and elaborately patterned fabrics of saris, shawls and kurtas; intricately designed bangles, toe rings, anklets and earrings.
FIA meal is one stop shop for all Indian designer needs. Some of the vendors are seen in the FIA meal for over 15 years. Food booths offered a variety of delicacies from north and South India. The food stalls included Chole Bhature by Go Chattz, mouth watering Dosas by Anandha Bhavan, authentic Hyderabad biryani by Peacock, to name a few. Parathas from Delhi, Pongal from Madras, Vada Pav from Mumbai and sweets from Kolkata were all served under one roof.
Later in the day Grand Marshal Jimmy Shergill adorned the stage with Sniti Mishra, Sa Re Ga ma sensation, Nisha Kataria and Prem Bhatia, Bollywood singer. This was followed by welcome speeches by Dr Romesh Japra, Rajesh Verma and Yogi Chugh.
Sponsors who made this event possible are State Farm Insurance, Farmers Insurance, State Bank of India, Meri West credit union, CEFCU, Kaiser Permanante, Robson homes, Wells Fargo, Air China, Vonage, Citi Bank, Bank of West, India Post, McDonald’s, P G & E, New York Life , Nurture Kids, Comcast, PCA, Low Fare Travels, Prince Reality , etc.
Commenting on the success of the Festival, Rajesh Verma, President FIA said, “This is our way of passing on the torch of our pride in our traditions to the future generations of American Indian youth.” Festival of India is unmatched in performance, participation and organization by dynamic and talented spirit of Asian Indians.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
