ST LOUIS: Bal Vihar of St. Louis celebrated the Holi festival on March 30 at Mahatma Gandhi Center. It turned out to be a major outdoor event of the calendar year with families to meet and greet each other and have some colorful fun.
The event started at noon with lunch for all. Sudhir Brahmabhatt kicked off the event and introduced Neha Jogalekar, a youth student at Bal Vihar who talked about historical and cultural significance of Holi. Mary Shapiro, a St. Louis County journal reporter graced the occasion and covered the event for the newspaper.
It was difficult for the children to hide their enthusiasm as they eagerly awaited distribution of colors.
As soon as the first set of packets opened, the colored dust started filling the atmosphere. Adults could be seen applying colors to the faces and greeted each other. Within half an hour, most of them were covered in multiple colors from head to toe. Another successful chapter in Bal Vihar’s proud 20+ years of history was added to the books.
Bal Vihar is already in its 21st year of existence. Today, over 280 students attend 15 classrooms taught by 40 teachers and supported by administrative staff and scores of volunteer parents. Students from 5-18 years learn bhajans, yoga, history, culture and traditions of India. Bal Vihar celebrates festivals like Diwali, Holi, Independence & Republic Day amongst others.
To commemorate successful 20 years, the management has planned “UTSAV – Celebrating 20 Years of Growth and Success”. The cultural program will include performance by students followed by dinner. The event is expected to be attended by over 500 guests.
The school is currently held at a public school. Projecting the future growth and interest, taking up a permanent facility to accommodate anticipated 400 students in five years is under active consideration of the management. It raised $250,000 during a gala event in 2010 and an additional $125,000 needs to be raised over next year for a permanent home and furnishing all the classrooms with needed equipment and furniture.
Raj Iyer & Ashwin Patel
