JAYANTI OZA
CHICAGO: Indian Community Outreach (ICO) hosted its annual 2019 Lotus Scholarships and India Day kick-off event at North Central College in Naperville, a southwest suburb of Chicago May 11 2019 with more than hundred and fifty community in attendance.
The event commenced with Krishna Bansal, ICO Chairman, welcoming Sudhakar Dalela, Consul General of India in Chicago, Troy Hammond, President of North Central College, Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico . and Schaumburg Mayor Tom Daily among others. Chirico delivered the keynote address.
Hammond congratulated the scholarship recipients while elaborating on rich the history of over 150 years of North Central College. He also explained how the college is expanding its presence in the fields of the sciences and business curriculum.
Chirico applauded the role of ICO in the economic and cultural prosperity of Naperville.
Consul General Dalela brought forward his vision for the Midwest region and various upcoming events, with focus on the upcoming Yoga Day.
Bansal talked about ICO’s activities and contributions over the past five years and commended the immense unity and support by the ICO team, sponsors and volunteers.
ICO Lotus Excellence Scholarship 2019
Viral Shah, ICO Treasurer and Lead of Scholarship Committee, talked about ICO Lotus Scholarship 2019, judging panel and introduced the scholarship recipients.
ICO recognized and awarded scholarships to the most deserving Indian American high school senior applicants in the Chicago srea. This year’s scholarships of $10,00 each were awarded to Aarthi Kottapalli (Academics), Amit Somalwar (Academics), AshwinSaxena (Academics), SumanManek (Academics), SumukhKak (Academics), Jai Gandhi (Academics) , AdithiArunkumar (Arts), Arjun Kumar (Arts), Mira Malavia (Community Service and Academics), Alya Gupta (Community Service) and Sathya Subramaniam (Sports). Shruti Kolli received the scholarship and won the Mayor Pradel Award for Leadership, Community Service and Academics. Adam Patni was recognized with the Excellence Award for Leadership.
Judges gauged the overwhelming number of applications that were received, and using a standardization rubric, to determine the awardees. With so many deserving students of Indian descent in the Chicagoland area, the selection process was no ordinary feat.
2019 India Day Parade & Celebrations Kick-Off
The much-awaited announcement of 2019 India Day Parade & Celebrations was the highlight of the evening. This year’s event will be hosted August 11 at Knoch Park, Naperville from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will be free for all to attend.
“By popular demand of our community, we are very excited to bring Sunidhi Chauhan, the rock star of Bollywood back”, announced Bansal and promised breath-taking entertainment to Chicagoans.
This event has proved to be a magnificent platform for the India-Americans to display their talents in the domains of art, dance, music, and culture. Booths with displays, health fair, International food court, children’s park, and ethnic Indian bazaar will continue to be key attractions for spectators. A colorful parade will feature decorated floats displaying culture and dances from different states and regions of India.
The Concert will be the highlight in the evening and will conclude with colorful fireworks in the sky. More up to date information about India Day, sponsorship or participation will be available by calling 630.300.0345 or by visiting www.indiancommunit-youtreach.org.
