CHICAGO: The Consulate General of India here offered “A Glimpse of India” on May 15 at its premises in Chicago downtown to highlight the country’s cuisine, culture and achievements.
The public relations event was hosted in conjunction with the International Press Club of Chicago (IPCC), with many IPCC members, including students, present. Consul General Ausaf Sayeed made the slide presentation.
The program opened with an address by IPCC President Wayne Toberman, who was introduced by Gigi Callaway and in turn introduced Sayeed at some length, also referring to his three books.
Having praised Toberman for his initiative, the Consul General presented “India: a Land of Opportunities,” which succeeded in cramming a wealth of information in the span of a few slides.
A recurring theme was the nation’s amazing diversity at all levels boasting, for example, a greater variety of sects of Islam than may be found in many Muslim countries. On the eve of the declaration of results of the 2014 General Elections, he dwelt especially on the Herculean enterprise of conducting the elections every five years, which has no parallel elsewhere.
Several consuls, including those of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Japan and Lithuania were present, as was consulate staff from Serbia, Indonesia, China, etc. The presence of several past IPCC presidents was duly acknowledged. Sayeed took questions, mostly from IPCC members.
Two Indian dance items were presented by Praneeta Jain’s Kalapriya. Komal Shah performed Sona Mohapatra’s “Pyar Se Naina Milayee Re” as a fusion solo and then a pure Kathak duet “Bol Paran” together with Ameera Nimjee.
A 10-minute tourism film took the audience on a whirlwind itinerary crisscrossing the country. Attendees were invited to help themselves freely not only to a light buffet lunch but also to piles of books, DVDs, CDs and shrink-wrapped albums illustrating Indian culture, society and politics.
IPCC organizes such networking events monthly in order to expose its members and especially journalism students to the various nations featured. India was being featured for the first time in this program as the final event for this season.
India Post News Service
