Lakshmi Iyer
India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: The India Live fair – a 5th Avenue Media and Entertainment production – was held at the Fremont Towne Plaza on Saturday, July 7. Reena Rao and Mahesh Pakala, long-time residents of Fremont, took the initiative to organize this ‘mela’.
When asked about her motivation to take up organizing an event such as this, Reena said, “Being a strong exponent of India’s Heritage – be it arts, culture, food, sports, handloom, fashion, spirituality, music, health, tourism, Bollywood – Mahesh and myself have always enjoyed showcasing the same for the past two decades either through public events or charity organizations. Always loved providing a platform for the incredibly talented artistes from our exotic country. So when I got an opportunity to organize an activity in the new upcoming downtown Fremont, I immediately conceptualized India Live! It was a humble attempt to showcase a cross section of the rich cultural heritage of India and its diaspora to the larger community in Bay Area and make it an all-inclusive community. Mainstream folks learn to respect our culture and second generation Indian children get an opportunity to connect to their roots. Of course, the awesome location and the fabulous weather added to the flavor.”
And showcase it was! With food booths such as Go To Combo and Curry Up Now serving delicacies such as ‘samosa chhole’, and clothing booths selling beautiful ‘kurtis’, handmade jewelry and ready-to-wear exotic blouses, the fair was a fun event that had something for everyone. There were even vendors selling handmade pottery and one that was doing ‘henna’ designs on people’s hands.
There was live entertainment in the form of traditional and folk Indian dance performances and singing by Varun and Rini, who wowed the crowd with modern Bollywood numbers and medleys of English and Hindi hits.
There was even a flash mob in which Fremont Mayor Lily Mei participated.
A temporary event venue created at Town Fair Plaza is located at the corner of State Street and Capitol Avenue in the increasingly emerging downtown Fremont. Operating six days a week, Town Fair Plaza will feature a live performance stage under a 2,800 square foot geodesic dome, food trucks, maker space for the area’s creators and inventors, family-fun games, table tennis facilities, outdoor beer garden, and an abundance of open space for the community to gather and celebrate.
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