COMMUNITY FOCUS
his vision of respect for all human beings that is held around Gandhi’s birthdate. There was food, exhibits, a cultural showcase, performances, keynote speakers, and a candlelight vigil along with an “I am Asian-American” writing contest awards presentation.
the 2015 festival of India’s Collaboration with Charlotte-Area Schools By Roshan Attrey The Festival of India organizers were pleased that there was a significant increase in the Charlotte-area schools’ participation in this year’s festival which took place in September in downtown Charlotte. The school exhibition site was Founders Hall. Brian Schutz, Chief Academic Officer, CharlotteMecklenburg Schools, was asked to give the plaques, cash prizes, and certificates to winning and participating students and teachers at the awards ceremony in Belk Theater on September 13, 2015. Here is a brief report on this collaboration – with Veena Hari as FOI Local Schools Coordinator. Elementary School Exhibits, Coordinators – Veena Hari and Shikha Kashyap: Three-dimensional projects, built by elementary school students, depicted various historical and contemporary aspects of Indian culture and life. Participating schools (and teacher supervisors) chosen through a competitive process were: Cornelius Elementary (Ashley Hanks), Polo Ridge Elementary (Kelly Kollar), Barringer Elementary (Teresa Strohl), J. H Gunn Elementary (Cathy Dupre), Berewick Elementary (Mary Campbell), and Charlotte Preparatory (Seher Khanna). Middle School Project, Coordinator – Rajive Tiwari: Piedmont Middle School students – Connor Carroll, Nequea Coleman, and Aditya Turamalla, guided by Language Arts Teacher Shelley Lyttle – created a website on India as a creative exercise to learn about cultural diversity. The Website is entertaining and informative. It has a wide variety of pictures and interactive components to keep students engaged as they learn about modern day India including what India is well-known for, as well as its achievements and problems. Visit: http://modernindia.weebly.com/ High School Essay Competition, Coordinator – Roshan Attrey: Participants wrote essays on a theme highlighting the relationship between India and the USA. These were the winners: 1. Cameron Betz, Providence High School. Essay: Greater Achievement through Cultural Unity: Why the American and Indian Administrations Should Work Together and Solve the World’s Problems. This being the best essay is published in this Saathee (Youth Corner column). 2. Leslie Varela, Cochrane Collegiate Academy. Essay: Festival of India 2015; 3. Aayush Purohit, Ardrey Kell High School. Essay: The US and India Have a Natural Alliance
gandhi Jayanti 2015, a Review By Yash Garg, Photos by Palani Mohan, PTM Photography Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi’s birth date - October 2nd - has been declared by the United Nations as an International Day of nonviolence and peace. Gandhi’s ideology of truth and nonviolence inspired world leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela in the fight for civil rights of African Americans and against the Apartheid, respectively. This year’s celebration took place on October 4, where Gandhi’s favorite bhajan, “Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram,” was sung by the gathering after the opening remarks by Dr. Arvind Shah and the garlanding of the Gandhi Statue located on the garden of Marbles Kids Museum. The event was organized under the auspices of Heritage India Association of NC. In spite of inclement weather, more than two hundred people attended. Following the Lamp lighting ceremony, a short cultural program was presented in Venture Hall of the Museum, which began with addresses by several distinguished tgA garba Night guests. Children’s performances included Here are some photos from the Triangle Gujarati Association’s a classical invocatory group dance by Garba Night held on Sept 26 at Dorton Arena, Raleigh. students of Leela Dance School, “Tanangini Sangeet” presented prayer song “Shukalam Bharadram” – fusion of Gandhi’s favorite bhajan “Raghupati Raghav Rajaram” and a unity song “Aankhon mein Ummedon.” Several other performances and award receptions followed. As a finale, an acclaimed artist from India, Dr. B. K. S. Varma, was invited to give an art session. He created three paintings during a short time of 35 minutes at the request of the audience. He demonstrated the unique technique of painting with string and ink. He did a large painting of “Bharatmata” as his gift to Heritage India Association of NC. Saathee.com
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November 2015