CELEBRATION FOR GRAND DUSHAHRA FESTIVAL

The Annual Grand Dushahra Festival Kick-off celebration organized by Indo-American Festivals (IFA) Inc. took place on the evening of August 1, 2014 in the ballroom of Consulate General of India, New York. The Kick-off event was inaugurated by the Consul General of India Amb. Dnyaneshwar M Mulay.

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Amb. Mulay informed the guests about the initiatives taken by the Consulate to reach out to the mainstream community and the Indian Americans through its different initiatives like Media India Lecture series, its efforts to link literature and film; its initiative to introduce children from different schools to Indian culture and heritage; and its co-operation with individuals and organizations to work with the Consulate for promoting Indian values, trade, culture, heritage etc.

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The inauguration took place in the beautifully decorated Ballroom with flags of India and United States of America in the background. The evening began with the singing of the national anthems of the two countries followed by the lighting of the auspicious lamp, followed by welcoming address by the President of IAF, Mr. Raj Mittal and Chairperson, Mrs. Chanchal Gupta and a speech by the Honorable Consul General Mr. Mulay.

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The evening continued with the short clip showing past Dushahra festival and then some beautiful dance performances starting with the Ganesh Vandana; Glimpses of Ram Lila show; a Mallakhamb show - which is traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs Yoga feats on a narrow vertical wooden pole or rope; finally a popular folk dance from Maharashtra - Lavani which is a combination of traditional song and dance, particularly performed to the beats of Dholki.

IAF, who has been hosting the award-winning Indian festival of Dushahra, a celebration of "Victory of Good over Evil", in New Jersey for the past 15 years, has now taken one step ahead of celebrating the first ever grand Dushahra Festival in New York City. Thus, the public now has two opportunities to join the festivities and is invited to celebrate the Dushahra Festival -
• In New York on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at the South Street Seaport, New York.
• In New Jersey on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at Lake Papaianni Park, Edison, New Jersey.

The event was attended by many distinguished guests which include Senator Samuel D Thompson and his family; Mr Mahesh Chitnis, the first person of Indian origin to be Governor of Lions Club (New Jersey) and a large contingent of Media people to cover the event. The event ended with an Indian dinner.