India, a nation characterized by a surfeit of culture, religion, and, of course, people. Beginning with the birth of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, India has evolved into a country of cultural and religious diversity, concepts displayed through its plethora of festivals, languages, arts, food, and music. This past week, on November 23rd, the students of Shishu Bharati, a school aiming to educate Indian-American children of their heritage and culture, succeeded in reflecting the diversification of their home country through a variety of booths, performances, and presentations, as well as a phenomenal Rangoli design at the entrance of the field house at Lexington High School.

The celebrations were initiated by the Shishu Bharati Alumni Band, who performed a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, followed by the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. Both performances were met with thunderous applause from the audience. A true symbol of Shishu Bharati, the Kindergarten students then walked across the stage with a Indain flag in each hand, in tune to a song composed specially for the Shishu Bharati school, proving that the appreciation of Indian culture knows no limits to its age.

The event had participation from all three locations (Lexington MA, Nashua NH, and Walpole MA) of Shishu Bharati.  The total participants of about 1,600 included from the students (of the total exceeding 800), many parents, volunteers, and community members.  The spirit of Shishu Bharati was passionately expressed by Dr. Seshi Sompuram, President of Shishu Bharati. He began with welcoming each and every family and the guests to the celebrations and thanking for their solidarity to Shishu Bharati. What’s more is that Dr. Sompuram placed emphasis upon Shishu Bharti’s mission and wish to “preserve and promote” pride in Indian heritage by teaching language and culture to hundreds of students.  He also expressed his sincere gratitude and thanks to hundreds of past and present volunteers for their sincere dedication and selfless service, some for over 35 years. He then concluded by placing emphasis upon the determination of the parents as well as the students, whom he referred to as the “most important spirit” of Shishu Bharati, and “ambassadors of India’s heritage.”

In order to display their own knowledge of Indian culture to the audience, the students then took to the stage and put on dazzling performances filled with color, excitement, and beauty. The Marathi students showcased their talent through Mi Marathi, a mesmerizing dance displaying both Marathi culture and heritage. Following this performance, the Walpole students performed an Assamese folk dance laden with crisp dance moves and spectacular colors.  Joy was reflected throughout the dances, especially that of the Goan Carnival, in which the students depicted the colorful parades and floats through streamers and festive dances.

On a slightly more informative note, the 6th graders from Lexington presented a short slideshow on Ambedkar Jayanti, celebrated on April 14th in honor of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who believed in education for all….The students had to memorize lengthy paragraphs, and relayed their sentences with confidence and emotion.

An icon of Punjab, the Walpole Bhangra team, fitted in vibrant traditional wear danced with an immense amount of energy, all the while showing off their fast movements and skill.  Bringing each corner of India together, the Lexington students depicted the various harvest festivals in India, placing a slight emphasis on Pongal in Tamil Nadu, which begins with the worshipping of nature. The students and teachers then performed a Tamilian folk dance.

The skill and effort of the students, teachers and parents were then recognized by Special Programs Coordinator, Sandhya Nadkarni, in the Vote of Thanks, during which the time the coordinators put in was well appreciated with a loud applause.  The program portion of the celebrations then came to a close with Gujurati ni navaratri  (Grand Finale), a dance offering devotion to Goddess Durga. This act was performed by Nashua students and parents.  The students placed a modern twist on the dance while spinning in dresses embroidered with miniscule mirrors. The audience was then invited to join the dance as well, to which parents and children alike eagerly ran to dance and take part in the enormous flash mob.

The performances ended, but the festivities continued with the creation of thirteen different booths, each of which focused on a different topic and were run by a different grade students and teachers. Set up around the perimeter of the track in the field house, journeying through the booths was like a firsthand experience of India, from its regional foods, to its intricately patterned cloth and textiles. Lexington Kindergarteners expressed their love for India and patriotism through colored pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian flag, both of which were peppered throughout the booth. An informational overview of the many dance forms of India, the second booth explained the origin of dance in India, with a few students dressed in eye-catching outfits.  The importance of Indian utensils was highlighted within the third booth, including that of a sieve, a pressure cooker, and a masher, or puran. One of the displays included a copper kodapaana (pot), used for drawing water from a well.

We’ve all heard of cotton and silk, but what about ikat, kantha and kashrut embroidery? Probably not. The fourth booth paid homage to the rich history of India through the extraordinary art of textiles, its interactive factor was made more amusing by expertly spinning cotton on a loom, a portable Charka, by one of the grand parent, who has been doing that for past 60 or so years. Populated by the cricket fans of Shishu Bharati, this sixth booth did justice to the evolution of sports in India, placing emphasis on, not merely popular sports, but more traditional sports as well, including Kho Kho and Mallakhamb, the latter of which originated in the 12th century.

With each region possessing its own traditional dress, the diversity of clothing in India was represented by the students, who each dressed up in a different regional ensemble.

One of the most complex booths of them all, the students in the eighth booth succeeded in condensing the endless amount of festivals in India into a single booth outfitted with an actual Navaratri festival setup, as well as traditional dresses of various festivals.  Portrayed through characters within the Ramayana, a Hindu epic, the 9th booth contained various masks painted with outstanding artistic skill and talent. And, of course, the 10th booth allowed students to create their own Rangoli (a pattern of color display), a design adorning each door in India.

The 8th graders, on the other hand, took their booth to another level, explaining aspects related to Indian youth (0 to 18 years), which accounts for about 40% of the total population of India.  The booth presentations included on aspects of education, water quality, environmental problems, sanitation, health & nutrition, child labor & trafficking, and discrimination & inequality. The students presented ways in which India can benefit from its youth, the population of this age group of India exceeding that of total population of North America. Establishing a connection to our own lives, the students then went on to explain how we can improve Indian education through organizations, like Akshaya Patra.  The booths ended with the history of India, a detailed journey through the past, and Musical India, in which students displayed and crafted models of the various classical instruments.

A day filled with happiness and creative talent, the students left with smiles on their faces, proud to have shown off the hard work they had put in…There’s no doubt that this jovial and highly spirited gathering reflected the reunion and the solidarity of Shishu Bharati families, showcasing the fascinating performances, as well as hands-on learning experience, only further enhanced by the delicious Indian food provided to all attendees.

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