The India Association of Greater Boston celebrated the 66th anniversary of India’s Republic Day at the Burlington High School in Burlington, MA on January 31, 2015. Over 2000 people attended the event. The theme of the event was Nari Shakti. 

Anil Saigal, President of IAGB, welcomed the audience and described some of the activities of IAGB. “We are delighted that we were able to bring the independence day back to the hatch shell with the support of the community. Our membership is growing . We are working on new initiatives as well,” said Anil Saigal.

In a touching tribute, IAGB honored five women who have had over 45 years of service. They serve as role models in both their personal and professional lives. Dr. Anbukilli Chetty, the first female from her community to become a doctor is an active researcher at the Tufts Medical School. Her son is the winner of the MacArthur Genius award and she has two daughters who are medical researchers. Her grandchild is also doing a PhD at Harvard.  Neena Gulhati established the first classical dance school in New England. She is also the mother of two very successful children. Dr. Chander Kapasi has served as the President of IAGB. She is a practicing physician with children who are also successful doctors. Prof. Soraiyya Hussein was the principal of a college in India and is the mother of  very successful children, one of who is a doctor in Boston. Rani Nautiyal, the only great grandmother in the list has a great many accomplishments to her credit. 

The event was a high quality song and dance showcase featuring a diverse set of dance and music styles. There was also a friendly competition section between different local organizations. New England Tamil Sangam, Gurjar and Kerala Association of New England won the first, second and the third prize. 

The IAGB events have become iconic in the New England area and each year the quality of the show keeps escalating. Kudos to the IAGB team for pulling off yet another wonderful event.