More than 300 people attended the NEMM Diwali on Saturday 8th November, 2003 at Locke Middle School, Billerica.

Marathi Talent Show was a big hit of the evening. About 40 participants including kids and adults presented a variety of items pertaining to Marathi culture. Prizes were awarded based on several criteria: most creative item, best performance, audience pick, etc. Following is the list of winners:
Judges' choice
- Best Item-Kids- Anshul Parulkar (Tabla)
- Best item-Adults- Pradeep Bhende (Dholki)
- Most Innovative item - Ajinkya Nene (Medley)
- Best performance (Dialects)- Mukta Joshi (Coded-Marathi)
Viewers' choice
- Best item-Kids- Sharayu Mahale, Juilee Manerkar (Dance)
- Best item-Adults- Ashish Nimgaonkar (Song)

“Kandeel” (lamp) and “Pantyaa” (diya) contest was another attraction of the evening. Participants were asked to bring homemade “kandeel” and “Panatyaa” and prizes were awarded to best entries. Varsha Morje won the ‘Kandeel’ contest and Rutuja Joshi’s entry won the “Pantyaa” contest.

NEMM did a commendable job organizing “Revival of Marathi Dialects”. Classic children story ‘Sassa ani Kaasav’ (Hare and tortoise) was narrated different marathi dialects usingregional vocabularies. The story was presented in Nagpuri, Puneri, Nasik, Kokani, Malvani, Sarkari (Government/Formal), Coded, Tami.

Ex-Vice President, Veena Chorghade and ex-Secretary, Saujanya Pangrekar were given a warm send-off. They were both given a large thank-you card with messages from most of the attending patrons. Bipin Chaudhari, Anand Joshi, Rahul Joshi, Rajasri Rajaram are the new committee members.

The beautiful rangoli in front of auditorium was made by Mr. Pradeep Bhende. The program concluded with the award ceremony and delicious dinner. The committee deserves congratulations for presenting the wonderful show.

Since 1975, NEMM is serving the Marathi community in the greater Boston and New England area by arranging various social and cultural events. More information about activities and upcoming events is available at NEMM’s web-site http://www.nemm.org.

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