When you enjoy someone’s company, you are always looking for ways to get together and party. Such is our SETU family. SETU’s annual summer picnic was on Saturday July 22^nd and was attended by almost 70 people. The picnic was organized by Vasudha, Noorain, Rishi and Yogita. With the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, plenty of trees for shade and grassy lands, the location couldn’t have been more perfect - absolutely breathtaking New Castle, NH.

The day was filled with variety of games. It was a family event, so you could see kids engaged in full swing too. Games on one side and several tables of food on the other. Couple of SETUites were celebrating their birthdays that day, and of course there was cake. The love, camaraderie and celebration was obvious as everyone sang happy birthday.

I asked my younger daughter Aashna to share her thoughts about the picnic and this is what she had to say:

“When my family and I first arrived at the SETU picnic, I could immediately see that there was a lot of activity happening, and a lot of joy being spread throughout the air. Many of the people there were playing games, such as cricket, badminton, volleyball and more. There were also tables filled with delicious foods, and people laughing and bonding together as they enjoyed it. Not to mention, a birthday cake that was so kindly brought for the group! I loved seeing everybody contribute to bringing the food, serving it, and more. It really showed how great of a team the people in SETU are, and how well they all work together. As soon as I gathered all of the cheerful sights surrounding me, I smiled, for I knew that with this good-natured group of people, I was bound to have an excellent time at the picnic.

At the picnic, I specifically remember one game we played as a group. The objective of it was to tag the other person before they could tag you, and it was called “standing kho-kho”. While running, many of us had accidentally slipped and fallen to the ground. However, as a participant in this game, I saw that all those who had fallen had got back up again. Rather than being upset, or in a bad mood, they would laugh, and continue playing. Seeing everyone laugh and play tag together as one big family really made me smile. They are all such a delight to be around and have fun with, and will always be able to make everyone smile.”

And amongst all this playing, chatting and eating, we were doing some work too - planning for our upcoming fundraiser for EKAL Vidyalaya in September in collaboration with IAGB. Kamala. “Kamala” is a play that brings forth the tribal slave trade and male chauvinism issues in India. Just the word drama brings a smile to all of us and this time the team is even more excited to be showcasing their talent to support schools in rural India. Visit http://setu.us/ for more info about ‘Kamala”.

As the sun started going down, we cleaned-up, gathered everything and some continued the picnic as they went to watch “Mary Poppins” at the outdoor theater. The day was over but the memories will last forever.  

"SETU is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater group in the Boston area founded in 2003. SETU means “bridge” in several Indian languages and our mission is to build bridges between Indian and Western cultures through the medium of theater. Want to join SETU? contact@setu.us."

|