India Day Celebrations 2017

The India Society of Worcester is gearing up for its annual flagship event India Day 2017 at the DCU Center on August 5,2017. This free event now in its 28th year has grown in popularity from a small event held at the Italian American Center in Worcester to a grand 5000 plus audience at the DCU Center,

The event brings its ever growing member base of ISW, regional communities and local groups together for a cultural extravaganza that entails live music and dance performances, a parade, free health stop, food and shopping,thus ensuring an action packed afternoon.

The Cultural programs of India Day this year will have amazing presentations of a melange of different cultures through varied art forms.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ashish Cowlagi, President, said,â€ This is a rather special year for us at ISW. This year marks an important landmark for the Indian diaspora as India celebrates 70 years of independence so we are looking forward to an extra special India Day. Our theme this year is Unity and Diversity , so our goal is to bring local regional associations, under one roof for this momentous occasion."

ISW also runs a parent run cultural and language school. The school teaches 5 local languages and offers year round cultural enrichment opportunities for both parents and students. Shiamin Melville is the principal and is proud to also celebrate 25 years of the Language school this year. â€˜We are calling on present and past alumni to be a part of our event and march with us in the parade, along with representatives from the various state organizations as wellâ€. she said.

Cultural Program:

Colorful performances, catchy beats and a unique regional sense of style defines our folk art. This segment features lots of colorful performances, highlighting the wonderful folk styles from the western Indian regions of Gujarat & Rajasthan blended with other folk dance. Some performances blend semi-classical dance forms of India will be with folk dance, while others connect the cultures of the world's two greatest democracies blending Punjabi Bhangra with American Hip hop. Unity in diversity is visible throughout !

This segment of our cultural program offers a view into the beauty of the core classical dance forms of India like Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Kuchipudi . These dance forms are amalgamated with classical forms of Indian Music where the music consisting Raga and Taal will be portrayed through amazing dance moves. Another great classical art form that originated in India and Asia is Martial Arts. The technical moves and actions of these self defense arts will be set to music by our wonderful local artists.

What happens when mighty rivers meet ? When strong traditional art forms from different corners of the country, and the world, attune with each other in the great cultural melting pot? This segment of our stage presentation explores these combinations, depicting blends of Bengali folk art with Bharatnatyam, Bharatnatyam with Ballet, Kashmiri folk dance with Marathi. This segment also blends in performances from the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar pradesh & Bihar.

Our program reaches its crescendo, continuing its intermingling of various artistic dance styles from Indian & Nepali art and culture. Through music and dance, telling tales of freedom, celebration, love and mythology ! A rich banquet of dance styles like Flamenco, Contemporary western and Hip hop combined with Indian Bharatnatyam, Lavani & Bhangra guarantee a finale that you will remember !