Essence of India 2017  - A Festive Celebration of South East Asian Cultures

On the afternoon of August 19^th, 2017, with bright sunshine spreading under clear skies, a large multinational crowd of varied ethnicities gathered to celebrate the Essence of India festival at NARA park in Acton MA.  The vibrant art and culture from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka presented in an open air setting from 2pm to 7:30pm was appreciated by the young and old alike. Live music and dance presented by artists from the greater Boston area took place on a brightly lit stage adorned with flower garlands and embroidered tapestries. Clothing and jewelery vendors, commercial businesses as well as non-profit organizations advertised products and services under large white tents lining the perimeter of the scenic Nara park. As festival attendees walked around the park while watching live performances and enjoying the rich flavors of Indian Cuisine, a heightened sense of universality, unity and acceptance was felt by all.

In 2012, Essence of India was founded by Sunanda Sahay and Seema Kapoor with the goal of providing a platform to local artists and businesses for sharing and presenting a wide variety of art forms to members of the diverse New England community. By showcasing a variety of classical and folk music and dance genres originating in India and its neighboring countries, they have worked hard to give New Englanders an appreciation for the unique facets of South Asian art, culture and traditions. The founders have succeeded brilliantly in providing exposure to India’s rich history and culture through this free educational and artistic event that draws large crowds every year in the month of August. The festival is funded by the Acton-Boxborough, Concord, Lexington, Littleton, Shrewsbury, Sudbury and Westford Cultural Councils.

The 2017 Essence of India festival, the sixth presentation of the annual festival series, commenced with a warm welcome from its founders, Sunanda Sahay and Seema Kapoor as well as the emcee for the event, dancer and professor of sociology, Smitha Radhakrishnan. In the opening address, Senator Jamie Eldridge from the Middlesex and Worcester districts, talked about diversity and commended Sahay and Kapoor’s efforts to promote South Asian culture within the community. Following Senator Eldridge’s speech, a collaborative musical effort to showcase the nuances of North and South Indian Classical music traditions was presented in the form of an invocation to the God of auspicious beginnings, Lord Ganesha. The artists were Carnatic vocalist, Smt. Aparna Balaji, Hindustani vocalist, Smt. Shuchita Rao, accompanied by Vikram Krishnamachari on the keyboard-synthesizer and Hariharan Shanmugam on the Mridangam. Next, Simran O Paudyal gave a heart-warming rendition of a Nepali Peace song while Prioyta Syra Imam presented a Bangladeshi Recitation. The audience was captivated by colorful group as well as solo dance performances from Bangladesh choreographed by Rafeya Zaman priya, North Indian Kathak dance by Apekshya Panda, Odissi dance from Mouli Pal’s Upasana School of Dance and South Indian Kuchipudi dance by students of Sri Kuchipudi Natyalaya. One of the highlights of the afternoon was a fashion show featuring a variety of colorful ethnic dresses worn by the women of Bangladesh.

In a brief intermission following the music and dance performances, attendees explored the dozen or more booths featuring South East Asian artwork, ethnic wear and Indian cuisine. Elementary and middle school students of Sunanda Sahay led an interactive art exhibit where attendees learned the elements of Madhubani painting from India. They guided visitors in the technique of breaking up line drawings of peacocks and fishes into sections and coloring them in with sharpened color pencils provided at the booth. SETU (Stage Ensemble Theatre Unit) led by Subrata Das and a team of actor volunteers advertised the next upcoming show of their play, Kamala. The work of tribal women from Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal and Karnataka in creating ethnic wear was featured in the booth run by Association of India’s Development, AID Boston. Local vendors selling clothes and jewelry attracted the attention of older attendees while balloon creations, face painting and henna tattoos delighted young children.“This is my first time visiting this festival even though I am conversant with Indian art and culture since the 60s. We are enjoying it very much.” said Brian and Mary from Acton who ate hot lentil and rice dosas with coconut chutney.

Post-intermission, melodious music by Nepali Music Ensemble, Bharatanatyam led by Pallavi Nagesha, Nepali folk dance, Sattriya dance, Sambalpuri Dance led by Jayashree Mohapatra, and a Garba dance featuring the Vidyanjali Dance School provided the audience with the experience of a broad range of cultural traditions from India and Nepal. The evening filled with countless flavors of timeless art and vibrant traditions of South East Asia came to a close with an engaging magic show by David Chandler. Kudos to the organizers, sponsors, volunteers and participants of the 2017 Essence of India festival who with their collective effort made it possible for New Englanders to behold and explore the South East Asian traditions in their fullest splendor.

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