“It was the unsung heroes who came around to help during the Boston Marathon bombing. The good samaritans were there to help when the tsunami hit Chennai. And they never demanded any reward in return,” said Dr. R.S.Ayyar (retd. Dean IIT Powai) at Lokvani’s “Community and Youth Celebration”.

On December 16, members of Lokvani, the leading e-magazine, hosted a unique event at the Ambrosia Hall in Foxboro. The event recognized budding youth who have gone above and beyond and community leaders who have been absolutely inspirational. It brought together various local non-profit organizations, acknowledging their good work and congratulating important individuals from each group. In addition, Lokvani honored the youth who accomplished their dance arangetrams and music manch-praveshas or were exceptional in the fields of medicine, technology, sports, service and beyond. Lokvani also congratulated local dance and art teachers, with special recognition for the SETU group.  

Lokvani founders - Anil Saigal, Ranjani Saigal and Nirmala Garimella - opened the event by reflecting on Lokvani’s journey and introducing the team. Ranjani spoke about the inspiration behind this event. The evening was filled with touching stories right from the start, from volunteers who spent a lifetime on noble causes to youth who overcame challenges and made a difference. There were three categories of awards: ‘Rising Stars’ for the youth, ‘Unsung Heroes’ for volunteers from non-profits, and ‘INSPIRE’ for community leaders who have made an impact over the years. Volunteers from SETU were recognized for their special contribution to theater. The Lokvani team thoughtfully created the awards in each category, highlighting the contribution from each awardee.  

The venue was artistically decorated by Shobha Shastry from Alankar Decorators. The rolling slideshow compiled the many accomplishments of the awardees. There was a ‘Community Wall’ designed by Raksha Soni, which included information about various non-profits, their establishment year, goals, team and key activities. This was a star attraction as people stopped by for information and pictures. The banner was another attraction, which included the awardees names and pictures. Several artwork from students of Sunanda Sahay and Geeta was on display, which just gives you an idea of the caliber of these young students. Some artwork also got sold on spot!

Guests also enjoyed the entertainment segments woven with the awards and recognition callings. Each of these pieces showcased the versatility and expertise of the artists. Mahathi Athreya and Hari Shanmugam presented an opening Ganesha piece in Carnatic music. Guru Sunanda Narayanan's students performed a Tillana, sung by Geeta Murali. This was a nostalgic moment, as Ranjani ji fondly remembered the great singer and artist who we lost last year. Srinath Sundar, along with his dad, performed Sudha Mayi in the Ragam Amrita Varshini on violin. This was a truly inspirational story as Srinath is mid-range autistic, but a maestro at the art! Neena Gulati’s students, Navya and Ritika, performed an Odissi piece with grace and style. SETU artists presented humorous skits. Bollywood songs by Sudha Subbaraman and Rajiv Gangurde kept the audience tapping. The fashion show by Ruchika Arora with models from Miss India New England was absolutely mesmerizing. The clothes for the models were by Glitterati of Danvers, MA. This was topped with exceptional poetries by Kiran Nath and Poppy Charnalia, summarizing the simplicity of the people, beauty of the awards, and glitter of the evening.

The saga of the evening continued with delicious food by Ambrosia and music and dhol by DJ Yogi. Everyone joined in the celebration, dancing to popular Bollywood numbers.

The Unsung Heroes, Dr. R.S.Ayyar, and INSPIRE award recipients addressed the guests; their remarks put the audience in awe. We feel lucky and proud to be part of the Ekal New England community. Lokvani appreciated the many individuals who make it thrive! Kudos to the Community Heroes and the Youth. They’ve reminded us again that indeed “Sky is the limit!” A big thanks and congrats to Team Lokvani on a magnificent event!

|