The United India Association of New England hosted their annual Diwali Cultural Show and Celebration on Sunday, November 11^th 2018 in Newton, Massachusetts.  As one of the older Indian Community organizations in New England, the United India Association has held a Diwali Cultural Show for the community every year since 1984. We were pleased to welcome so many new people, and highlight so many amazing performances. The Diwali Show is a platform for our community to share their talent and preserve our culture and traditions in America. It is also an opportunity to celebrate Diwali together as a Community.

The United India Association of New England was honored to have the Mayor of Newton, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, attend as our Special Guest to wish everyone a Happy Diwali! Mayor Fuller spoke about the beauty of preserving culture, inclusion, diversity, a commitment to our community. Mayor Fuller concluded by wishing everyone a happy and colorful Diwali. “Our organization strives to promote cultural advocacy, and we were delighted to host the Mayor as she spoke not only to the Indians living in Newton, but across Massachusetts. We thank the Mayor for her support and her kind and inspiring words on Diwali!” said Rakashi Chand, President of the United India Association of New England.

The evening featured many performances, from speeches to Kathak, from Bharatanatyam to Bhangra, from Fashion shows to BollyX, and from Poetry to Bollywood. 150 performers graced the stage sharing their talent and making the event beautiful, memorable and amazing. The event began with a Diwali puja and bhajans. Highlights for the evening included a tribute to India’s involvement in World War I by Dr. Harleen Singh, as November 11th, 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, when 75,000 Indians gave their lives for the Allied forces; An original poem for the occasion by Poet and Artist Poppy Charnalia; and a heartfelt speech by Ananya Bakshi on the experience of Indian-American teenagers. There were two exciting fashion shows featuring the latest styles and fashions, including one that featured both the beautiful Mrs. India New England and Miss Teen India New England. The evening culminated with a dance party when all of the audience and participants were invited on to the stage to dance and the DJ took over the auditorium. Delicious food was available in the cafeteria, and the lobby was buzzing with various vendors and information tables. Thank you to everyone who so graciously performed and made this show a huge success, and thank you to everyone who came out to support the performers and the United India Association of New England. The United India Association of New England invites you to be a part of Diwali 2019!

“We are looking for new ideas, creating more programs, and ways to better serve the Community.” said Rakashi Chand “Please join us!”

United India Association of New England 2018 Committee

President: Rakashi Chand, Vice President: Aditi Soni, Treasurer: Anil Sood, Secretary: Priyadarshani Kumar, Communications Director: Parvin Khetarpal

Board of Directors: Aanch Jain, Dolly Sood, Gyaneshwar Varma, Manisha Chowdhary, Neeta Datta, Rakesh Soni, Rekha Palriwala, Sarla Kalra, Sonia Sharma, Veena Kapoor, Vikas Selhi

Board of Advisors: Kidar Vaid, Jatinder Sharma, Dolly Raja, Shobha Khetarpal, Neela Gandhi, Devender Dutt, Suresh Gidwani, Vijay Selhi

The United India Association will host a Community New Year’s Eve Party on December 31^st at the Newton Marriott. Please join us for the “Bollywood New Year’s Eve Ball”! For more information, please see www.UnitedIndia.net.

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