Hindu Heritage Day 2019

Aikyam

Over 2,085 registered families came to enjoy the Hindu Heritage Day organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Pictures are available at: Pictures from the event taken by Navneet Sharma have been uploaded on the home page of Boston VHPA site: https://boston.vhp-america.org/ and pictures taken by Priyanka Jaiswal of KV photography are available at: https://www.facebook.com/128582747792641/posts/355441448440102?s=100000721544294&sfns=mo

The Governor of Massachusetts and the Mayor of Marlborough proclaimed May 18 as Hindu Heritage Day. Additionally, a note of encouragement was provided by the Consul General of India, NY.

Our chief guests this year included Hon’ble Shri Pralhad KC, Consul General Nepal, Shri Shatrughna Sinha, Deputy Consul General of India, New York.

Due to overwhelming support from the community to come and participate at HHD, the parking lots got full, as a result some had to go back. Though it is a good problem to have but we feel to apologize to those who had to go back.

In its 23rd year, Hindu Heritage Day is a social, cultural, and educational event held every year on the third Saturday of May. It provides an immersion in Hindu culture for the whole family with the sights, sounds, and tastes of India. The cultural program as well as the entire programming is organized around a theme, this year being Aikyam or Unity. Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa has declared, “Seeing multiplicity is ignorance, seeing unity is enlightenment.” A hallmark of VHPA effort has been to foster connections within the community and among individuals. Towards this end, each year a distinguished individual, a distinguishing community organization and a distinguished social service award is presented to those who foster such connections. Dr. Manju Sheth well known for her “Chai with Manju” was recognized for her work on Women’s empowerment, organizing non-profit events and raising funds for various charities in Boston area as an individual. Shri Preteesh Srivastava as head of the Hindi Manch was recognized for his considerable work in promoting the Hindi language, an integral part of our culture. The distinguished community service award was given to Gunjan Radio represented by its host & producer Shri Bipin bhai Parekh, a well-known radio host of Gunjan for last 32 years. Rain or shine, he has been at Gunjan every Saturday not only playing all the favorite songs of fans but also providing an avenue for announcements keeping all informed and connected.

The children participating in the cultural program started streaming in shortly after 2:00 pm to get started on makeup and dressing, shepherded by their parents and teachers. There was a total of 33 outstanding presentations that encompassed all art forms including dance, music, instruments, skits, songs, and a fusion of various art forms. Almost all the area music, dance, and art academies were represented and showcased their talent during the cultural program. Thanks, and a note of appreciation goes to all the teachers who worked hard with their students to bring them to stage. Each year the students outperform the previous year’s performances.

Special Guest artist, Dr. Mohan Subhramanium kept the audience clapping and frequently singing alongside. There were shouts of not once more but twice more from the audience as all wished he had more time on stage. The cultural program was a resounding success and ended like clockwork on time.

The corridors were filled with booths providing Indian clothing, jewelry, books, information about camps, schools, health and wellness, and not for profit services available, a unique paan shop that included chocolate paan, ladoos and other mithais. The area felt like an Indian bazaar with little space for movement as every few steps one ran into an old friend and felt free to chat on one of the hot topics being the possible outcome of the Indian elections. The ice cream shop with falooda was a big hit with long wait lines given the warm temperature with the ice cream vats needing frequent refilling. The mehndi booth was outstanding with the latest designs being applied by a professional artist complete with sparkles. The corridor connecting the two sides of the building had two sets of paintings on display. Families stopped by to admire the paintings and chat with the talented artists. There was a decorated photo session backdrop provided for those interested in taking family pictures with a professional photographer available, free of charge. There were plenty of selfies as well as picture taking using individual phones.

The cafeteria was a hot spot of activity. The signature items of the restaurant were samosa and jalebi. It went well with the Indian chai and pakoras being sold all for a negotiated price and a nominal cost. The dinner was also delicious and filling.

There has been a deliberate decision to keep the entry fee at zero and keep the cost of the day for a family at a minimum. All the activities were free. We remain thankful to our sponsors who donated to make this possible. In one side of the cafeteria, there were children busy writing for an essay contest. In another section, there was an art contest where children were supplied with the necessary art material to create paintings. The essays and the paintings were judged by three judges and volunteers. All the children and volunteers were recognized on stage. The Deputy Consul General of India, Shri Shatrughna Sinha, who had traveled from New York was asked to present the prizes to the children. The achar making session was a wild success with hands on demonstration. The participants proudly carried their jars of pickle home.

Outside, the kite flying was in full operation, the weather being quite perfect for being outdoors. Scores of children could be seen playing on the school playground set enjoying the outdoor.

There was tremendous enthusiasm among the hundred plus volunteers which began to set up at noon as soon as the doors of Marlborough Middle School opened. The stage along with a mandir, the hall, the corridors, the cafeterias, the green room, the Visa camp, the booths, and many other places were organized and decorated in record time. The sound system was tested by a professional engineer without which the performances fall short. The DVD’s of all the performances were lined up accurately so there were no missteps with a couple of engineers manning the back of the hall. The video cameras were set up for recording. The whole process was streamlined with all the volunteers performing like a finely tuned orchestra.

The visa camp with app. 400 pre-registrants was the first to begin at 1:30pm. Adequate staff was provided, however, the demand for Indian counselor services was beyond expectation and the staff traveling from New York worked well past 6:30pm, the official close time for the services. The counselor staff and a team of 15 volunteers worked happily together to make the process as seamless as possible. Printers, copiers, internet service were provided free to all those applying. A notary public was on hand to provide notary services as needed. It is estimated that more than 375 OCI applications in addition to 5 visa applications were processed, more than 125 power of attorney were disbursed, more than 60 renunciations, about 50 passport renewals, and around 125 inquiries & other miscellaneous services were provided. There was some wait time for those unregistered and unprepared to file applications. This was to be expected as all needing visa services had been forewarned to register with CKGS ahead of time and to have all the documents lined up and ready. In all, the Visa camp was a resounding success, a first for the Hindu Heritage Day.

If you would like to be a part of this enthusiastic team of volunteers next year, please contact the Convener of HHD 2020, Sanjay Kaul: sanjaykaul@hotmail.com

VHP of America is a national organization which has among its objectives to unite Hindus by instilling in them devotion to the Hindu way of life, to cultivate self-respect and respect for all people, and to establish contacts with Hindus all over the world. For more information please visit http://www.vhp-america.org/

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