Lokvani (voice of the masses) is an Indian community e-Magazine located in Burlington, Massachusetts started in the year 2001. The founders of Lokvani,  Shri. Anil Saigal, Smt. Ranjani Saigal and Nirmala Garimella are very active in the community and motivate others especially youth because they are our upholders of our ancient history, rich culture, and bright identity. Lokvani.com organizes such a fun filled evening every year with a sumptuous dinner and dancing where they celebrate the accomplishments of the youth, and the community leaders and volunteers.

The program started in the evening with a meet and greet session with delicious snacks and hot tea. This was followed by the singing of a melodic Ganesh Vandana Song in Carnatic music style by the students of Guru Tara Anand.   Shri. Anil Saigal Ji welcomed all the spectators, award winners, their families and friends, distinguished community leaders and the volunteers to the event and presented the whole story of Lokvani’s journey to them. Smt. Ranjani Saigal spoke about the inspiration behind this event and said that they recognize the achievements of youth in the fields of Indian dance and music (those who have completed arangetrams, manch-praveshas), art, medicine, technology, sports, service sector and beyond. Lokvani honors the unsung heroes who work hard in the community with their own skills, talents, and make a difference in various aspects of life and also recognize special community leaders who have been absolutely inspirational to others with their services and achievements. Lokvani also appreciates and acknowledges the good work of various community organizations by congratulating motivational individuals from each group. At the same time, Lokvani recognizes the local dance, music, and art teachers’ contribution in building our next generation.

Thereafter, the evening was filled with the beautiful narrations of touching stories of the youth who achieved their goals in midst of challenges and became exemplars, volunteers who spent their lifetime for a noble causes and the community leaders who became inspirational person to others by Smt. Ranjani Saigal with her full energy. There were three categories of awards: ‘Rising Stars’ for the youth, ‘Unsung Heroes’ for volunteers from non-profits and community organizations, and ‘INSPIRE’ for community leaders who have made an impact over the years. The Lokvani team thoughtfully presented the awards in each category, highlighting the contribution from each awardee. 

The entire Indian community came together to celebrate the success of its members in diverse fields which really motivates others to do more. This was in fact, a wonderful evening to see the talent and achievements of award winners.  The proud moments are felt by the Indian community when their younger generation is taking interest in learning and preserving our culture, music, dance, art, and philosophy along with their academic pursuits. When the Unsung Heroes and INSPIRE award recipients told the audiences the inspiration behind their unique stories audiences just applauded them with much appreciation and also paid their standing ovation.

The venue was artistically decorated by Smt. Raksha Soni. The display of accomplishments of the awardees on the rolling slideshow while they were receiving their awards on the stage was a nice feature of the event. Several artworks by the students of Smt. Sunanda Sahay, Smt. Java Joshi, Smt. Raksha Soni and a self taught artist Saadhvi Raghav were on display that exhibited the talent and interest of these young students in the art especially in the traditional Indian art. 

Every one enjoyed the amazing dance by students of Guru Sapna Krishnan for the song ekdantaya vakratundaya by Shankar Mahadevan and the Bollywood and Tollywood songs sung by Shankar Gangaikondan  and Lochan Karthikeyan. A beautiful  Gazhal was rendered by Kumal Nath who was accompanied by his Guru and mother, Smt. Kiran Nath on Harmonium and Shri. Abhilash Mehta on Tabla.

The Miss India New England’s 2020 New England crown winners’ ramp walk and their special walk with the Lokvani award winners was absolutely mesmerizing. Smt. Ranjani Saigal thanked all the spectators, special invitees, winners, their families and friends for attending the program with great enthusiasm. She thanked all the special guests who distributed awards to the winners. She thanked Ambrosia and their team for their nice arrangement and delicious food. She thanked all the Lokvani team for supporting the event and the volunteers for their service and time. She thanked the music and DJ team SRAVEO and the photographer Ptaufiq Photographer.

The saga of the evening continued with delicious food served by Ambrosia along with music and DJ. Everyone enjoyed the event, some danced freely on the floor to the popular Bollywood songs.

“It was an exciting moment for me to see so many talented youngsters who make feel proud that they are going to carry on our rich heritage and identity with much pride and respect. And our community heroes motivate us to spread goodwill in the community” said an attendee.

Here is the list of all the 2019 award winners:

1.    â€˜Rising Stars Awards’ for the youth,

a.    Rising Star in Medicine.
Recognized students who secured admission into the medical schools
Awards given by distinguished guest Dr. Raj Goyal

Winners: 

Ajay Rao 

Saurabh Kumar

b.   Awards given by:  Smt. Jaya Asthana

c.    Rising Stars in Music

Honored youth who did Manch-Praveshas or showcased recognizable talents

Awards given by Distinguished Guest:  Smt. Durga Krishnan
Winners

Rising Stars in Dance
Recognized youth who have presented Arangetrams this year.
Awards given by Distinguished Guest: Smt. Durga Krishan

‘Unsung Heroes Award’ for volunteers from the community organizations who have spent their lifetime giving back to the community and work hard to make things happen without seeking recognition.
Awards given by: Nilima Desai

Winners:

Ravi Arora
Ravi Kumar
Dr. Vijaykumar Harohalli
Raksha Soni
Kunjavihari Kashalikar
Jharna Madan
Dr. Budhinath Padhy
Yogesh Parikh
Chandu Shah
Rekha and Kirit Upadhyaya

‘INSPIRE Awards’ for community leaders who have made an impact over the years.
   
Winners:

Dr. Raj Goyal
Shri. Sudhir and Smt. Niru Parikh