March 27th, 2004 was a night to remember, filled with youthful performances at the Mill Pond School in Westborough, MA. The event known as “Showcase” is an annual event hosted by the IYG, or Indian Youth Group, the child group of the India Society of Worcester, ISW. The program started promptly at 6:30 and went on untill eleven pm. There was not a dull moment in the whole evening. Tickets were on sale at the door for a minimal charge of $5.

The program started off with an opening by the co-presidents of IYG, Mahika Sharma and Alingon Mitra. They introduced the evening and gave a brief introduction to what the IYG is, and what it accomplishes throughout the year. Then the program started in full effect. There were many different types of performances. Most were dances done by the Indian youth of the surrounding areas. Many musical talents also ended up on stage and put on display their many musical gifts. The types of dancing varied from the different parts of India. Dances including that of bhangra (from the North), pop-culture hits, and classics all displayed the diverse Indian culture existent in the Indian population. The night was run entirely by the IYG. All participants of this group were helping, from selling tickets to holding people back from the stage doors. The MCs for the program also varied like the dances. The beginning performances and the finale were introduced by the presidents, Mahika and Alingon. Aqeel Siddiqui and Anu Garg also introduced a few dances along with Priya Samudrala and Swathi Maddula. Many of these MCs were also in dances so their efficiency was key. After a few dances following intermission, Navin and Punit started to MC and had a few bad jokes but tried their best. At the end of the shows, Shri Garg, the new supervisor of IYG and Mrs. Carolyn Passey, more commonly known as Carolyn Aunty were thanked with flowers and big hugs from all.

The IYG has been a group since the early 90’s with its first members out of college by now. The group does many charitable events such as the Walk for Hunger in May, serves food in soup kitchens in the winter along with the Bishop’s Dinner on Thanksgiving, and Christmas caroling during the holiday season. The group tries to help out in the community as much as possible and also show how the youth of the Indian community is not losing touch with its heritage. The group meets once a month, but usually gets together more often to hang out with their Indian friends. These friendships are best conveyed in the amount of time people spend with their friends and how much fun they can have. The group hopes to be able to keep giving back to its community in addition to having as much fun as the! y can in the process.

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