Colorful cultural events, music, food, business networking, discussions, and display of huge Indian banners marked the four-day long Incredible India @ 60 festivities in New York City and the neighboring states from Sep 23-26, organized to coincide with the UN annual General Assembly session in New York that is attended by delegates from across the world. With thousands of people from all walks of life attending the events, India seemed to be the buzzword for the moment with the four-day cultural mela - organised by the ministry of tourism, ministry of culture, Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Co-hosts for individual conferences and panel discussions included BBC, National Geographic Channel, Columbia University and Asia Society.
The events were held at Bryant Park, South Street Seaport, New York Public Library and Yale Club of New York, simultaneously, allowing millions of New Yorkers to witness the glorious India, that is ever rising and shining.
The event to celebrate 60 years of India's independence, which got off to a colorful start at the prestigious Lincoln Centre here on Sep 23rd, gave over 2,000 New Yorkers, who attended the event and many more, who were witness to the festivities, a taste of delicious Indian food, a dekko at Indian handicrafts and handlooms, and a glimpse of its rich traditions of folk and classical dance. The presence of four of India’s top Cabinet Ministers - Pranab Mukherjee (external affairs), P. Chidambaram (finance), Kamal Nath (commerce) and Vayalar Ravi (overseas Indian affairs) – was clear enough to proclaim the importance the event was accorded by the government of India. Pepsi Co CEO Indira Nooyi led the Indian Americans, Anil Kapoor represented Bollywood, while Senator Charles Schumer led the mainstream American community into participating in the colorful events.
Senator Charles E. Schumer praised India's democracy and growth, deepening ties between US and India, and the contribution Indians working in this country are making to its growth. "For India, the best is yet to come," Schumer said as the crowds gave him a thunderous applause. The entire event, emceed by actor, producer, Kabir Bedi, was a brilliant mix of traditional dance and art forms from across the country, a fusion dance performance by famous artists, presenting, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattam, Manipuri, and Kathakali
A mini Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, celebrating the Indian diaspora, inaugurated the festival. This event was organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and CII at Pier 60 on the Hudson river waterfront. The sand sculpture of Taj was on view at the Port Authority Bus Station, New York's main bus terminal. Its creator is Sudarshan Patnaik, known for his sand sculptures.An 'Incredbile India' exhibition of photographs by Steve McCurry was hosted by the National Geographic Channel at Bryant Park Hotel. Bryant Park in midtown and South Street Seaport, a mall-cum-museum on the Lower Manhattan waterfront, are the arenas for dance and music.
The role of Indian Americans in the country's economic growth has been below potential and much of the inward remittances in India have come from the Gulf, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said, during the conference. "If you look at the diaspora's investments in India, the success is even lower," Ravi told the Mini-Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), co-hosted by his ministry and the Confederation Indian Industry (CII) here as part of the Incredible India@60 event. The cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) into India by NRIs was $8 billion and constituted less than five per cent of the total FDI in the country, he told the gathering at the packed Pier Sixty in Manhattan.
"I invite you to contribute in terms of knowledge and skills, ideas, individual initiatives and community action,†the minister appealed to the Disapora. According to the minister, the newly established Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre - which will not be a profit trust - in partnership with CII would help the diaspora to invest and benefit from India. "It will serve as a one stop shop." He said overseas Indians worldwide, who he termed brand ambassadors of the country, produced economic output of about $400 billion. "The Indian diaspora of 30 million is estimated to generate an annual income equal to about 30 per cent of India's GDP," he said.
The US and Canada are home to sizeable Indian populations - with 2.3 million in the former and over 800,000 in the latter. Ravi said the median income of the Indian American family was over $62,000, far above that of all American families. There are over 200,000 Indian American millionaires and 45 percent in the work force are employed as professionals. Those who took part at the event included Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen, Knowledge Commission chief Sam Pitroda, Overseas Indian Affairs Secretary Nirmal Singh and CII president Sunil Bharti Mittal.
The folk forms came from four corners of India include Bhangra, Garba, Yakshagana, Sufiana and Rangeela Bihu.Bollywood, which used to be barred from India festivals of yore, also found its well-deserved place here. Bollywood Live and Mumbai Masala featured contemporary dances from Indian films. There was fusion music too - created by Remo Fernandes, Colonial Cousins, Louis Banks, Sivamani and others. And New York Library was the host to a sarod recital by Amjad Ali Khan and his two sons, Amaan and Ayaan.
Bryant Park was the venue for fashion shows by leading Indian designers such as Ritu Kumar, Raghavendra Rathore and Wendell Rodericks. Indian handicrafts and handlooms will also be on display there. For a culinary experience of India - culinary demonstrations, tasting of Indian food and beverages - New Yorkers had an experience at South Street Seaport. Top chefs such as Manjit Gill and Hemant Oberoi are flying down for this event and Indian restaurants in New York offered special menus and gifts to their customers during the event.
Conferences and panel discussions focussing on the socio-economic progress made so far in India and the roadmap for the future, were held across the City. India Conference with the Asia Society was held at New York Hilton Hotel. And Columbia University in collaboration with the Earth Institute hosted a conference on India's looming water crisis. 'Cherishing Democracy, Sharing Prosperity' was the title of a panel discussion organized by BBC World and moderated by Tim Sebastian, presenter of Hard Talk show, to be held at the New York Metropolitan Library. Yale Club hosted two panel discussions - 'India 2050-A Grand Strategy for India Rising' and 'Women and Global Leadership'.
Travel & Leisure magazine presented an interaction with the travel trade honchos at Hotel Pierre.
Private events and receptions were also organized by the Rockefeller Center, Citigroup and Louis Vuitton Store, 5th Avenue. The entire event was being promoted by an advertising campaign that includes outdoor publicity, daily program cards and e-mailers. The scale of the festival reflected the importance of the US travel market to India.
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