On Saturday, February 19, 2011, from 4:00-7:30 P.M, IANH held its first Talent Show with Viewers’ choice Awards.  In attendance were New England’s top artists  Jasmine Shah, Neha Parikh, Sheetal Dwaraka, Shital Botadra, Amulya Deepak and Jyoti Sharma. Over 400 people came to this grand cultural event, which included delicious Indian food, melodious musical renditions and beautiful dances to classic songs such as “Aaja Nachle”, a popular Madhuri Dixit song, and “Anbil Avan”, from the movie “Vinnaithandi Varuvaya.” The items performed in the show ranged from vocal recitations of Slokas to Bollywood Dances to a Tabla Performance.  On the back of the program brochure, the audience members were asked to vote for their Top Three favorite performances for the Viewers’ Choice Awards.

The evening began with welcoming remarks by Mr. Prithvi Kumar, the President of IANH. The first item was a musical rendition by students of SaReGa academy, called the Melody of Peace. The master of ceremonies, Ms. Jharna Madan, called this piece a “melodious start to the evening.” This was followed by a devotional sloka recitation by the Manchanda family. Next, the dance performances began with “Maiya Yashoda,” a dance depicting young Radha complaining to Yashoda about Lord Krishna’s pranks. At the end of the performance one of the little dancing girls went up to the microphone and quietly whispered to the audience, “Can you please vote for us?” A collective “Aww” ran through the crowd as many people hurriedly scribbled on their program brochures.

The next performances were all dances from songs including “Tum Jo Aaye”, “Geela Geela,” “Peeloo,” and even a group of cute little kids performing the twist to the song “Twist” from the movie “Love Aaj Kal.” Performance number 11, the song “Aaiye Aajaye,” from the movie “Lajja,” was a crowd favorite, earning two rounds of applause from the audience. The choreographer was the well-known dancer Neha Parikh. Next was a fundraiser update from Ms. Rajany Akhil, an Executive Committee Member of IANH.

The following performance was a real treat for the audience; “Discowale Khisco,” an upbeat Bhangara style dance, choreographed by Jasmine Shah.  More spectacular performances followed, including songs “Kadikittu Varuthoru,” “Disco Dancer,” “Ghoomar,” and “Baraya Baraya.”

Mr. Balaji Krishnan, the chair of the Education Committee, gave the audience the Educational Committee’s update on the upcoming NSF Regional contests and the IANH workshops.

The next item, number 18, was a unique Tabla perfomance that the audience enjoyed. The following performances included another musical rendition, a beautiful dance to the song “Oh Sikandar”, a Tamil Folk Dance, and, finally, a colorful Bollywood Dance to the song “Rang De.”

Ms. Chandana Karthik, the Chair of the Cultural Committee, gave a vote of thanks and recognition of the volunteers.

At the end of the program, the “Social Hour” was held in the cafeteria, where everyone enjoyed traditional Indian food, sold by Café India. The variety of food included samosas, pakodas, mixed kebabs, and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combos.

Last but not least, after a long, suspenseful wait, the Viewer’s Choice Awards were announced. The performance that won first place was a folk fusion group dance of two movie songs on Punjabi Gidda and Rajasthani /North Indian classical dance. The choreographers were Shikha Bajpai and Priti Shokeen.  All of the performers in the group, called the “Dancing Divas,” are trained classical/folk dancers. “We enjoy dancing for a good cause. Dance is fun for us, and we are all very passionate about it. It really was a team effort,” comment the Dancing Divas. Coming in second place was a dance choreographed by Neha Parikh, to the song “Aaiye Aajaiye.”  In third place was a folk/classical dance to a Kannada song called Baraya Baraya, choreographed by Jasmine Shah. All three group performances were awarded trophies.

Thanks to all of the winners, participants, audience members, and numerous volunteers who worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes to help make this grand cultural event not only possible on a short notice, but also a huge success!

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