United India Association of New England (UIANE) held its annual Diwali celebrations on Sunday,November 18th, 2012 at the Newton North High School. It was a spectacular, exciting and enjoyable event by 200 plus performers and had about 500 attendees .The evening was a culmination of a lot of planning and hard work by a dedicated team of Dr. Neela Gandhi, Dr. Seema Arora, Rakashi Chand, Parvin Khetarpal and the rest of the UIA team which resulted in a fantastic show.

The performers ranging from ages 5 years to above 30 plus years danced to the music ranging from folk to Bollywood. Some of the performers were also the choreographers and it was amazing to see the talent that is out there.

The festivities started with a “Diwali Pujan” which comprised of shlokas by the Newton Balvihar group and bhajans by Kumkum Dilwali and group and lighting of diyas by young children followed by aarti. After the prayers,the Emcees of the evening, Rakashi Chand and Ashwin Acharya(DJ DASH) started the talent showcase which opened with a classical song composed by Kumkum Sanyal followed by a beautiful dance performance for the pushpanjali by Triveni dance group choreographed by Neena Gulati. A very cute performance by a large group of young tots from the Newton Balvihar performed on bum bum bole wearing tshirts and pompoms of the colors of the Indian Flag.The mix Dhinka Chika - Chinta ta Chita from Prem ki Nayya had tiny tots in silver and black costumes dancing to a bollywood tune and another western song from prem ki nayya. Ranjani Saigal’s students presented Thillana (a pure dance number with lovely Jathis and poses) in Bharatnatyam Style which is dedicated to Balaji from Thirupathi. This was followed by a unique performance from Charun Thattai, professional whistler from the song bol na halke. A colorful and vibrant Bollywood performance by the Dhamaal Dance Academy where fun is their motivation, and age is no barrier ended the first half of the program with Dhamaal ka Kamaal.

Nita Shastri from Mira Salon boutique presented a glamorous fashion show coordinated by Dr. Seema Arora,Vice President of UIANE on indowestern and ethnic wear. There was a very cute fancy dress parade for young children between the fashion show. Dholi taro Dhol baaje and Punjabiandi ho gayi balle di balle from Shaila School of Dance added some gujarati and punjabi folk touch to the event.An energetic performance by Boston Bhangra Juniors team comprised of young talented kids who love bhangra. Deva Sri Ganesha and Bharenaina from the movie RaOne choreographed by Jasmine Shah from Aaangikaam Dance Academy were performed in Bollywood style.Boston Garba performed a medley of garba and raas songs to showcase the gujarati Garba/Raas folk dance. Rangila Rhythms performed on Bollywood Fusion dance which included hip-hop, contemporary, and classical choreographed by Ishita Arora and Salona Patel brought the bollywood section to a close.A surprise dance from Shamila Khetarpal from Chicago performed on the dance for Obama.The finale was an energetic punjabi medley by  Fauj, Boston's premier all-male bhangra army which brought the cultural program to a close.There were several raffles prizes to be won during the program like gift certificates donated by Bollywood Grill, Ritu ki Rasoi, Bollywood Fashions, Smita’s boutique and Sondarya Spa.

Dr. Neela Gandhi, President of UIANE was presented a plaque for her two years of service by the Senior board of advisor, Mr. Kidar Vaid who commended her for her hard work for the association.Dr. Gandhi extended her diwali greetings to all and said that the recognition plaque was an accumulative reflection of the collective love and light from all those who attended the events in the past two years. She thanked the participants, parents and choreographers who worked so hard to produce such a colorful and vibrant program, the business community whose generosity had made the event a success and called the UIANE committee on the stage and thanked them for the opportunity and all their support to make every event such a success. Miss India Tristate’ Runners up 2012 Monica Gill spoke at the Diwali event and participated in the fashion show. The main sponsor British School of Boston is a unique, internationally focussed learning community dedicated to developing a broad worldview in students and serves students from toddlers through high school and was an honor to have the headmaster Paul Wiseman attend the program. A bouquet of flowers was given to Mr. Aya Singh, who turned 101 years recently by the young group of children. He is retired from CPWD Government of India.  Senior Officer last assigned as an Engineer in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has 4 daughters, 3 sons and 15 grand children.

The  authentic vegetarian food catered by Bollywood Grill and Kulfi by Bollywood Delights was available in the cafeteria throughout the event.The vendors which ranged from Boutique Clothing  by Rachna Dhir’s collection, Bollywood Fashions,Mira Salon Boutique,Jewellery and accessories by SP-Luxe, Color and Creations,Mehndi by Shrenik Art, Childrens books by Tulika Books,financial advisors like Ritu Agarwal from New York Life and Jai Dev from Ameriprise,Schools like British School of Boston and Fessenden School,Non-profits like Indian Circle for Caring,Calcutta Rescue,Next Step Living  and a very successful bone marrow drive added to the “Being back in India” feel to the evening.The event was sponsored with the help of several businesses in the New England area who were able to give an advertisement in the annual diwali brochure program book.

The UIANE is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 with a core mission to preserve,promote and nurture the values of our Indian heritage by planning,developing and executing programs which bring the community together.In addition to other activities and functions, we regularly  hold a festive and elaborate New Years party in the ballroom of a premier hotel,seminars,a family picnic in the summer and most importantly,a professionally produced Diwali celebration,rich with music,dance and drama from many regions of India.For more information,visit www.unitedindia.net.

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