The India Association of Greater Boston held its Republic Day Celebrations on February 1, 2014 at the Burlington High School in Burlington, MA.  The cultural showcase was one of the finest featuring a wide variety of performances.  The event titled to “Kashmir to Kanyakumari” featured nearly 200 performers presenting dances and songs from different parts of India. 

The brochure cover was a unique one presenting the names of the writers of the constitution, a piece of information that was very relevant for Republic Day.  The names of T.T. Krishnamachari, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, B.R.Ambedkar, K.M Munshi, N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, N. Madhava Rao and Syed Mohammad Saadullah as the writers of the constitution is probably not familiar to many. These were the brilliant minds that crafted a constitution that has allowed India to continue along the democratic path. 

The event opened with a welcome address by  Sutanuka D. Basu. The singing of the American and Indian National Anthem by Arun Saigal, Anisha Gururaj and Madhu Anand followed. President Anil Saigal welcomed the audience and urged them to get actively involved with IAGB.  Manish Patel and Kumkum P. Malik gave a brief overview of Saheli.   The chief guest for the evening was Ms. Mangipudi, the first Indian American state senator from New Hampshire. 

A variety of items followed in the cultural showcase. MCEES Mathhew Chacko, Zehra Khan, Praveena Naduthota, Lata Rao and Syed Ali Rizvi did a fabulous job tying the program together. A background power point slide added information about each item.  A friendly competition between local regional organizations made for a very interesting presentation. Gurjar, KANE, Kannada Koota, Marathi Mandal and Bengali group participated in the competition. The people's choice award went to Gurjar.

Bharatnatyam, Garba Bhangara, Kathak and Bollywood numbers were highlighted in the showcase. The cultural team with Saatvik Ahluwalia, Sutanuka Basu, Matthew Chacko, Praveena Naduthota, Syed Ali Rizvi, Preetesh Shrivastava and Anil Saigal, who were ably assisted by a number of volunteers including Purbi Mantri, Anish Khanzode and Javed Wahid, should be congratulated on putting together a fabulous cultural showcase. 

The next event for IAGB is India Day. To learn about IAGB please check their website at http://iagb.org.