| Chicago:The 65th Independence Day of India was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the breakaway group of Federation of Indian Association of Chicago, headed by Sunil Shah with his newly picked up team of dedicated office bearers seeking to convince the community that they are the right FIA group and are better than the other claiming to be original one. India Day ushered in dual festivity, a sumptuous Banquet and a fun parade enjoyed by about 1500 participants, managed by the young and their parents. A welcoming feature of the two days of celebrations was short speeches and lack of personal glorifications on the part of participants and organizers alike. The start was with a Banquet at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows that had over 500 members and guests present. One of the highlights was the presence of Raj Mohan Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He along with Sunil Shah signaled the start of the event lighting the traditional lamp. There was the august presence of the petite Radhika, heroine of the extremely popular TV Series 'Chhoti Bahu' and the dashing debonair Dev. Indeed, both stars enthralled the young and old audience equally. The keynote address was delivered by Mukta D. Tomar, Consul General of India who truly looked fabulous. She graced the occasion with humility and reminded all Indian-Americans present about their efforts in engagement in promoting global peace. Raj Mohan Gandhi – grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and the evening's Chief Guest – eloquently synthesized the need to 'Reach out' and 'Create Unity'. In addition, there were half a dozen Mayors from surrounding towns, and several state officials were also present. As the evening grew livelier, the revenue paying faithful invitees slowly filled the Hall and by the time Dinner was served, the count was way over 400 paid guests. The labor of love of President Sunil Shah, along with Exec vice president Onkar Sangha and the support entire executive board, the events were simply par excellence. It was reflection of selfless devotion. The first ever India Day Parade in Schaumburg too was a welcome development. This was a good effort on the part of the new team, which was welcomed by the Indian community of Schaumburg and Hoffman estates and all the residents on the whole, who were surprised to see the sudden movement of a gathering of eastern Indians in the form of a well-organized march with their tri-colored flags and wearing white Gandhi cap on their heads, many of them dressed in national attire of India, the white kurta- pajama. The parade started from the point of stone hedge on West Golf Road and ended at Salem side of Schaumburg Toyota, where the VIP guests Dev and Radhika flown from India, were waiting on a stage set for this occasion. The best part of this was that artists did oblige their fans by personally meeting and talking to few of them. The photo session was long and though Radhika reached a little late she seemed happy and comfortable surrounded by her fans in Chicago. The organizers called all their committee members and ignored the elderly. Some activists who were present added more attraction to the march by participating in the march holding the Indian flag high, walking wearing the white Gandhi caps with a message printed on it, "Give Peace A Chance, save the planet". If celebrating Independence Day is dance and music only then that should not be dubbed a real celebration, many in the community opined. There must be a touch of history too, which the organizers of all such associations seem to ignore, may be because of their ignorance or more misplaced enthusiasm and personal priorities. It is the day when one should remember and pay respect to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. Is it not worthwhile to remember the great souls and say few words about them? Also, what actually happened on the day of August 15, 1947, and earlier to achieve this goal and what was the scene in India?. Mayors of Schaumburg AL Larson and William McLeod of Hoffman Estate and State Rep. Fred Cresco, of 44th District, along with few others from their staff were present well in advance, right at the starting point and welcomed the March participants at the finishing point. With an address admiring the organizers' effort to add this attraction to their cities, they congratulated the Indian community with best wishes for this 65th Independence Day. They were introduced to new committee members by Sunil Shah, the President, especially with chief guests, Dev and Radhika, the TV actors from India. As soon as the function neared its end, the heaven decided in its own inscrutable manner to bless the event and the organizers with heavy showers, along with a gush of wind. It was also construed that it was probably disapproving the division in the community. Overall speaking it was a creditable effort and all those involved need to be congratulated but one cannot hide the strong emotion among all those present for unity in the community for celebrating such important events. |
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Kumkum Bhagya
