BY MANSI MOTWANI
ORANGE, CA -The United Federation of Indo Americans of California (UFICA) organized a cultural event on Feb 10 in honor of India’s 69th Republic Day, observed on January 26 every year. UFICA members and guests assembled at the Tandoor Cuisine of India here for an evening of patriotic celebration filled with music, singing and...
ORANGE, CA -The United Federation of Indo Americans of California (UFICA) organized a cultural event on Feb 10 in honor of India’s 69th Republic Day, observed on January 26 every year. UFICA members and guests assembled at the Tandoor Cuisine of India here for an evening of patriotic celebration filled with music, singing and...
dancing. Guests were welcomed to songs like ‘I Love My India’, ‘Bharat Humko Jaan se Pyaara Hai’, ‘Jai Ho’ among others. Members of the association then lined up for a march past to the song ‘Hum Honge Kamyaab’ around the hall, which was headed by the UFICA President Ramesh Ramnani. UFICA Committee member Ashok Patnaik then took to the stage and spoke a few words about UFICA and its team members, saying that UFICA was founded in 2005 and now has 12 core members, who then joined him for the inaugural lamp lighting ceremony. All guests were asked to rise for the singing of the US and Indian national anthems, which ended with exclamations of “Bharat Mata ki Jai!”
UFICA official Rangeash Gadasalli shared a few words about India’s situation after becoming a Republic. “India is on its way to becoming a superpower under the current government,” said Gadasalli. He spoke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Palestine which marked the first time an Indian PM has ever visited Palestine and was dubbed by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs as “history in the making.” Gadasalli also spoke of the Indian Government’s newly released budget for the year 2018-19, which extends huge support to the farmers of the nation. “India is going to reach new heights under Prime Minister Modi. God bless our motherland, God bless India,” he concluded.
Ramnani shared a few thoughts on the significance of Republic Day. Speaking of the day the Indian Constitution came into effect, Ramnani said, “The Constitution gave the citizens of India the power to govern themselves by choosing their own government. Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as India’s first President at the Durbar Hall in the Government House, followed by the presidential drive along the route to the Irwin Stadium, where he unfolded the Indian flag.” He continued, “Before I conclude my speech, I must acknowledge and thank our UFICA team members for working hard and making this program successful.’’ He welcomed all the guests and thanked them for their participation in the celebration.
Patnaik then recognized UFICA members for their hard work and commitment among them were Vinita Vineet and Niraj Agnihotri who were presented with plaques. Ajit Dudhekar thanked the sponsors and appreciated prominent community leaders in attendance.
The cultural program for the evening included delightful performances by children, women and classical dancers alike. Nirav Bhakta, Rachna Naveen and Shruti Kakan from Nupur Academy LA performed on ‘Vande Mataram’, which was accompanied by a Kathak performance on ‘Krishna Leela.’ The dances were choreographed by Prachi Dixit. Vivek Arya and Sujata Padmanaban took the lead as live singers for the evening, with their performances bringing most guests to the dance floor.
Patnaik and some other UFICA members took the crowd by surprise when they announced that they had nominated two-time past UFICA president Ajit Dudhekar to join the Artesia City Council and showed their support by saying, “We are all committed to support AJ.” They urged all those present to support Dudhekar saying the community should become a force in the political scenario in the cities of Artesia and Cerritos. Dinner was served as singing resumed and spirits remained high until the end of the evening.
UFICA official Rangeash Gadasalli shared a few words about India’s situation after becoming a Republic. “India is on its way to becoming a superpower under the current government,” said Gadasalli. He spoke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Palestine which marked the first time an Indian PM has ever visited Palestine and was dubbed by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs as “history in the making.” Gadasalli also spoke of the Indian Government’s newly released budget for the year 2018-19, which extends huge support to the farmers of the nation. “India is going to reach new heights under Prime Minister Modi. God bless our motherland, God bless India,” he concluded.
Ramnani shared a few thoughts on the significance of Republic Day. Speaking of the day the Indian Constitution came into effect, Ramnani said, “The Constitution gave the citizens of India the power to govern themselves by choosing their own government. Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as India’s first President at the Durbar Hall in the Government House, followed by the presidential drive along the route to the Irwin Stadium, where he unfolded the Indian flag.” He continued, “Before I conclude my speech, I must acknowledge and thank our UFICA team members for working hard and making this program successful.’’ He welcomed all the guests and thanked them for their participation in the celebration.
Patnaik then recognized UFICA members for their hard work and commitment among them were Vinita Vineet and Niraj Agnihotri who were presented with plaques. Ajit Dudhekar thanked the sponsors and appreciated prominent community leaders in attendance.
The cultural program for the evening included delightful performances by children, women and classical dancers alike. Nirav Bhakta, Rachna Naveen and Shruti Kakan from Nupur Academy LA performed on ‘Vande Mataram’, which was accompanied by a Kathak performance on ‘Krishna Leela.’ The dances were choreographed by Prachi Dixit. Vivek Arya and Sujata Padmanaban took the lead as live singers for the evening, with their performances bringing most guests to the dance floor.
Patnaik and some other UFICA members took the crowd by surprise when they announced that they had nominated two-time past UFICA president Ajit Dudhekar to join the Artesia City Council and showed their support by saying, “We are all committed to support AJ.” They urged all those present to support Dudhekar saying the community should become a force in the political scenario in the cities of Artesia and Cerritos. Dinner was served as singing resumed and spirits remained high until the end of the evening.
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