BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
LAKE FOREST, CA - Patriotic songs, ensemble of colors and dedicated speeches, invoking the spirit of India’s 68th Republic Day, greeted almost 200 guests at the Tandoor Banquet restaurant here on Jan 28. The event was hosted by the Federation of Indian American Community of Southern California (FICSC) and...
LAKE FOREST, CA - Patriotic songs, ensemble of colors and dedicated speeches, invoking the spirit of India’s 68th Republic Day, greeted almost 200 guests at the Tandoor Banquet restaurant here on Jan 28. The event was hosted by the Federation of Indian American Community of Southern California (FICSC) and...
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Global Initiative of Veterans (GIVE), which joined hands to pay homage to the martyrs of India. Welcoming guests, hosts of the evening Bollywood actress Pooja Batra and actor, award winning director Nikhil Prakash gave an ecstatic and friendly start to the program with witty rounds and reactions. Prakash also recited the Sanskrit shloka ‘Sri Gurubhyo Namah’, earning cheers both from Batra and the audience. Batra’s liveliness and spontaneity also kept the guests well entertained.
A lamp lighting ceremony by the guests of honor, FICSC Chairman Dilip Butani, President Amrit Bhandari, co-chairs Mohan Sharma and Ajay Khetan, sponsor Major Vijay Soni, Major Gurjeet Singh, Sam Bhogal, and Raj Walia opened the event. This was followed by the singing of the national anthems of India and the US by Soni and Heena Noor respectively. Veena Singh sang ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ in her melodious voice and enthralled the audience.
Artesia Mayor Ali Sajjad Taj, addressing the guests, spoke about the developments in the cluster around Artesia and presented awards of recognition to dignitaries for their dedicated services to the Indian- American community.
Another guest of honor and Presidential Appointee KV Kumar said he was proud of India. “We all understand the significance of India’s Republic Day and how it brings us closer to each other,” he added.
On the question, “Do we need to fear now that Donald Trump is US President?”, Kumar replied, “America has always survived and it will survive again. Factually, Republican Presidents have done more for India than other presidents in the past, so I am really hopeful.” He also discussed his plans of moving to Washington DC in another four months and emotionally mentioned, ‘California will be missed.” Senator Tony Mendoza in his speech said that the Indian Tricolor and the glow on the faces of the people made it a colorful event. He also presented a copy of his recently introduced Resolution 5 in the House, which observes January 26, 2017 as India Republic Day and greeted guests by saying, “I am honored to take part in the celebration and recognition of India’s Republic Day. India and California share not only a love of democracy, but a vibrant cultural exchange. We are privileged to honor its significance, and the Indian people’s dedication all over the world to core community values of family, service, knowledge and peace.” When India Journal posed him a question seeking response over the recent ‘full’ to ‘flawed’ democracy status of US in global index ranking, Mendoza a Democrat, instantly blamed the Trump administration for the ‘flawed’ policies. He even condemned the new immigration policies of the new government and stated that things under Trump are going from ‘bad to worse’.
Apart from the noted speakers, the gathering was also briefly addressed by former Cypress mayor Prakash Narain, Soni and Gurjeet Singh, who said that they were looking forward to stronger ties between the two countries. Talking about the grand success of the event and thanking guests, Butani spoke about the significance of India’s Independence Day with pride.
The cultural program also featured an array of performances by Savitri Arts Academy, Dhwani Dance Academy, Indian Dance Center, Mumbai Madness, Bhakti Bhav Dance Group, and a violin recital by Srijan Satpathy The evening ended with guests enjoying scrumptious food and taking patriotic memories home.
A lamp lighting ceremony by the guests of honor, FICSC Chairman Dilip Butani, President Amrit Bhandari, co-chairs Mohan Sharma and Ajay Khetan, sponsor Major Vijay Soni, Major Gurjeet Singh, Sam Bhogal, and Raj Walia opened the event. This was followed by the singing of the national anthems of India and the US by Soni and Heena Noor respectively. Veena Singh sang ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ in her melodious voice and enthralled the audience.
Artesia Mayor Ali Sajjad Taj, addressing the guests, spoke about the developments in the cluster around Artesia and presented awards of recognition to dignitaries for their dedicated services to the Indian- American community.
Another guest of honor and Presidential Appointee KV Kumar said he was proud of India. “We all understand the significance of India’s Republic Day and how it brings us closer to each other,” he added.
On the question, “Do we need to fear now that Donald Trump is US President?”, Kumar replied, “America has always survived and it will survive again. Factually, Republican Presidents have done more for India than other presidents in the past, so I am really hopeful.” He also discussed his plans of moving to Washington DC in another four months and emotionally mentioned, ‘California will be missed.” Senator Tony Mendoza in his speech said that the Indian Tricolor and the glow on the faces of the people made it a colorful event. He also presented a copy of his recently introduced Resolution 5 in the House, which observes January 26, 2017 as India Republic Day and greeted guests by saying, “I am honored to take part in the celebration and recognition of India’s Republic Day. India and California share not only a love of democracy, but a vibrant cultural exchange. We are privileged to honor its significance, and the Indian people’s dedication all over the world to core community values of family, service, knowledge and peace.” When India Journal posed him a question seeking response over the recent ‘full’ to ‘flawed’ democracy status of US in global index ranking, Mendoza a Democrat, instantly blamed the Trump administration for the ‘flawed’ policies. He even condemned the new immigration policies of the new government and stated that things under Trump are going from ‘bad to worse’.
Apart from the noted speakers, the gathering was also briefly addressed by former Cypress mayor Prakash Narain, Soni and Gurjeet Singh, who said that they were looking forward to stronger ties between the two countries. Talking about the grand success of the event and thanking guests, Butani spoke about the significance of India’s Independence Day with pride.
The cultural program also featured an array of performances by Savitri Arts Academy, Dhwani Dance Academy, Indian Dance Center, Mumbai Madness, Bhakti Bhav Dance Group, and a violin recital by Srijan Satpathy The evening ended with guests enjoying scrumptious food and taking patriotic memories home.
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