The Indian Cultural Association presents CHAKRA ‘19 INDIA DAY’S 25th ANNIVERSARY LOOK INSIDE TO FIND… • THE ICA PRESIDENT’S LETTER • THE WINNERS OF THE CHAKRA ARTI- CLE COMPETITION • FULL DAY EVENT PROGRAM FOR INDIA DAY 2019 • LIST OF ALL PERFORMERS • A DIRECTORY OF ALL SUPPORTING BUSINESSES AND SPONSORS • AND MORE…. Thank You Volunteers! Table of Contents ICA President: Jaisen Mody President’s Letter 5 Chhavi Agarwal Flavors of the Program 7 Navaratri - Oneness in Diversity 8 Meghana Agarwal What India Stands For 8 Deepashree Barve What I Love About India 9 Akash Bindal (1st in Children Category) Vaani Bindal My Favorite Indian Holiday 9 (2nd in Children Category) Tulsee Doshi My Truths 10 Uma Doshi (2nd in Teen Category) Viti Eachambadi A Comedic Approach to Indian Parenting 11 Sunil Garg Dependence is Green 12 Mini Jairaj (2nd in Adult Category) Miss Myself 12 Bhavana Jaiswal Summertime in India 14 Samar Kaur Embrace Your Own Uniqueness 14 Ramesh Krishnamurthy The Fervor of Indian Cricket 15 Kala Kumar (1st in Teen Category) Reena Parekh This is India 15 Anita Punja Yantra, Tantra, Mantra - Swatantra 17 My Immigrant Experience 20 Santosh Ramesh Henna 22 Anita Rao How India Has Influenced American Thinking 22 Vijay Rao Being Bicultural 23 Vikram Savara (3rd in Teen Category) Rajeev Singh An Article About Religion 23 Another Break in the Wall 24 Ananda Vardhana (1st in Adult Category) Vasanti Vasudevan Cream and Sugar 25 Varsha Vasudevan A Hindi Poem by Anand Mohan Sinha 26 Chhavi Thakur The Story of Soor Aur Saptak 28 Chakra Co-Editor Manavi Thakur Participant List 29 Chakra Editor Om Parekh Kids Puzzles 32 3 Editors’ Notes Welcome to the Chakra magazine 2019 edi- May the vivacious sounds and perpetual festivities tion. This year’s magazine is filled with wonderful traverse through the street articles and poems from our community here in Port- For my heart always knows, it is this web that brings my culture to meet land, Oregon. Every year I have the joy of reading these articles written by schoolchildren, adolescents, Hello Chakra enthusiasts! My name is Manavi and professionals alike. Thakur and I will be a senior at Jesuit High School this fall. I have been a member of the India Cultural I would like to take this space to personally Association (ICA) for five years now, but I have been thank all those who sponsored this magazine by pur- a performer since I was five years old! I can say, chasing advertisement space: without you this maga- without a doubt, that the journey has been immensely zine and festival would not be possible. rewarding. From working endlessly on sponsorships to connecting with people throughout my community, With that I will let you dig into the pages and and sharing so many memories with my fellow volun- see all the wonderful articles and writings that will teers, I have treasured it all! I am so proud and excit- make your India Day experience even more enjoya- ed about all the articles that we have in our 2019 ble. Chakra issue. A sincere thanks to everyone who has supported ICA and Chakra from being a reader of the Thank you, magazine to sponsoring this amazing event. Turn the Chakra pages for important information about busi- Chakra Editor Om Parekh nesses throughout Portland and some captivating con- tent. Best regards, Your Chakra Co-Editor Manavi Thakur Check Out These Amazing Booths Swagat India Full Gospel Church India Sweet and Spices Jassi Akal Realty LLC Hyderabad House Black Swan Events Heartfulness Institute Nike Fashion India LLC Balaji Temple Asha for Education PDXA1 Reality Group Brahma Kumaris Prashanti Fashions Portland Center of Arts Amrapalli LLC Liberty Mutual Kalakendra Akshaya Patra IW Group Pratham Vantage Mortgage LPL Financial Chinmaya Mission Best in Class Education Center Art of Living On Point Community Credit Union DKMS 4 President’s Letter I would like to welcome everyone to this year’s INDIA FESTIVAL on Sunday, August 11th, 2019, where we will celebrate India’s 72nd anniversary of independence and commemorate the birth of the world’s largest democracy. We are honored to have as our chief guest, India’s Consul General for the West Coast, Am- bassador Sanjay Kumar Panda, who will be joining us from San Francisco. The timing of this year’s India Festival comes as US-India relations are being discussed on the global stage. Our two countries carry a rich history and over time have become important economic and business partners. In a symbolic nod to India’s important geopolitical role in broader Asia, Washington last year re- named its Pacific Command to the US Indo Pacific Command. At this year’s festival, we are excited to share India’s cultural values. We thank our supporters and a special shout out to the parents who work so hard, along with their chil- dren to prepare for this program. Our Chakra team has done an exceptional job in compiling this magazine. We want to acknowledge the good work of Om Parekh, editor and Manavi Thakur co-editor. India Cultural Association has been organizing this wonderful event for over twenty- five years, which is quite an accomplishment. Our volunteers are amazing and dedicate countless hours to make this event a success. KUDOS TO THEM!! I cannot thank them enough for their dedication. We would like to thank our sponsors, RACC, Nike Inc., IW group, Akshaya Patra, PDXA1 Realty Group, Portland Center of Arts, Biz Tek People Inc, for sponsoring this event. Our sincere thanks to all the vendors that have purchased booths, advertised in our Chakra magazine and made generous donations. As you know, culture plays an important role in the development of a nation and a child. At India Festi- val, you will be able to experience an exciting display of live traditional and Bollywood dances and music. To understand the origin of dance in India, we will also present a variety of classical folk dances and literary art. Participants will also celebrate by singing patriotic songs and enacting dramas about the Freedom Strug- gle. Be sure to try our Indian food as well – Tandoori chicken, Dosas, Biriyani, Mango Lassis…what else could you ask for? Please visit all our vendor booths and support them by purchasing their delicious food and helping them market their products. We feel that participating in the activities of India Cultural Association has many benefits. It provides individuals the opportunity to learn and embrace the Indian culture and strengthen their leadership skills. Hav- ing the confidence to lead in today’s world goes a long way in preparing them for a bright future. Our former attendees and past performers continue to support India Festival and show their appreciation and support for ICA. All of you, who have had the opportunity to perform; we appreciate it and are very grateful. With your support we will continue to host India Festival every year. If you are interested in getting involved, we would love to hear from you. We are actively seeking volunteers for organizing the 2020 festival. Here is your chance to be part of a high-performance team, assembled each year to organize this event. Please stop by our ICA booth to discuss opportunities. Sincerely, President Jaisen Mody 5 Flavors of the Program We aim to have a diverse program of a variety of ages, types of dances, and songs throughout the day. Here is a sample of a few of the performances! 10:45 - 1:00 • Start off your day with some Laughter Yoga! • Performances by some of our youngest Bollywood stars • Dances and vocal performances to classic patriotic hits • A beautiful mother and daughter folk dance tribute 1:00 - 3:00 • Classic, high-powered, bhangra performances • An interactive dance lesson with the non-profit Dance is Play • Folk dances bring Western, Southern, and Eastern India to life! • A skit discussing secularism, religion, and education 3:00 - 5:00 • DJ Prashant will bring in the crowd for some Bollywood fun! • Travel to Haryana and Punjab with some amazing folk dances • Vocal renditions of beautiful classic prayers • Bollywood meets Kathak and brings the Ramayana to life 5:00 - 7:00 • The Consul General of India SF joins us as a guest of honor • Join us in singing the US & Indian National Anthems • Tributes to heroines Sridevi and Deepika Padukone • Performances to the latest Bollywood and Telugu hits • Exposés of tribal dances from across India 7:00 - 8:00: The Finale! • High-energy hits from DJ Prashant, Miz LaFontaine, & the Fusionists! • OSU Bhangra brings on a competition-level performance • Marathi and Rajasthani folk dances • The finest showcases of classical rigor from North and South India 7 Navaratri - Oneness in Diversity evening where we get to play with our friends and eat sweets to our heart's content. Over the years we have By Ahana Naskar had our neighbors also join us in the festivities and learn about our culture. It’s almost that time of the year again, and the Navaratri which means nine nights, is an im- festivities are right around the corner. Like I said we portant Hindu festival celebrated to honor Goddess may celebrate it differently, but our heart is in the Durga, who symbolizes power and purity. The festi- same place. India!! val takes place in Autumn somewhere between Sep- tember and October. Navratri is celebrated for differ- ent reasons and in many ways across India. While the stories behind them differ the main moral behind it remains the same – that is, the victory of good over evil. During this festival, three incarnations of god- dess Parvati are celebrated, Durga, Lakshmi, and Sar- What India Stands For aswati.