NEW YORK CITY  (TIP): The Indian Panorama organized a Vaisakhi celebration at the Indian consulate in New York on April 2.  Incidentally, the day happened  to be the first Navaratri – the sacred  nine-day festival of the Hindus,  and the first day of the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting for the Muslims. Vaisakhi is the day of creation of the Khalsa, popularly known as the Sikhs. It was on the day of Vaisakhi in 1699 when the Tenth Master Guru Gobind Singh created a new order and called it Khalsa  to which he gave a distinct identity. The 90-minute celebrations started with singing of Gurbani by Prachi Makkar and Surya Makkar who played Tabla, too.

A display of the Sikh martial art- Gatka-  thrilled everyone. The young boys from Akal Gatka Academy founded by Mr. Daler Singh left all spellbound with their great performance.

A well-known community leader Raghbir Singh Subhanpur, an ex-President of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana recited a Punjabi poem exhorting Sikhs to follow the path of righteousness.

The young Riya Dadheech gave a stellar Punjabi dance performance.

A 21-minute documentary on Vaisakhi screened on the occasion received the praise of the guests who described it as very informative. The documentary named A Journey in Time traced the history of Punjab and the history and  contribution of the Sikhs. The documentary is produced and directed by Prof. Indrajit Saluja .

To cap the celebrations was the worldwide popular -Bhangra. The Soormay group of performers gave a thrilling performance inviting rounds of applause from the gathering. The 120 strong gathering in the ornate room of the Consulate had not only the Sikhs  celebrating Vaisakhi but people from all faiths and from all geographical areas of India and from various parts of the US. Among the guests were community leaders, elected representatives and officials. Dozens of Gurdwaras and community organizations were represented.

The Consul General of India Randhir Kumar Jaiswal was the chief guest. In his address Mr. Jaiswal  spoke about the rich diversity  of India. “ Here what you see is the culture of Punjab in the form of dances and songs. The bravery and vigor of the Sikhs is so well known”, he said. He also spoke about his having a personal experience of visiting the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna  and then the place of his resting in Nanded which he visited while he was studying in that part of the country. Welcoming the guests,  he said that the doors of the consulate are open to all people and invited them to get more involved in the various programs that the consulate organizes throughout the year. Earlier, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama welcomed and introduced Mr. Jaiswal  and guests. He thanked the Consul General and  the Consulate  staff for their cooperation and hoped that the tradition of holding cultural festivals as also various other activities to involve the Indian Americans will not only continue but will  get speeded up.

Dr. VK Raju, an eminent ophthalmologist and President of the Eye Foundation of America who had traveled all the way from West Virginia to attend the event was the guest of Honor.  Dr. Raju was given a standing ovation for the great humanitarian work he was doing of preventing blindness among children the world over, in particular in India where he runs a hospital to serve the underprivileged people, particularly in the rural areas. Speaking of the importance of eyes, Dr. Raju said 80% of the learning comes through the eyes, and a child with no eyesight becomes a burden on himself, his family and the society. Therefore, he considers it  very important  to be working for a world without childhood blindness.

New York State Senator John Liu, a great friend of the Indian American community,  also graced the occasion with his presence. In his brief address he congratulated the Sikh community on the occasion of their birthday. Rokeya Akhter, Community Relations officer with the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz represented her boss. Among other guests were Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Attorney Ravi Batra and Diwali Stamp Foundation Chair Ranju Batra.

Ravi Batra who admires Guru Gobind Singh recalled his anguish when  Sikhs in a Gurdwara  in Wisconsin were shot. He was the one who got community members together in New York and organized a protest meeting. Consul, Culture Mr. Vipul Dev thanked the guests, performers, sponsors and the organizers.

It was left to the Master of Ceremonies Sangeet Sharma who very ably conducted the entire program to finally thank all on behalf of the organizers. The  celebrations were hosted jointly by the Consulate General of India and The Indian Panorama, a leading English Weekly on the East Coast.