Pooja Premchandran DALLAS, TX(TIP): The upcoming Holi of 2014 will have the vibrant and highly popular event ‘Holi Hai’ from New York City, extend their festivities in Dallas, Texas andWashingtonD.C. Megha Kalia, Founder and Artistic Director of NYC Bhangra confirmed to The Indian Panorama of its planned ventures. Started by Kalia from her two bedroom apartment in Queens, today the event is the largest celebration of the festival of colors in New York City. As a non-ticketed event, NYC Holi also boasts of the largest number of non-Indian attendees. The journey has been a multitude of colors for her. “Blue, black, red, white! I have faced it all in my journey so far. But it is all totally worth the painstaking effort when I see the celebrants face light up with joy at the event every year.” As part of extending her venture, Megha Kalia has closed in on Dallas and WashingtonDC. With the popularity the event was gaining, it was a natural move for her to push beyond the boundaries and even look far west.

colors of Holi

“I did extensive research and spoke to innumerable people regarding celebrations of Holi as well as promotion of Bhangra in the rest of the country. Only a few engaged and promoted Bhangra to its audience. The dance form of Bhangra is vibrant, fun and colourful, all of which are synonymous to Holi. And I wanted people from these cities to experience the same fun that New York has been having since the past 5 years during Holi, “says Kalia. Besides playing Holi the traditional way (throwing colour at each other), NYC Bhangra’s Holi celebrations also provide a platform to emerging artists (in dance and music) to exhibit their talent to residents of New York City. But the event isn’t fulfilled without the must-have dose of Bhangra. Says Kalia, “Since 2010, we have continued to engage our audiences into Bhangra which is in line with our mission. Naturally, at an environment like that of Holi, Bhangra just goes hand in hand.” Megha sincerely hopes for the same extent of support she received in New York to follow her to DC and Dallas.

“In the last few year of the event in NYC, we have received inexpressible amount of support from our sponsors such as State Bank of India, Incredible India, Time Warner Cable, Sony TV, Zee TV, etc. We look for similar support and encouragement from DC and Dallas. In terms of our expansion, we sincerely hope to see these cities welcome Bhangra and celebrate Holi with much gusto and spirit as is a must for Holi,” says Kalia. NYC Bhangra is New York City’s group of Bhangra enthusiasts who are engaging people in the Bhangra joy and creating more awareness of the dance through dance showcases and performances. NYC Bhangra was established in 2007 to promote Indian dance forms in New York City. Sponsors can reach NYC Bhangra atinfo@nycbhangra.com or 212-372-8001. Watch this space for more information on the venue and dates of the event.