Vaisakhi is a widely celebrated harvest festival in the entire Indian subcontinent, comprising India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It was nice to be reminded of the popular festival at the Indian Consulate. The documentary produced by The Indian Panorama under the direction of its editor Prof. Indrajit Saluja was highly informative about the festival and the Punjabi culture.

The 17 minute documentary was never even for a moment dull as a lot of entertaining interludes were also provided in the form of songs, poetry and dialogues. Kudos to Prof. Saluja for the brilliant creation. I could see how the people were various parts of India, friends from Pakistan and mainstream Americans gathered to celebrate the event with the Punjabi community.

The large number of gathering, outstripping the available seating space spoke well of the attraction of the event that was evidently crafted with much imagination, planning and hard work. The only negative aspect of the event was the long time taken to recognize sponsors and associates, which made some people leave, thinking the program was nearing the end. However, those like me, who stayed back, found amply rewarded with the vibrant Bhangra and Gidha dances performed by the famous NY City Bhangra group of Megha Kalia.