IAGB h as yet again successfully hosted another event and won accolades and appreciation from all the event attendees. If you thought I was talking about the Republic Day gala, you were mistaken. IAGB in partnership with Dr. Anil Saigal held another college workshop for high school students and their parents at Acton Public Library on Feb 24th, The Hall was filled to capacity. Another highlight of this event was a student panel of three high school seniors who shared their first hand experiences of the college application process. The panel was moderated by another high school student. This successful event was organized after the highly visible annual mega event - Republic Day Gala on January 26th at Burlington High School. The daylong event started with many competitions ranging from Chess and Carom to Trivia Quiz and Storytelling. The late afternoon cultural program was intermixed with Antakshari Finale. With creed of No rest for the Weary - we are already in planning stages of organizing community service event in the month of May. The first ever IAGB organized 5K Walk/Run is planned for May 11th.

On behalf of IAGB, we wish all readers a very Happy New Year. For all expatriates January brings in memories of flying kites, sharing Til and Gud (sesame seeds and jaggery), and singing and dancing around a bonfire celebrating Lohri, depending upon which region in India one spent their formative years. These are just few of the many traditional celebrations that happen all across India in celebration of Sankranti - a festival that is celebrated as per the Solar Calendar (unlike most other festivals that go by the lunar calendar). Additionally, every 12 years the largest human congregation (100 million plus) of anywhere on earth happens in the month of January during the Kumbh Mela. Another childhood memory for most of us would be the annual parade in front of India Gate in New Delhi. Now for our kids growing up in Massachusetts, January will lock in the memories of IAGB Republic Day celebrations and the wide variety of competitions and performances during the day long event.

IAGB is gearing up for its annual Republic Day celebrations. This year we will celebrate on the same day as the rest of India - on January 26th, 2019. Like last year, the day will start with friendly competitions covering a range of skills from Chess and carom board games, to Skit, Trivia and many more. For a complete list of games and activities please visit us on our Facebook page. All the games and activities are free for IAGB members but pre-registration is required. This will be followed by our evening activities which this year will be a mix of cultural programs such as dance performances and the finals of Antakshari competition. The theme for cultural program is Kashmir to Kanyakumari. IAGB is requesting for volunteers. Interested individuals can contact us via email or via facebook page.