Dec 2024
Events Recap
Salute to Service 2024 Parade (Veteran’s Day Parade 2024)
Following our annual tradition of remembering and honoring our brave soldiers and veterans, Team IAGB walked besides many other local organizations at the Salute to Service 2024 Parade in Boston this past Saturday. The chilly, windy day, didn’t deter Team IAGB and several other community groups & organizations from walking the parade commemorating, celebrating the contribution of all veterans and their families.
THANK YOU, VETERANS, FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR THE COUNTRY AND OUR FREEDOM!
Shishu Bharati Diwali Mela
On Nov 17th, everyone, including students, teachers, and volunteers, and community leaders from all across New England were part of this very special occasion where all 3 Shishu Bharati locations – Walpole, Nashua, and Lexington, came together in festivity, celebrating Indian Culture.
Thank you Seshi Sompuram, for inviting IAGB to be part of this wonderful Diwali Mela!
ICON Diwali Cultural Event
Here’s a warm note of THANKS, to the ICON (Indian Community of Needham), Dr. Raja Sheikh and his fantastic team for honoring me as the Chief Guest at their annual Diwali Cultural event, and for their warm & gracious hospitality extended to me and my officers Vice President Nilesh Agrawal and Treasurer Deepak Garg.
I continue to feel honored and blessed to have addressed the bright Indian American community of Needham and Dedham as the President of India Association of Greater Boston, IAGB.
We are at an evolving juncture within and beyond the community. People apart, countries apart – hate & violence creating agony and heartaches. I pledge to spread LOVE by continuing with my approach of “Aspire, Attempt & Achieve” to see IAGB work together as a diverse Community wherein we act responsibly, reliably, and efficiently, respect the community and beyond, embrace differences or conflict of opinions with empathy and understanding, hold each other with love while encouraging and soliciting open communication among and between each other.
Your poised meet & greet, your heartwarming stage felicitations given to us, your enthusiastic and unique performance items, the delectable food, the warm ‘chai’, the freshly made “Gajar ka Halwa” and the nostalgic “Chitrahaar” were treats to remember!
Thank you for relating to IAGB’s commitment in upholding our community as a place where our fellow community members can enjoy superior quality of civic, socio-cultural, educational and community service and Pan-India engagements.
Together, let us raise a toast to our commitment in upholding the Indian American community’s interest as its advocate & culture champion.
We value our community deeply and look forward to collaborating and corroborating ever more. Let’s work together to build a stronger community.
Onwards & Upwards,
Yours truly,
Tanu Phoenix, President, IAGB
IMANE Annual Gala 2024
Thank You Sonali Khond, President of IMANE for your bright leadership at IMANE thus far, and for acknowledging IAGB’s work for the community and it’s strong friendship with IMANE. And heartiest congratulations to the President Elect Shikha Merchia for your new, shining leadership!
Community Spotlight
In 2021, Deepika Prakash received the Commonwealth Heroine honor from the State of Massachusetts for her dedicated work in promoting equality and women’s rights. Deepika’s commitment to fostering a supportive community is evident through PatternReview.com, which has grown to over half a million members worldwide. Her articles in sewing magazines, podcast appearances, and co-authorship of “1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips,” with all royalties donated to charity, reflect her passion for sharing knowledge and making a positive impact.
Deepika has been integral in bringing about the proclamation of Diwali to be a holiday in the schools of Acton, Boxboro and Littleton. She worked with students from these schools and the School Committees to achieve this and it took 4 years – which segwayed into “DiwaliFest” – an outdoor local festival featuring our diverse culture and community – featuring student innovation and entrepreneurship, local small businesses and nonprofits along with sharing our art, music, dance, culture and cuisine . This year was the 3rd DiwaliFest which had 3000+ attendees. It is a free event supported by the local schools, town boards and Massachusetts Cultural Council.
There are two things she strongly believes in:
- We are a stronger community if we join in each other’s celebration, regardless of our cultural and religious background.
- If we truly believe in bringing about a positive change, we must empower and encourage youth leadership. And it is these two values which have been the vision behind Diwalifest.
Deepika is passionate about community, inclusivity and youth mentorship.
At DiwaliFest, volunteers encourage youth involvement and invite anyone and everyone to be a part of this celebration. They work tirelessly to find small businesses which will make this festival come alive, thus supporting local business while learning about new and fun things.
Deepika Prakash, founder of PatternReview.com, is a respected figure in the sewing community known for her expertise and contributions. Deepika is passionate about sustainability and educating people on adopting simple life skills to minimize their impact on the planet. This commitment to making a positive difference extends to her active involvement in community service in Acton and Boxborough over the past decade.
Throughout this period, she has spearheaded various programs aimed at bringing people together. Notable examples include organizing World Heritage Day at McT, supporting Girls on the Run through Danny’s Place, and contributing to the vibrant celebration of Diwali through DiwaliFest in Acton and Boxborough. In addition, she has volunteered her time across various local organizations and played a role in supporting the election of individuals in both town and school government.
She lives in Acton with her husband Gagan and daughter – Dia who is a rising 9th Grader at ABRHS.
Note about Deepika from IAGB President Tanu Phoenix:
IAGB salutes Deepika, for the progressive work that she has been doing over the years, aimed at bringing people together, propelling the spirits of building a stronger community regardless of cultural and religious backgrounds. Deepika’s community work and point of view match IAGB’s trajectory of working together towards building a stronger community, and IAGB surely hopes to collaborate with like-minded community leaders like Deepika in the best interest of the community!
Community Conversations
Isha Patel (Teen)
One of my favorite traditions during the holiday season is Friendsgiving. Every November, my friends and I come together to celebrate gratitude, friendship, and enjoy great food. Friendsgiving is very laid-back and personal, and each person brings a dish to share. It’s a wonderful tradition that reminds of how lucky I am to not only have an amazing family, but also to have a circle of friends who feel like family.
Pritha Anand (Teen)
My favourite holiday tradition is celebrating with friends and family. No matter what we are celebrating or where we are meeting, having fun with friends and family is the most amazing part of the holidays. Within my friend groups, it is tradition to meet and have multiple parties for every single event and birthday during the holiday season. We meet for Diwali, thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and all the birthdays in between, having fun and celebrating together. Sometimes we meet just for the sake of having fun together. I love this because it has created a giant community of family and friends that I love and cherish, people I can always rely on to have my back. I think that no matter what is going on in our lives, the tradition of meeting friends and family to have fun regardless of holidays or not is a gift. In a world where technology is making it easier to reach out, yet simultaneously isolating us, I cherish the opportunity to meet my loved ones in person, and make happy memories with them.
Sadhana Kyathppala & Raj Kyathppala
Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday, even a little more than Diwali! That it has no religious connotation, no presents or other commercial aspect, and that we all get the 2 days off to make it a 4-day weekend make it the perfect time for family get together. Typically our whole family gathers at our place to reconnect, recap the year we are just completing and bounce ideas for the coming year. The basement is lined up like a youth hostel, with camp cots and sleeping bags in the early days, and air mattresses now. The nephews and niece have young children now and they love doing sleepover with us. With everyone (about 26 including the little kids) being together under the same roof for a few days allows for all sorts of topics to be discussed, and all sorts of opportunities to share interests. This year we even introduced Bollywood movies and dance to the little ones.
In the early days in this country, many in our family did not particularly care for the taste of turkey. So my SIL and I decided to carve out our own tradition. Everyone loved Chinese food, so it felt very appropriate for this large Indian family, to celebrate the American Thanksgiving festival with Chinese food! But when I heard that my nephew “lied” to his kindergarten teacher that he had turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing for Thanksgiving, we felt we needed to really follow the tradition. However, we wanted to use this opportunity to expose our children to our Indian roots as well. Thus began our tradition of the time-honored American items with Turkey and its accompaniments, and the epitome of South Indian festival food – HoLige (Puran Poli) and its accompaniments! This “weird” combination of East and West on the table have sparked so many conversations about our childhoods in India, other Indian festivals and their traditions to the point where next year, we are considering celebrating Thanksgiving in Bangalore so that our families there can also experience this idea of coming together for the sole purpose of togetherness and giving thanks!