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Himachal Day was celebrated in the San Francisco Bay area of the US on June 14. Indians and Americans turned out in large numbers to enjoy a cultural show and savour authentic Himachali food on the occasion, writes
Nandini Sharma from California
THE San Francisco Bay area of California caught a glimpse of the rich culture and tradition of Himachal Pradesh on June 14 when local Himachalis celebrated Himachal Day at the India Community Centre in Milpitas. This was the first time that Himachalis in the US got together to hold such a large-scale celebration. The local community, both Indian and American, turned out in good numbers to attend the event. Over 400 people came to enjoy a cultural show, listen to the presentations on Himachal and eat authentic Himachali food. Displays highlighted Himachal’s rich heritage from its temples to its famous personalities. There were even Kulu shawls and caps for sale, all of which sold out quickly. Proceeds from the sale will be used for non-profit projects in the state. "Our very first Himachal Day was successful beyond our expectations, and we were so happy to see people from different cultural backgrounds come together and celebrate," said Mahesh Nihalani, one of the organisers of the event, who is originally from Shimla. Adds Asha Sharma, the other main organiser, who is also from Shimla: "I am delighted that Himachalis in the Bay area have at last got connected with each other".
Author Asha Sharma, who has written the biography of Satyanand Stokes—An American in Gandhi’s India— published first by Penguin India and then by Indiana University Press, gave a presentation on the life of Stokes. While Stokes’ story is known in India, it generated interest in the US, too, as it crosses cultural boundaries. Both upper and lower Himachal were represented in the programme, with the Sud family of Palampur singing songs and performing dances from that region, Yamini Mitter singing folk songs from Chamba and Uma Chitalapati’s dance troupe performing regional dances. Children got to perform in costume displays and dances. As no Himachali festivity can be complete without the Naati, Himachal Day event closed with a colourful Naati performance led by Neelam Madaik of Shimla. All the Naati participants were from Himachal, and either wore jackets and dhatus of Shimla district or shawls in the Kulu style. The ICC definitely had a festive Himachal look. On display in the lobby were Kangra paintings, old brass pots, hand-made pollas and hand-woven shawls. There were plenty of Kulu caps in sight and even a few dhatus. Several members of the audience said they were surprised and pleased to learn new things about Himachal during the celebrations—that it has a rich military tradition and contributes the largest number of soldiers to the Indian armed forces, that it has so many famous temples, that eminent artists such as Amrita Shergil and Sobha Singh lived and painted in Himachal, and that the famous story, Usne Kaha Tha, was written by a Himachali, Chandradhar Sharma Guleri. They participated with enthusiasm in the quiz on Himachal trivia conducted throughout the programme by the emcee, Dr Meena Patyal. Also well received was the authentic Himachal cuisine. Volunteers had collected recipes for typical dishes from different regions of Himachal, prepared them and added the right flavours. These included tilwale aloo, rajmah da madhra, posti babroo, palak diyan wadiyan, pahari khichadi and kesari chawal . Organised by the local Himachalis, the event was planned only a few months ago. The India Community Centre has held state days for many years but this was the first time that Himachal was represented, largely because there are very few people from the state here. The few Himachalis in the area got to know each other while organising the event. They say they plan to make it an annual affair.
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Rajan
Zed, who has become well-known as the priest who read the first Hindu
prayers at the US Senate in Washington, D.C., was invited as the
special guest, and presented with a Himachali shawl and cap. "It
was a great honour for me to be felicitated by the great people of the
state of Himachal Pradesh. The spirit of brotherhood, enthusiasm and
community all around was very uplifting," he said.