Festival Buzz to Overcome August
Little would have the team of organizers of the first Festival of India in 1997 imagined the rising tide of the Festival, not only amongst the local Indian community but also in the mainstream. Gradually taking on its place among notable annual ethnic events in Atlanta, such as the popular Greek festival, this year?s program seems firmly on track with its theme of ?Building Bridges?.
Case in point is the extended coverage the Festival is expected to receive on WSB-TV and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, among other local media. As a first, the national Indian satellite TV channel, TV Asia, will cover the festival, according to the organizers.
As many as 40 billboards all across Atlanta will entice locals to participate in the fanfare and learn about Indian culture, cuisine, and customs. Contingents from other international communities such as Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Malaysians, and South Africans are expected to participate in a novel attempt to build bridges and promote harmony and understanding across cultures. Other gestures of such reaching will also be evident at Sunday?s (August 18th) cultural entertainment program at the Robert Ferst Center of Arts. A band of 70 students from the Chattahoochee High School will perform amidst the Indian traditional fare.
As in previous years, the Festival will be duly acknowledged by the city and state governments, as well as other statesmen such as Congressman John Linder and Senator Max Cleland. Governor Roy Barnes will grace the Festival on Saturday, 17th at the Gwinnett Civic Center while Mayor Shirley Franklin will felicitate the cultural program at the Robert Ferst Center on the 18th. Many other dignitaries such as tennis ace and Hollywood producer, Vijay Amritraj, will be attending.
Propelled by the phenomenal success of recent events such as the Miss India-Georgia Beauty Pageant, the organizers are ?energized? and ?overwhelmed? by the response and participation that is already on for the upcoming festival, as they plan to surpass all expectations.
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
