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2014 ASIAN FEST: A FEAST OF COLOR, CULTURE, AND SPIRIT
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
June 10, 2014
Kanwal Prakash Singh
Attended by over 2500 people, a truly multi-generational and multicultural crowd, the 2014 Asian Fest on June 7 on the beautiful grounds of the Indiana State Museum was exciting, colorful, fun, friendly, and free. The Asian Fest
was organized by Asian American Alliance of Indianapolis and sponsored by several businesses, educational institutions, and various cultural organizations.
The Indiana State Museum in Downtown Indianapolis offered a wonderful site for this year's Asian Fest.
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Mrs. Ballard, always enthusiastic about promoting diversity in all its myriad facets as the new frontier with incredible potential, stopped by at the Festival. China was the featured country of the 2014-Asian Fest and offered many wonderful dance performances on the main stage inside the Museum. The Bollywood Dancers with their colorful costumes performed a robust Gujarati folk dance on the indoor main stage and also entertained the crowds milling about in the outdoor display area. There was a special area designated for children's activities and fun.
Several ethnic restaurants, Chinese, Filipino, and others including the Shalimar Indian Restaurant, offered delicious native food dishes for people to experience the tastes and popular preparations of other cultures.
Rupal Thanawala serves as the President of the Asian American Alliance Board.
Young-Hee Yedinak and Julie Kurosawa served as the Co-Chairs of the Asian Fest assisted by a wonderful team of Board members, volunteers, and many friends.
Attached photographs offer a glimpse of color, costumes, exhibits, the festive spirit of the 2014-Asian Fest. This is another special festival that highlights Indiana's rich cultures, the growing pride in our diversity, expanding international offerings, and the new-found vibrancy of Indianapolis an emerging "Cultural Crossroads of the Midwest." It is this emerging cultural, spiritual, and ethnic vitality that has earned Indianapolis the recent New York Time honor of being the 54th place that
people from around the world like to visit.
It is wonderful to see the ethnic communities interfacing with each other and rallying to contribute and appreciate this transformation of Indianapolis as an attractive destination and place for people and businesses to call home....
Indianapolis, Indiana USA www.KPSinghDesigns.com .....(photo credit: KP Singh)
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Attached photographs represent:
. Indianapolis Mayor and Mrs Greg Ballard at the Indiana State Museum .
Mayor Greg Ballard in Chinese costume . Mayor and Mrs Greg Ballard with the
Chinese Dragon . Indianapolis Mayor and Mrs. Greg Ballard with Bollywood
Dancers . Bollywood Dancers performing Indian Folkdance at the Asian Fest .
Chinese Dancer with KP Singh . Cultural Booths at the Asian Fest . Asian
American Alliance leaders . Asian Fest Co-Chair Young-Hee with Jim Yedinak .
Mrs. Ballard, KP Singh, Rupal Thanawala
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