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RANGLA PUNJAB 2010

 

“RANGLA PUNJAB 2010” CELEBRATES VAISAKHI FESTIVAL AND SHOWCASES PUNJABI CULTURE


Chicago, April 24, 2010
Rajinder Singh Mago

More than 1500 community members and over 200 participants, program coordinators, and volunteers of all ages from metropolitan Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan converged upon Lane Tech High School Auditorium to celebrate Vaisakhi festival at “Rangla Punjab 2010” show on Saturday, April 10, 2010. Major (retd.) Gurcharan Singh Jhaj was the chief guest. Ex state Senator Dan Rutherford was a guest of honor.

The cultural evening started with a prayer shabad by Sikh Youth of Chicago followed by an amazing assortment of breathtaking cultural performances transported the auditorium to the wheat farms of Punjab. A magnificently decked-up stage and Punjabi background music provided the perfect setting. Bhangra music Dhol beats, Gidha Boliyaan, an amalgamation of myriad colors of costumes, youthful spirit and rocking performances electrified the auditorium.

 “Rangla Punjab” is the flagship annual event of Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS . This is the single largest Punjabi community cultural annual event in Chicago area, in existence for more than a quarter of a century. It is designed to preserve, propagate and promote Punjabi performing arts Bhangra, Gidha, songs, drama and music to the next generation of the local Punjabi American community and provide a platform to show case their talent.

Universally popular Punjabi folk dance Bhangra, Gidha, Punjabi music and songs, comedy skits, and a variety of other items were presented at this stage show. “SAREGAMA” orchestra provided music to live songs.

Punjabi Youth Club of Milwaukee Bhangra team, Indianapolis “Bhangra Element” group, Milwaukee Gidha, “Teeyan Chicago Diyaan”, “Gajde Punjabi” from Milwaukee, “Nakhra Punjabana Da” from Milwaukee, “Nachdiyan Gulzaraan”, and University of Chicago “Balle Bhangra” group rendered state of the art mind blowing performances one after the other till midnight.

A short musical play with a hair-raising social message “Shaheed Bhagat Singh” was presented by Gurbinder Singh Khehra and Preet Randhawa of Michigan.

A comedy skit “Chacha Choji ” coordinated by Gurmukh Bhullar and Charandeep Singh, of Desi Junction, a popular local radio program, was simply hilarious.

Pammi Gill, Mona Bhalla, Rahul Gill, Vicky Saini and Gurdeep Kahlon rendered songs where Ajay Randhawa played keyboard music.

Other highlights of the evening were booths in the lobby showcasing Indian designer collection and accessories.

Vaisakhi, an ancient spring festival in the Punjab region, is the fun and frolicsome celebration of ending of harvest season, and beginning of a new planting season and a solar new year.

Vaisakhi is also one of the most significant holidays for Sikhs. It commemorates the establishment in 1699 of the “Khalsa” at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India, by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. It falls on the first day of the Baisakh month in the solar Nanakshahi calendar, which corresponds to April 14 in the Gregorian calendar.

Surinder Singh Sangha Finance Secretary of P.C.S. Chicago welcomed the audience. The program was anchored by, Amarjit Kaur Atwal, Raman Kaur Sekhon, Balwinder Singh Girn, and Manjit Singh Gill. Paul Lail introduced the PCS officials.

“Kudos to all who helped put this event together. It takes tremendous effort and joint collaboration by the whole team to pull it off triumphantly.  Also, the wholehearted collaboration of the parents and families was so apparent,” said Mohina Ahluwalia PCS Chairperson.

 "Rangla Punjab 2010” was a huge success in providing a platform to families in the entire Midwest to connect with their Punjabi roots and display pride in their culture," said Rajinder Singh Mago, PCS President.

 Mago thanked the audience, sponsors and volunteers, and congratulated his PCS organizing team. A plaque of honor was presented to the chief guest Guracharan Singh Jhaj. The outgoing chairman Harinder Paul Singh and president Ronny Kular were also honored with plaques for their excellent services in 2008-09.

The program was sponsored by Dr. Bhupinder Singh Saini (Advance Pain Management), Dr. Narinder S. Grewal,  (California), Diljit Singh Ahluwalia, Harinder Paul Singh (MITS), Punjab Auto Werks, Harjinder Singh Sandhu, Chicago Children’s Museum, Balwinder Singh Girn, Lovedeep Singh Dulat, Nimrata Kaur Singh, and the Palatine Park District.

Rishpal Singh of Sunshine DJ coordinated the music, Photography was by Devinder Singh Sangha, and Videography by Royal video. Food was catered by New India Restaurant.

The event organization committee included the following PCS officials and many community volunteers: Rajinder Singh Mago (president), Balwinder Singh Girn (vice president), Surinder Singh Sangha (finance secretary), Parminder Ghotra (executive secretary), Baljit Sidhu (sports director), Pardeep Deol (youth affairs director), Kevin Atwal (inter-community director), Sunny S. Kular, Manjit Singh Gill, Amarjit Kaur Atwal, Sukhmel Singh Atwal, Mohinderjit Singh Saini, Onkar Singh Sangha, Bhinder Singh Pamma, Jasbir Singh Palia, Ronny Singh Kular, Lovedeep Dulat, Sukhdev Kaur Ghuman, Surinder Singh Bhatia, Amardeep K. Deol, Navrang Bajwa, Jeevan Gill, Jeetu Kaur, Sukhwinder Kaur Singh, Gurmit Singh, and Navjot Multani.

Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is an all volunteer not-for-profit 501C-3 community service organization devoted to promoting Punjabi culture, language, performing arts, education, sports, good citizenship, and healthy life style in metropolitan Chicago area.                             



 

 

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