Spindle India, Inc., celebrates 12th annual IndiaFest Wisconsin, and 78th Indian Independence Day

- ADVERTISEMENT -

On Saturday Aug 24th, Spindle India Inc., began festivities in Wisconsin for its 12^th annual IndiaFest Wisconsin event at Menomonee Falls downtown village park, Waukesha county.

The parade invoked the Hindu deity Ganesh followed by hoisting of the Indian flag, as well as the singing of the national anthems of India and the US. Devotional and patriotic performances followed.

Governor Tony Evers issued a proclamation declaring Aug 15th 2024 as INDIA DAY. Additionally, Spindle India, Inc.’s effort to bring IndiaFest Wisconsin to the community was recognized by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and Brookfield Mayor Steven Ponto.

Among the attendees at IndiaFest were U.S. Congressman Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., Indian Consul (Head of Chancery and Community Affairs) Vinod Gautam, Chairman Waukesha County Supervisor James Heinrich, Chair Republican Party Congressional District 4 Robert Spindell and State Senator Duey Stroebel.

US Senator Ron Johnson bestowed Senatorial recognition of the event, commending its continued dedication and effort to bring visibility to the Indian community in Wisconsin celebrating the rich culture, traditions and heritage of India.

“I’m so glad to be a guest at IndiaFest this year. The food was great as always. But the best thing is to socialize with hundreds of people from Wisconsin’s Indian community,” Rep. Grothman is quoted saying in the press release. “Indians are smart and very good conversationalists. I look forward to visiting next year. Don’t miss it.”

Governor Evers noted in the gubernatorial proclamation , “In addition to commemorating India’s Independence, India Day provides an opportunity for all Wisconsinites to learn about Indian culture and its incredible diversity of language, region, and religion and to strengthen the bonds between the Indian community and others”.

Similar statements were made by Senator Dan Knodl in the Senatorial recognition, and by Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow; Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson; and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

Praise was also expressed by Consul General of Bangladesh, Monir Choudhury, the Honorary Consul General of Nepal, Marvin A. Brustin.

Founder of Spindle India, Inc. Purnima Nath noted that the flgs of both US and India being highlighted was a recognition of the strong ties between the two democracies.

“In America, people do not know much about Indian culture beyond a few popular food items such as curry, samosa, or naan. We are more than that. Inventions, discoveries, ideologies, acceptance, tolerance, oldest-living surviving ancient civilization which has not been accepted by the world yet,” Nath noted, adding, “Sadly, there are many misconceptions about India, the Indian community, our religion, and the ancient Indic civilization in the United States. Through such avenues and platforms, we can break barriers of cultural differences and promote open dialogues that encourage understanding.”

Among the volunteers who helped on the day were Bharat Prasad, Arnab Bag, Aparna Bag, Mary Jo Thompson, Lourdes MacEwan, Purnima Nath, Shubhra Prasad, Ashita Verma, Neha Patil and Megha Patil.

Devotional, patriotic and Bollywood Music and dance entertained the audience all day. Clothing, jewelry, food, ethnic drinks, and children bounce house engaged those present. Local area vendors as well as from other midwestern states such as Michigan and Texas participated in the fair, as did people from all walks of life.