This past weekend, SEWA-AIFW joined dozens of other South Asian organizations for IndiaFest 2021! The event was hosted at the Minnesota State Capitol by the India Association of Minnesota. It felt wonderful to see our community gathered once again!
It was a pleasure to have our booth on the capitol grounds and connect with community members. We saw many familiar faces and many more new ones. IndiaFest was virtual last year due to the pandemic, but with vaccination rates increasing, events such as these have once again become options.
We began the day at our booth, where we had the opportunity to interact with many members of our South Asian community, and of our Twin Cities community as a whole. After the past year, days such as these are vitally important.
There were Indian song and dance performances, delicious food, and a bazaar of Indian goods. The diversity of India was on display!
In the afternoon, we joined our fellow South Asian organizations for a parade around the capitol. Each organization walked together and was presented before a crowd of spectators.
Celebrating India’s 75th Independence Day Together
After the parade, there was a ceremony to commemorate India’s Independence Day. The event was on the 14th, the day before. India gained independence from the British on August 15th, 1947 — 75 years ago!
Representatives from various districts in the Twin Cities spoke alongside leaders in the South Asian community. Many people who were attending and working at the event gathered for a singing of the United States national anthem, followed by the anthem of India.
The flags of the US and India were raised together to finish the commemoration, followed by more words from other esteemed guests. The festivities resumed shortly after, and the celebrations continued.
After such a long time apart, it was a privilege to join our entire community for a day of celebration. The pandemic has kept such gatherings an impossibility. Thanks to rising vaccination rates, we were able to gather once again. We anticipate more days like these in the future!
Thank you to India Association of Minnesota for organizing the event!
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