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Chicago gears up to celebrate Independence Day

Shanthi Shankarkumar

Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago declared August as the month of India's Independence at the reception he threw last week and with that he set in motion month-long celebrations in Chicago.

To the nostalgic strains of "Saare Jahaan Se Accha, Hindustan hamara" and the tantalizing smell of samosas, India's Independence Day celebrations got a heavy desi kick-off at the reception Mayor Daley hosted at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The Mayor has been hosting receptions for various ethnic communities for the past ten years and it is an event all communities, including the Indian-American community, look forward to every year. At least they get to tuck into delicious Indian food and pose for pictures with Chicago's most charismatic and powerful man.

Present at the reception were a sprinkling of celebrities from India - there was a dapper Ustad Amjad Ali Khan in his cream sherwani and colorful angavastram and a couple of lesser known politicians.

The evening's highlight, however, was a soul-stirring dance rendition of Vande Mataram by a three-member group of Oriya dancers.

Mayor Daley praised the Indian community for significant contributions and extolled its values for education and family. "We should never turn our backs on the place we come from. The strength of Chicago is its immigrants and I thank you for your contributions in education and community," said Daley.

India and the United States had so much in common, he said and asked Indians to serve as a bridge between the two countries. "We're celebrating the strength and Independence of not only India, but of the world," he said.

Daley is scheduled to visit India next year.

It must be the case of distance making the heart more patriotic. While in India, only August 15 is celebrated, in the US Indians stretch their fervor through the whole month.

On August 15, there will be a celebration downtown of Indian folk and film-based dances sponsored by the Federation of Indians Associations, which has about 100 organisations under its umbrella.

The same day Consul General of India in Chicago, Surendra Kumar and his wife are hosting a Musical Tribute to India at the Chicago Cultural Center. On August 18, the Federation of Indian Associations will host a banquet and reception in Chicago. Various community-based organisations would hold their own celebrations.

There will also be the annual parade on August 19, which is held at Devon Street -- a street filled with Indian and Pakistani stores and restaurants. This year the parade will have about 30-40 floats representing various communities.

According to one of the organisers, Keerthi Kumar, this year the parade will have Bollywood stars Raj Babbar, Aruna Irani and Randhir Kapoor. They are also hoping to rope in Jaya Prada and Mahima Chaudhary.

When asked why India and Pakistan have never tried out a joint celebration despite great camaraderie between the two communities here, Kumar answered: "Indians and Pakistanis get along very well here. We attend their parade and they attend ours. But the parades are a matter of national pride, and they afford an opportunity for the respective countries to showcase their culture. Integrating the parades would diminish that."

Next: Canada's Olympic hope is an Indian immigrant

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