| |
|
Sikh Culture and Spirit
- from India to Indiana
|
A Friendship Lunch and faith presentation, a Bhangra Dance, fun and fellowship rich in culture and
Punjabi tradition took place at the Indiana State House in
Indianapolis on September 16, 2010. This may have been the first such gathering of so many Sikh Americans and
perhaps the very first Punjabi Bhangra folkdance performance in the prestigious and ornate halls of any State House in the nation.
|
From the perspective of the Indiana Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives (IOFBCI) and
Indiana Humanities Council (IHC), the two principal partners of this timely and meaningful series: “Learning about Indiana’s Faith Communities,”
the event was a great success.
For the members of the Sikh Educational & Cultural Society of Indianapolis, the proud hosts of this Friendship Lunch and Sikh presentation in the North Atrium of the Indiana State House, it was a landmark triumph.
|
About 150 people, nearly half of them Hoosier Sikh Americans in their traditional Sikh turbans and ethnic Punjabi dresses, community leaders, and dignitaries mingled amidst the beautiful Italian Renaissance style interior with grand staircases, stained-glass skylight,
and other architectural embellishments in a majestic sunlit space in the Indiana State Capitol, built in a Neo-Classical Revival style in 1888 A.D.
We were eyewitnesses to this amazing gathering, an historic first for an ethnic religious community in Indiana.
|
In recent decades, we have seen increasing change in the spiritual landscape in Indiana with the arrival of
Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Baha’is, African traditions, and others added to the richness of longstanding
Jewish and Christian denominations plus
Native American faith traditions.
Hoosier Sikh Americans were the first to lead the series on Indiana’s faith diversity and inspire a multi-textured framework for the presentations and introductions of faith communities that today form the rich spiritual and cultural fabric of Indiana.
|
Throughout the North Atrium of the State Capitol,
site of the first faith presentation, several visually stimulating and informative posters were on display.
A Powerpoint presentation, highlighting the Sikh Scriptures,
outstanding leaders, tradition and culture, mistaken-identity concerns, and Sikh involvement in shared community initiatives, interfaith forums, and cultural activities, continuously flashed across a large screen.
|
|
There were displays of colorful Punjabi Phulkaris, jewelry, books, wedding albums, and other related items of interest. A delicious
Punjabi lunch buffet, prepared by India Palace and Shalimar
restaurants, awaited the attending guests.
|
|
|
|
|
| Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
Look at our other recent newsletters!
Party Digest NYC
September 15,
2010
September 9,
2010
September 2,
2010
August 20,
2010
August 10,
2010
August 3,
2010
July 27,
2010
July 20,
2010
July 12,
2010
July 4,
2010
June 29,
2010
June 22,
2010
June 16,
2010
June 10,
2010
May 25,
2010
May 11,
2010
May 4,
2010
April 27,
2010
April 13,
2010
March 26,
2010
March 16,
2010
March 9,
2010
March 1,
2010
February
22, 2010
February
15, 2010
February
10, 2010
February
4, 2010
January
27, 2010
January
15, 2010
Party Digest Washington DC
November 11, 2009
November 2, 2009
Sikh Community Center
September 3, 2010
August 18, 2010
FIA Special
July 16, 2010
July 2, 2010
June 18, 2010
June 11, 2010
May 25, 2010
May 13, 2010
March 28, 2010
March 11, 2010
January 10, 2010
December 23, 2009
December 12, 2009
November 22, 2009
November 17, 2009
November 11, 2009
November 6, 2009
November 3, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
