RECORD CROWD. More than 7,000 people crowded Pioneer Square for India Festival 2009, a day of music, dance, food, and history. Performing at this year’s celebration were the Leela Dance troupe — (clockwise from top left) Sarita, troupe leader Mini Sharma, Anjali, Diya, and Jasmine — who performed a traditional Kerala dance around a brass lamp. (AR Photo/Rich Ellgen)

From The Asian Reporter, V19, #33 (August 25, 2009), page 9.

By Pamela Ellgen

Pungent aromas of biriyani, samosa, and bhelpuri filled the late-summer air at Pioneer Courthouse Square during India Festival 2009, a one-day event that took place on August 16, the day after India celebrates its independence from British rule. The festival brought together various people and traditions from India’s diverse cultural landscape and welcomed Indians who now live in and around Portland for a day of music, dance, food, and history. For Oregonians, "It’s like being in India without even buying a plane ticket or getting a visa," said festival organizer Jaisen Mody.

The crowd was a sea of color — women wearing beautiful saris and men in bright kurtas. For anyone who didn’t arrive in traditional garb, vendors offered intricate necklaces, saris, and beaded khussa slippers.

Cultural performances were the focus of the festival, including traditional singing and dancing, as well as yoga, sari-tying demonstrations, and henna hand painting. Performers had auditioned for a place on the India Festival stage. The most talented received a slot in the late afternoon, when the crowds made for standing room only in the square. Many of the dancers and singers were children, and the festival was something they prepared for all year, some even making family vacation plans around it. For parents, it was an opportunity not only to see their children perform, but also to carry on cultural traditions.

A dance troupe of girls age five to 10 from Leela Dance performed a traditional Kerala dance around a brass lamp. The most important thing they had to remember, the girls said, was to smile. After that, just keep dancing. Jasmine, nine, piped up, "Even if your clothes fall off, just keep dancing!"

Later in the day, Bhangra Invasion garnered wild applause and brought the crowd to its feet during a barefoot Bhangra dance performance in traditional costume.

At four in the afternoon, the festival performances paused to sing the national anthems of India and the United States, respectively, followed by speeches on how India gained its independence. This year, organizers placed a greater focus on celebrating the Indian Independence Day, and next year promises a similar flavor since the festival will likely fall directly on August 15.

In addition to several Indian restaurants, many community and cultural organizations filled vendor booths. Well International serves as a one-stop resource for the international community in the U.S. and offers free services to new immigrants and international students. The various services range from airport pickups and helping someone learn to drive to seminars on emergent topics and friendship dinners.

"It’s a lonely situation when you come from so far away," said Beth Schaefer, a Well International representative.

Another group at the festival was the Indo-American Medical Association (IAMA), a conglomerate of more than 50 doctors of either Indian descent or with an acute interest in the country of India and the wellness of its inhabitants. Dr. Moir Budden, a surgeon and vice president of the association, shared his vision for IAMA, which offers free clinics and has supported various medical projects in India. The group also incorporates alternative medicine into its thinking and practices. As part of the festival, it offered a small demonstration of the properties of Indian spices in health and wellness, including an Indian food pyramid — a retake on the United States Department of Agriculture pyramid — with traditional Indian ingredients such as ghee, lentils, roti, and chapati.

More than 7,000 people crowded Pioneer Square for this year’s festival, outnumbering last year’s attendance, making for an even more packed event and confirming what organizers already knew: The event is outgrowing its space at Pioneer Courthouse Square. However, moving to a larger venue — a park-like setting perhaps — costs additional money, so it may stay put for another year.

The festival is organized by the India Cultural Association (ICA), a Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to cultural activities concerning India. To learn more about ICA and the India Festival, visit <www.icaportland.org>.