Festival of India Returns THIS WEEKEND!!
Heads up, Charlotte — you’re in for a real treat this weekend! Y’see, The India Association of Charlotte is hosting the 13th annual Festival of India in uptown Charlotte this Saturday and Sunday! It’s a great way to enjoy the music, dance, food and other cultural delights of our Asian-Indian community!
Now, this year’s event is a little different from the others (if you’ve gone before — and how could you think to miss it?) in that all the performances will be at the Belk Theater. There’s no assigned seating, so you can come-and-go as you please while you enjoy the entertainment onstage!
One of the favorite parts of the Festival, according to many who’ve attended in the past, is wide variety of delicious Indian food that’ll be served up by great eateries like Woodlands, Cafe Nirvana and Namaste. ANd it’s soooo easy to buy food there, because ya do it with tokens (and ya get a great deal there: nine for $10, 20 for $20). Most of the food items cost 3 to 5 tokens apiece, so you can actually fill your bellies there cheaper than ya can at most restaurants! You’ll also get to see some wonderful displays on the regions of India (my favorites are Bombay and Luchnow), arts and various literature. Indian jewelry, clothing, CDs and DVDs will also be available for sale.
There’s something that everyone can learn at the Festival: you can watch how mehndi (henna), a decorative dye, is applied, see what you’d look like wearing a sari, learn more about their different spices and the Indian kitchen, and even instructions on Indian musical instruments (I understand that includes the eclectic sitar, made famous by Ravi Shankar and also used by The Beatles on songs like The Inner Light).
Now, there are about 2,000 Asian-Indian families in the Queen City area, and each one of those families are a welcome addition … and blessing … to this area! And what you’ll find at the Festival of India is more than just great food, music and more; you’ll gain a deep appreciation for one of the most respected and historic cultures in the world.
The Festival will be at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (130 N. Tryon St.) and run from 11 AM to 6 PM this Saturday and Sunday! And it’s free to the public!
If you wanna learn more about the Festival, or get more details, just go to http://www.festivalindia.org.
DON’T MISS IT, OKAY?

September 27th, 2008 at 3:44 am
I Love yau