It was a gorgeous spring evening on May 16, 2015 in Bridgewater, MA, with a few sprinkles here and there whilst inside the Saint Thomas Aquinas Church there was a colorful milieu of traditional Punjabi dresses adorned by kids and ladies who were going to perform Bhangra and Giddha. They were gathered to celebrate Vaisakhi; to showcase the rich culture and heritage of Punjab.The aim was to unite the kids with their roots and support a noble cause - to raise funds for a new Gurudwara which is under construction in Westborough, MA. There was great fervor in everyone’s heart to perform on the stage as they had been rehearsing for months.

MC’s Kirandeep Kaur (New Jersey) and Jasline Kaur kicked off the function by emphasizing the importance of Vaisakhi. Harneet Kaur told the story of Vaisakhi; how the Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh ji created Khalsa (a pure person) to eliminate differences of cast and religion - to recognize the human race as one. Vaisakhi is Punjab’s harvest festival, a time when the golden sunshine ripens the wheat crop. This sight makes every Punjabi farmer's heart pound with joy and once his crop has been harvested and sold he makes plans to celebrate. Amandeep Singh recited the poem on Vaisakhi written by famous Punjabi poet Dhani Ram Chatrik - Maarda damaame jatt mele aa gya. Harman Deep Singh and Hardyal Singh sang religious songs accolading Guru Gobind Singh ji - how he initiated Singhs to form the Sikh Khalsa, who fought against injustice and didn't hesitate to sacrifice their lives for their country and beliefs.

Bhangra performances started with the little kids’ team called Chottai Patakai (Little Fire Crackers) - they danced to a classic Punjabi song 'Teri Kanak di Rakhi' by Md. Rafi and Shamshad Begum - it was an amazing performance that warmed everybody's heart. Sahib Singh, who came from New Jersey gave a dashing solo Bhangra performance. Harman Deep Singh sang a popular Punjabi song 'Angreji beat te', which everybody enjoyed. Amitoj and Amrose (from NJ) performed heart throbbing traditional Bhangra. It was then the turn of the young boys team - Nachde Sher Gabhru (Dancing Young Lions), who performed an awesome heart pumping Bhangra routine to a medley of Punjabi Songs. Preetpal Singh’s comedy skit about an old Punjabi Taxi driver in India with no concept about left or right hand driving, as he is used to driving in the middle of the road had the audiences giggling! Punjabi Phuljharia (Sparkles), the young girls Bhangra team gave a sparkling performance! Manveen, Kamal and Shally Kaur performed a funny skit about life in Punjab and America! Bhangra Diamonds the teenage girls's Bhangra team performed with great zeal and ardor that enthralled the audience! Parmjit, Kirandeep and Gurpreet Kaur sang a few Punjabi folk songs and quizzed the audience about the meaning of Punjabi words in the song! Manveen and Navjot Kaur gave a mesmerizing performance of an old Punjabi folk dance - Sammi, which originates from the tribal communities of Punjab. Kaurageous (a pun on Kaur + Courageous) really performed some courageous Bhangra and gymnastic moves. East Coast Bhangra Crew, the Guys Bhangra team took the event to the next level with their exciting performance. The grand finale was a graceful and elegant Giddha performance by 17 ladies. Giddha a women's folk dance is as energizing as Bhangra. This performance was a true showcase of Punjabi culture showing some traditional embroidery (Phulkari), Fans (Pakhiyan) and (Kahda) decorated pitchers etc.

Dinner was served alongside the freshest Jalebi's as dessert. Then everybody showed off their own Bhangra moves with pumped-up Punjabi music from DJ Silk Events (Rishi and Sakhshi). A huge thanks to the main organizers: Gurdip Singh, Gurpreet Kaur, friends from NJ and Bhangra Moms. Coaches: Kanwaljit, Shimpy, Jaswinder, Sonia, Simran Kaur, Simran Rekhi and Harpreet Singh), Sponsors: Zaarit, Hema Iyenger, DJ Silk Events, Amandeep Kandola, Oxford Dental, GK Dental, Perfect Dental, Manni Singh and Andy’s Market, Taunton, Magic Touch Salon, Lowell. Restaurants - Rasoi,Framingham; Soul of India, Sudbury; Curry House, Franklin, Golden Swan, Falmouth; Bollywood Grill, Shrewsbury & Andover, Bollywood Delights, Bombay Tandoor Grill, Fitchburg, Welcome India, Framingham, India Delight, Weymouth and Hardyal Singh and Malkit Singh Gill for coordinating the delicious food and gift certificates!

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