The Indian Americans for Burlington (IAB) has received the approval from the town to have a tree lighting ceremony for Diwali in the Burlington Commons. A historical first, this event will be held on October 15, 2017 at the Town Commons. The Commons will remain lit for two weeks during Diwali.
“It is so exciting to get this approval,†said Menka Jethra, President of IAB. “We are excited to have this opportunity to share our culture with the community.†The IAB team worked diligently to put a proposal together and get the approval of the town.
“Burlington has a significant Indian population. I felt that instituting a Tree Lighting ceremony in the Commons for Diwali was a great way for us to share our culture with the community. I worked with IAB to put a proposal together for the event and was so pleased to see it get approved,†says Ranjani Saigal who initiated this effort.
The town selectmen were very supportive of the proposals. Indra Deb, an IAB committee member works closely with the town and has brought the selectman to Diwali parties organized by IAB. “We thoroughly enjoyed the party and look forward to partaking in the upcoming event,†said the selectmen.
“The Indian American children in Burlington will be thrilled to see Diwali celebrated in this way,†said Gini Pookotil, who is the secretary of IAB.
Other members of the executive committee including Shital Bammar, Anil Saigal, Ram Satyaprasad, Dinesh Tanna and Ram Voruganti, and founding members Sutanuka Basu, Tikam Matai, Geeta Pandit and Sarita Hegde are very excited about the event and are gearing up to make it a grand success.
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