Lokvani wishes all its readers a very Happy Holi Festival!

Congratulations to Massachusetts residents Reshma Kewalramani (Time Women of the Year), and Sangeeta Bhatia and Aman Narang (Forbes' America’s Greatest Innovators). [more]

The 17th annual South Asian Showdown Competition will take place on Saturday, February 28th, 2026 at the world renowned Strand Theatre. [more]

by Jaya Asthana
Holi is a social festival. It is a festival of colors. Young and old, men and women all participate in this festival with remarkable energy and gusto. It is a national festival in which people from various regions and all segments of the society join the celebrations with fervor. In the southern part of the country it takes the form of "Kama" festival in honor of the God Kamadeva. [more]

India Conference at Harvard 2025 on Feb. 14-15, 2026 was a huge success. It was a sold-out event with over 1000 attendees. In its 23rd year of operation, the Co-Chairs of the conference were Ritul Madhukar, Arundhati Prasad, Narayani S.A., Sraaavani Royyuru and Satya Krishnan, The theme of the conference was 'The India We Imagine' and featured Priyanka Chopra, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Sid Sriram and Ananya Birla. [more]

by Akash Deep
A gharana is a way of thinking about music. It is a tradition shaped by generations of teachers, students, and shared musical values. At the 2026 LearnQuest Music Festival, four Hindustani vocalists—Gautam Kale, Piu Mukherjee, Dhananjay Hegde, and Bhuvanesh Mukul Komkali—represent four distinct musical lineages, each with its own personality. [more]

Kavita Krishnamurthy & Dr. L Subramaniam will be performing at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium on March 29, 2026. Buy tickets now! [more]

South Asian Showdown selects Ten Finalists to compete in the 17th Annual Bollywood/Fusion Competition: Cornell Sitara, DFD Academy, JHU Zinda, Maryland Dhoom, MIT Mirchi, Nova Nassa, Queen City Ishaare, TAMU Maaya, UC Dhadak, and UMass Dhadak. [more]

Shani Pradosham and Sri Natarajar Abhishekam at Sri Lakshmi Temple. [more]

Holika Dahan, Pradosham, Samuhika Sri Sai Vrat Katha and Sankashta Hara Chaturthi at NESSP. [more]

You are invited to Newton Holi and International Women's Day, a combined celebration on Sunday, March 8th from 12:00–1:00 PM in the War Memorial at Newton City Hall. [more]

by Suman Adisesh
As the New Year dawns, with the blessings of the Almighty and our revered gurus, we present "Natya Samaagam" a festival for the artists curated by artists Sangeetha Prasanna and Suman Adisesh featuring 10 creative works (solo and group) from March 13–15, 2026, at the Plaza Blackbox Theater, Boston, MA. [more]

UIANE will celebrate Holi on March 15th at Shivalaya Temple, Medford, MA. [more]

Two Lexington moms, Mary Ross (singer-songwriter) and Jayshree Bala Rajamani (dancer, artist, choreographer and founder of the Bharathakalai School of Dance) have combined efforts with poet laureate Regie O'Hare Gibson to bring you 'LOVE NOW: A celebration of our common humanity!' on March 22nd in Lexington, MA. [more]

After celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025 with a grand event, Shadaj is gearing up for the next music festival on March 28, 2026, at the Lexington High School auditorium. [more]

18th LearnQuest Music Festival will be held from April 3rd - 5th in Cambridge and Weston, MA featuring renowned Carnatic and Hindustani artists. [more]

Registration for Vivekananda Family Camp 2026 from 8/16/26-8/22/26 in Dublin, NH (lovely and beautiful Monadnock Region of New Hampshire, right on the border of MA and NH) is now open. [more]

Brahma Kumaris will be offering Raja Yoga Meditation Course, Heart to Heart-Invest in Yourself, Inner Power-Building Resilience Within and World Peace Meditation Hour during the month of March. [more]

Sahana Miduturu, a student of the esteemed Guru Smt. Tara Bangalore, presented her Carnatic music arangetram at Regis College on August 10, 2025. This was a delightful concert that showcased a fine blend of aesthetics, sensitivity, and technical fundamentals—qualities that Sahana has clearly imbibed from her revered guru, Smt. Tara Bangalore. [more]

Kunal Botla, a lifelong Lexington resident,a Tufts student studying architecture and urban planning, already serving the town through Town Meeting and as Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee. He is now running for the Lexington Planning Board. He talked to Lokvani about his motivation to run for office and his accomplishments to date in his current position. [more]

Do you typically claim the standard deduction on your federal taxes? You're in luck. Beginning in tax year 2026, there's a new deduction you could take. The non-itemizer charitable deduction is available for all taxpayers claiming the standard deduction, worth up to $1,000 ($2,000 for joint filers). [more]

Here are two problems for one and all! [more]

Why was the AI bad at stand-up comedy? Because its jokes were too predictable! [more]

When boughs bent for nature! [more]

When there is oppression, the only self-respecting thing is to rise and say this shall cease today, because my right is justice. If you are stronger, you have to help the weaker boy or girl both in play and in the work. [more]