The 70th-anniversary celebrations of Indian Independence Day
across the globe are already in the history books now. As usual, Indians in the
United States
have celebrated India’s
achievement of freedom from British colonialism with enthusiasm and vigor across
the land.
The first India Day Parade was held in New
York City under the banner of the Federation of Indian
Associations of NY, NJ and CT in 1981. It was relatively a small event where
the local politicians or media paid very little attention. The parade continues to date with much more fanfare,
floats and celebrity participation.
However, as the community started to grow, we have witnessed
a decentralization of these celebrations to other parts of the tri-sate and
beyond. Edison, New Jersey,
home to a large segment of the population organized their parades often in
competition with one another.
As the city dwellers started moving eastward, Hicksville,
Long Island became another hub of activity for the
community as new shops, and restaurants opened on the Route 106/107 corridor.
The community in Long Island in 2012 decided to hold
their parade on Broadway in Hicksville.
None of us may forget the yearly celebrations the Jackson
Heights Merchants Association organized at the cross section of 74th
Street and 37th Ave
in Jackson Heights
which attracted high officials to pay tribute to India
and the growing Indian American community in Queens.
Queens has one of the largest concentrations of
Indian-Americans than any other place in the country. Since New
York was the gateway for early immigrants, Queens
also became home to many of those early immigrant settlers. The District 23 of
the New York city council
comprises of those townships of Floral Park, Bellerose
and Queen Village
where most of the community reside.
In the last election, a South Asian could have easily won
the election from that district if there was unity among its rank. The
Democratic machine politics in Queens knew too well how
to divide the South Asian votes to elect one of their own hand-picked
candidates, and they have already succeeded twice.
Therefore, when Floral Park-Bellerose Merchants Association
decided to hold an India Day parade in Queens, many
people saw it as an opportunity to make a statement that ‘we, Indians are here
and want to be counted.'
Thus the India Day Parade was held on August 13, on Hillside
Ave from 262 Street to 235 St, a mile, and a half,
that ended up on the playground near YMCA where the entertainment programs were
staged.
It was the first India Day Parade in Queens
and the Second such Parade ever held anywhere in the City. There was a great
crowd despite the scorching heat marched the entire length of the parade route.
One thing that was noteworthy about this parade was that it
brought out a large number of Keralites who marched behind so many of their
banners ranging from cultural to religiously affiliated organizations. They
included FOKANA (Federation of Kerala Associations of North America), FOMAA
(Federation of Malayalee Associations of Americas), Indian Nurses Association,
Kerala Cultural Association, Kerala Samajam of Greater New York, Orthodox
Church, United Prayer Fellowship and so forth….
People in large numbers lined up on both sides of the
streets waving flags of India
and the United States
and often shouting loud ‘Bharat Mata ki jai.’ Many from the Indian-owned
stores that mostly occupy both sides of the Hillside
Ave on the parade route cheered loudly voicing
their approval for this unique gathering that brought out the community in
force.
It is widely known that few Keralites, though they
constitute the second largest regional group, participate in the India Day
Parade in Manhattan. Some
explanations are offered for such a lack of interest and the prominent one
among them is that Manhattan Parade has always been held on a Sunday when many
in the community are attending Church services.
Another plausible explanation is that India Day Parade in Manhattan
is perceived as a ‘Gujarati’ affair where a few people control the program
without any deference to regional representations, democratic governance or
financial transparency. Some of the Community leaders recollect well, how many
of the South Indian organizations were kicked out from FIA
for the purpose of wresting control away from a representative governance.
Today, some in the leadership openly boast about their money power and dismiss
any criticism emanating from any quarters.
Some people are wondering as well how the Consul General of
India continues to cooperate with a group under the banner of the ‘Federation
of Indian Associations’ where there is hardly any participation from Keralites,
Punjabis or Telugu folks, all put together, might constitute a majority in the
Tri-state area.
Congratulations are to those leaders, Subash Kapadia, Kripal
Singh, Hemant Shah, V.M. Chacko and Koshy Oommen, for a great show
in Queens that injected a new level of enthusiasm and
energy to the hearts of many who felt all along that they were left out of the
main event.
see also:
India Day Parade on Manhattan: a boring, outdated show
http://www.dlatimes.com/article.php?id=65936