Kem Chho, Chel Chabilo Gujarati, Kasumbi No Raang, Tari aankh no afini, the famous theplas, shrikhand – all things that are associated with Gujarati’s came alive at the three-day Chalo Gujarat World Conference at the Raritan Expo Center here in New Jersey.
As many as 25,000 Gujaratis from all over the world participated in the event which was inaugurated by Morari Bapu andParimal Nathwani, group president of Reliance Industries and Rajya Sabha MP.
The rickshaws and chakdas from Ahmedabad and Rajkot were not only the centre of attraction but people also enjoyed a ride on these vehicles and recalled their days in Gujarat. The “pols” of Ahmedabad that were meant to showcase the life inside the ancient walled city consisted of just some old stairs, vintage doors brought from Gujarat and attached to the walls to give an impression of a “pol” and some streets named after them.
Blind Peoples’ Association kids got hefty donation after dance performance at this biggest world Gujarati conference (WGC). David Joshi, Bhavna, Chirag, Sunil, Komal and Priyanka – 18-year-old students from Blind People’s Association- made it big at the biggest world Gujarati conference Chaalo Gujarat at New Jersey. They shared the 150-feet wide stage with peoplelikePrachiDesai,MorariBapu,Parthiv Gohil, Jay Vasavda, Shyamal-Saumil, Aarti Munshi, Soli Kapadia, Sanjay and Parth Oza. Their exquisite performance was one of the few items which was re-performed on public demand during this three-day eventful conference.
This was the same dais laid down at Raritan Expo Centre, New Jersey on which Gujarati-origin astronaut Sunita Williams interacted with the gathering by video broadcast from the space saying “Kem Cho?”. Bhushan Punani, executive director of BPA, said, “Every single viewer from audience of more than 15,000 stood up and clapped after the students finished their dance performance on Ganesh Stuti, Dharampuri tribal dance and Halardu. Their items were re-played and earned a donation of $ 30,000.”
This group of twelve students was practising for the last two months. Their spectacular performance touched the heart of every single soul who saw them performing Adivasi Nrutya. The dance performance by girls from Manthan, the rehabilitation centre for handicapped girls, was impressive. “Raas Garba by the them touched the audience,” said Kunani.
There was a touching moment when a video clip of poet late Suresh Dalal was shown and a two minute silence was observed. The Gujarati Kavi Sammelan featured prominent poets like Pritam Lakhlani,MukeshJoshi,Krushna Dave, Saumya Joshi, Harsh Brahmbhatt, Anil Joshi, Chandrakant, Rais Maniar and Rajesh Vyas.
