Pol, rudramal gates recreated at the conference venue
Parthiv Patel and Abhishek Jain (director of “Kevi Rite Jaish”) were driven in autorickshaw to the Raritan Expo Centre in New Jersey which is this year’s conference venue for the biggest World Gujarati Conference (WGC) ‘Chaalo Gujarat’. The event began on Friday August 31.
Seven chhakdas and autorickshaws have been specially painted and imported to drive the attendees to the venue. “Second-generation Gujarati-origin Indian-Americans have no idea what pols are, or how it feels to ride in a chakkada or a rickshaw,” says Association of Indian Americans in North America (AIANA) president Sunil Nayak. “To give them a feel of these elements which are inseparable from Gujarat, we have set up unique ambiance at the conference venue.”
Visitors are being taken from the parking place to the conference space in these vehicles. “Visitors pass a 25 ft high charkho before they reach the 30 ft high Sidhpur rudramal gates at the entry to the conference venue,” says Maulik Bhatt from team AIANA. “Venue is set up to match the interiors of pol structures. The main hall has 7 LED screen and seating arrangements for 10,000 people.”
The major attraction of the first day is a multi-media show on Soneru Surat, Khamirvantu Kheda and Vaibhavi Vadodara.
On the second day, Sharman Joshi and Prachi Desai are to perform. Apart from that, a kavi sammalan of Gujarati poets will be the major event of the concluding day.
