Rajput Association of America Celebrated Diwali (2012)
At Tandoor Restaurant (Cuisine of India)
By: Kewal Kanda/Monica Verma
Orange, CA
November 10, 2012
On November 10, 2012 the Rajput Association of America (RAOA) celebrated its annual festival of lights (Diwali) with family and friends of the association at Tandoor Restaurant (Cuisine of India) in City of Orange, CA. RAOA has been celebrating Diwali for the last 28 years
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The evening began with a traditional puja by Mr. Karam Chand Sehdev. The President Mr. Dharminder Dhunna opened the festivities by thanking the members for their participation and wishing them Happy Diwali. He then handed the reins for the night to the masters of ceremonies, Monica Verma and Jyoti Rajput who kicked off the night by alluring the audience with their humorous jokes and tantalizing them by volunteering them in joining in on some fun and exciting games. The crowd cheered on their buddies as some hubbies were tasked to tie saris on the wives. After so many years of marriage it is amazing how some hubbies have got the perfection of tying a sari down to a T, where as others had no clue what was going on. Later that evening the roles got reversed and the wives had to tie turbans on the hubbies and to determine which wife tied the turban the best, the hubbies were asked to dance to the tunes of Bhangra until their turbans got loose and fell around their necks. The MC’s delighted our younger generation by educating them on how and why we celebrate Diwali. Through the night they were engaged in passing the Diya (earthen lamp) while learning how to design Rangolis, a traditional multi-colored drawing donned on floor especially for Diwali in many homes. Coloring books and cards were also provided to the children to draw or make something related to Diwali by using their imagination. The president Mr. Dharminder Dhunna recognized his board with certificates of appreciation. Mr. Yash Pall Singh recognized the children for their academic excellence with certificates and cash awards. President Dharminder in turn recognized and thanked Mr. Yash Pall Singh for his generosity.
Mr. Baljinder Tahim was felicitated for being elected president of Federation of Indo-American Associations of So Cal (FIA-SC) and was honored with bouquet of flowers by RAOA trustee Mr. Pardeep Sehdev. Mr. Tahim is the third member of this association to become president of FIA-SC. Mr. Rajinder Dhunna and Mr. Rajesh Dhunna honored Mr. Kewal Kanda, also the senior trustee for RAOA, for his dedicated services to the association and the community. The evening concluded with dinner, dancing and loads of fun.
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