Hoosier Sikhs in Nationalities Council of Indiana Parade Unit

Sikh American participants

By Kanwal Prakash Singh

 INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 29

True to its mission “to advocate, celebrate the spirit, heritage, and legacy” that “showcases the city and state’s cultural, educational, and social benefits to the world” the 2013 IPL 500-Festival Parade was another spectacular affair organized by the 500-Festival Associates.  In its 56^th year, the Parade, as a warm-up to the 97^th “greatest spectacle in racing, the annual 500-Mile Race,” with its theme of “Turbo Charging Indy” lived up its being “one of the signature events held in the USA.”  The 33-race drivers, dozens of celebrities, marching bands, colorful floats, dances, and giant helium character-balloons delighted the over 300,000 enthusiastic spectators along the 2.4 mile Parade route through Downtown Indianapolis.  The Parade is televised locally on WISH TV8 and nationally on NBC Sports Network.

 NATIONALITIES IN FESTIVAL PARADE

Joining the Parade again this year were representatives of different ethnic and cultural groups as a part of the Nationalities Council of Indiana (NCI) Parade Unit adding to the colorful pageantry and international spirit the Festival Parade.  Led by two colorful Chinese Dragons and Lions and flags of nations, the NCI Parade Unit of over 150 people included representatives from China, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Norway, Liberia, Lithuania, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Turkey, Mexico, Peru, and USA in their colorful and unique native dresses.  Thirteen members of the Indiana Sikh American community brought their cultural pride in festive Punjabi dresses, silk brocaded kurtas and achkans (long traditional outfits), and majestic Sikh pink and red turbans topped with ceremonial plumes.

 AMAZING SPIRIT ON PARADE

The month of May is a special time in Indiana with the Mini-Marathon, the 500-Festival Parade, the 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Memorial Day commemorations, and dozens of major festivities, family gatherings, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the USA and from around the world.  The 500-Festival Parade is a favorite with all ages who faithfully line the streets along the Parade Route in Downtown Indianapolis and get fully engaged with their friendly greetings, excitement, spontaneous thunderous applause, and digital cameras.  For the Parade participants, this enthusiasm is contagious and a welcome uplifting interruption and invites robust responses as they hurry past.

 It is all understandable: where else you can see the favorite drivers, television personalities, Olympic gymnasts, motor cycles, accomplished horse riders, beautiful bands, giant American flag, buntings and banners, fabulous costumes, high-stepping dancers, colorful floats, and massive character-balloons all in one place.  For this multi-generational, multi-cultural crowd, the Parade is an amazing sensual feast for the eyes, ears, heart, and the Hoosier pride, especially when the sky is blue and the temperature an unusually cool 70 F for this late in May in Indiana.

PRIDE, PRIVILEGE, AND FUN

Mayor Greg Ballard with Parade participants

For the nationality and ethnic groups, being part of such a wonderful event as the IPL 500-Festival Parade, one of the premier national parades in the U.S., is a lot of fun and matter of great pride.  This is a fantastic example of mainstreaming of our growing cultural capital and an exciting way of introducing and integrating recent immigrant communities into the cultural and spiritual fabric of Indiana in such a high-visibility event.  We applaud the 500-Festival for their initiative to showcase this special dimension and multicultural population of our State for our fellow Americans and the world to see and know about the distinct cultural groups in their midst.  Perhaps by the time of Indiana’s Bicentennial celebrations in 2016, we can imagine a NCI international float and the nationality groups walking or dancing beside it. 

 For the moment, let us relive the pageantry of the NCI Parade Unit in a few captured images where we met and made new friends.  The photographic images reveal another delightful facet of the Parade day, the ethnic groups getting ready on a side street before we joined the big dance.  For us, being a part of the 500-Festival Parade was a proud and memorable experience.