Indian Culture Fest with Youth Competitions and Sri Jagannath Chariot

PEARLAND – The second annual Puranava INDIA Culture Fest with Youth Cultural Competitions and a highlight Sri Jagannath Chariot Parade (Rath Yatra) will be held at the Pearland Town Center Pavilion on Saturday, March 23. The free event, organized by Global Organization for Divinity, will commemorate Houston Namadwaar’s 9th anniversary and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s jayanthi.

The Honorable Mayors of both Pearland and Manvel, Mayor Tom Reid and Mayor Debra Davison, will attend the event. This project is also supported by a City of Pearland Cultural Arts Grant program from the City of Pearland Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The culture fest – which will begin from 4 pm onwards – will be an opportunity for families to enjoy and appreciate India’s unique regional diversity. There will be cultural exhibits from different Indian states and also regional music, dance and folk performances, both on stage and during the Chariot Parade, showcasing various cultures within India – including the Assamese Bihu dance, Mohiniyattam dance and Chenda Melam percussion from Kerala, classical Odissi from Orissa, and classical and folk performances from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Sreepadam School of Arts, Kalaangan the Odissi School of Dance and Sunanda’s Performing Arts Center will also present thematic presentations.

The traditional chariot (Rath) of Sri Jagannatha will be pulled around the Pearland Town Center Pavilion in a gesture of universal harmony, amid kirtan, dance and regional arts performances.
Children of the Gopa Kuteeram Youth Program will present a Song of Unity in 16 different world languages to commence the Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra is co-hosted by the Universal Shraddha Foundation.

The festival will also feature Indian food booths and a bazaar with saris and Indian-wear, jewelry, artwork, Indian garden plants, books, and more, and also kids’ activities.

Earlier in the day, from 9 am onwards, competitions will be conducted for all ages of children/youth in Art, Chess, Indian classical music, Indian classical dance, and a unique ‘Heritage Vocabulary Bee’, at the same venue. These competitions are open to participants of all cultural backgrounds. To see competition guidelines and register, go to www.puranava-usa.org.

This event is also a commemoration of the 9th anniversary of Namadwaar Prayer House located in the Pearland/Manvel area. This anniversary celebration includes annually supporting various local service organizations by providing necessary supplies.

This year the organizations being supported are Alvin ISD’s Youth Empowerment Team and Manvel Community Outreach pantry. Supplies donations of new board games/youth activity kits and non-perishable/canned foods will be accepted at Namadwaar Prayer House located at 3642 Bailey Ave, Manvel TX 77578 any time until March 22 or at the Puranava Culture Fest event on March 23.

The Puranava INDIA Culture Fest is organized by Global Organization for Divinity, in collaboration with Love to Share Foundation America. The chariot parade is co-hosted by the Universal Shraddha Foundation.