Indians Celebrate 9th Hamara Desi Christmas
HOUSTON: Houston’s one and only Indian Christmas celebration was hosted last Saturday, the December 17, at the Stafford Civic Center. As always the auditorium was packed and the audiences were treated to an awe inspiring program by the Houston Indian Fellowship.
The Houston Indian Fellowship (HIF), a group of Indians from across the metropolitan Houston area, conducts an annual Christmas Celebration to share with joy and cheer the true meaning of Christmas to Houstonians from different walks of faith, religion, and social status. In addition to the Christmas event HIF conducts events such as dance competitions and painting competitions in order to bring the community together for a time of fun. They also provide free health care for the needy.
The admission for the event was free, and it was followed by complimentary dinner for all the attendees. The dinner was catered by the acclaimed Annam Indian Cuisine.
HIF, by hosting events like these, strives to bring Christmas cheer to people from different faiths and regions of India.
The Consul General of India, Houston, Anupam Ray graced the occasion as the Chief guest of the event. His simple speech with the underlying message of uniting people of different beliefs and faith through Christmas was astounding!
The boisterous MCs Chrisie and Anisha hosted this year’s event with elegance. They were engaging, entertaining, and kept the audience feeling at home.
This year’s celebration included a variety of dances from different parts of India, all presented professionally to an awe inspiring audience. A shadow play was also presented retelling the birth of Jesus, and His life depicting the true meaning of Christmas.
The stage was overflowing with vibrant colors as costumes from different parts of India were used for the variety of dances enriching and bringing to life our very own culture several thousand miles away.
The audience was speechless, and they were glued to their seats as HIF performed these programs.
Prahalad James, a member of Grace Community Church awarded the winners of the painting competition. Tablets were given to the first prize winners in each category and the second prize winners were given a gift card.
Finally, students from the University of Houston performed the famous Christmas number, Jingle Bell Rock, as others in the audience joined Santa and the HIF team in wishing everyone a merry Christmas.
The audience was raving about the event. “Wow! This is the best organized Desi event I have been to in the Houston area! Well organized and well catered event. The programs were crisp, clear and professional.”
Reuben Joseph, one of the coordinators of the event said “We thoroughly enjoyed participating in the event this year. It’s a joy to practice hard and see that people savor and enjoy the fruit of our labor.”
Deepak Israel, a member of HIF proudly stated, “This event brings an opportunity to bring our own south Asian culture to be enjoyed thousands of miles away here in Houston. More importantly it is a free event accessible for everyone so we can all share the Christmas spirit with joy!” He said to “Expect a much more culturally diverse and bigger event next year!”
Dr. Robello Samuel, integral member of HIF, said “Seeing the spirit of Christmas freely shared with everyone gives me great satisfaction as that is the whole idea behind the celebration!”
The sponsors for this event were Red Oaks Hospital, Annam Indian Cuisine, Confidant Realty and other individuals. The University of Houston students along with other families and friends helped behind the scenes – all of which helped make this celebration a memorable one.
Houston Indian Fellowship would also like to invite anyone interested in performing or helping at the 10th annual Hamara Desi Christmas event scheduled for the 16th of December 2017 to please contact Dr. Robello Samuel at 832-275-8810 or Deepak Israel at 832-419-0967 or via email to info@hamaradesichristmas.org. You may also visit them at www.hamaradesichristmas.org