On June 13th, the Indian Youth Group (IYG) held its very first virtual Election! Despite the pandemic, IYG worked diligently to hold a safe and fair election. We are very proud to announce the newly elected IYG 2020-2021 Executive Committee:

• President: Divya Raghunathan
• Vice President: Gaurav Jaisingh
• Co-Secretaries: Aryan Kale & Rishabh Makkar
• Treasurer: Rishab Parikh
• Project Manager: Arnav Mishra

Top Row: Advisors Mitali Biswas and Shubh Agrawal, Outgoing President Raunit Kohli. Second Row: Outgoing Treasurer Avi Shah, Vice-President Gaurav Jaisingh, Outgoing Secretary Anjali Tanna. Third Row: Project Manager Arnav Mishra, Treasurer Rishab Parikh, President Divya Raghunathan. Third Row: Co-Secretaries Rishabh Makkar and Aryan Kale

ISW loves to say that we are the future of our community. I can say with full confidence that they are correct. Our members have proven themselves to be leaders in their community, providing hundreds of hours of service to people all around the Central Mass area. I have no doubt that our new EC will run this organization flawlessly. I am excited to see how they adapt to our new environment and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

In my six years of IYG, I have grown tremendously and made life-long friends. From Lazer-Craze to Showcase India, IYG has been like my family. I would like to thank all the IYG advisors who have helped grow this organization to nearly three times the size of when I first joined: Tikoo Aunty, Poonam Aunty, Rajit Uncle, Mitali, and Shubh. I would also like to thank the ISW EC for being so supportive of us and being a guide for our success. Thanks also to every member of IYG, including all of those members in the class of 2020: we will be remembered as not only the quarantined class, but also the largest number of IYG members in a single class to date.

I am honored to have been a part of this incredible organization, rising the ranks from member to President. As I step into the next stage of my life (on the other side of the country), I will carry with me the innumerable skills IYG has given me. The India Center will always be my home and I am thankful to be a part of this incredible community!

Raunit Kohli
Outgoing IYG President

An Update From IYG

As we enter June and our 4th month in this pandemic, IYG is reminded of the many events we missed out on. During this time, IYG would have participated in the Boston Walk for Hunger and celebrated Holi with our Humrahi Group. Most importantly, IYG would’ve run our 2020 presentation of Showcase India! To be candid, the COVID-induced shock has been a bit harsh on our flagship event. After months of preparation- gathering choreographer information, mp3 files, making programs, and booking venues- it was admittedly quite disheartening for the IYG Executive Committee and members alike. Showcase India represents much more than just a show. It’s a symbol of community, of unity, of hard work and mostly, of ambition. However, we have learned to take this misfortune and learn from it. We have learned to realize that success did not lie in the event itself, but rather in the skills that our group has learned while working on it. We’ve been able to develop a positive outlook and learned to focus on the “journey” rather than the destination, as the journey holds more value.

Luckily, IYG has made sure that Covid-19 has not stopped its growth. We are excited to be holding our executive board elections at our virtual June meeting on Zoom. We look forward to seeing what our new EC will be doing! We also have a record number of seniors in IYG who have now graduated and are preparing for the next chapter in their lives!

For our members that aren’t graduating, the struggle has been equally challenging. The switch to online learning has been difficult. Every student has a different learning style- which can be targeted with various in classroom techniques. However, with this sudden switch to a single technique, teachers are forced to think outside the box with different ways to cater to each individual student on an online platform. IYG recognizes this struggle and would love to express their gratitude to all teachers in these trying times. For the students themselves? We all find it imperative to realize that these times are hard, and it truly is okay not to be okay. Prioritize your mental and physical health. Getting an English paper in 2 days late is worth saving yourself from having a panic attack. Several schools have opted to go Pass/Fail for this year’s second semester, allowing a lot more lenience on the student’s part. Take care of yourself. Sacrificing your health is not worth a good grade.

In these hard times it’s so important for our community to stick together. On behalf of IYG, we wish you all the best, and to stay healthy and happy.