By India New England News -September 29, 2023

India Society of Worcester will be awarded the prestigious New England Choice Awards this year on Oct. 29, 2023, at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA, INE MultiMedia, a non-profit organization that promotes art, culture, education and empowerment, announced on Monday. Read the announcement here

Promotional Video

About ISW - INE Writes : 

With 2,500 Paid Members and an India Center Building Under its Belt, ISW Celebrates 60 Years

WORCESTER, MA–The India Society of Worcester, known as the ISW, is one of New England’s most vibrant Indian associations. It is primarily a cultural, social, educational, and charitable organization. Moreover, no Indian-American community organization has 2,500 paid members in New England, and probably in the entire country.

Also, ISW has built a 10,000-Square-foot India Center, a dream of most Indian community organizations in the United States. On Oct. 29, ISW will be honored with the Community Organization award at the annual New England Choice Awards gala at Burlington Marriott.

In an exclusive video interview with INDIA New England News, ISW President Puneet Kohli talks about ISW’s 60-year journey and what awaits during the next 60 years and beyond. To watch the full interview, please click here.

The ISW’s purpose is to encourage people with ancestral origin in India or people who are otherwise interested in India, to form an effective and cohesive group with the objective of retaining, facilitating, and fostering the cultural heritage of India; including ethnic arts, languages and religions of its people. The society adds to the richness of the cultural diversity of the region and is a window into the cultural heritage of India for the local community. The ISW is non-political and non-sectarian. It does not subscribe to any one religion and does not discriminate against any person because of his or her religious beliefs or ethnic background.

The ISW is run entirely by volunteers with patronage from its growing membership representing all regions of India.  Since its establishment in 1963, the ISW has become a conduit of Indian culture for young Indians born in the U.S.A., as well as the local communities in the region.  It is an outlet where the young and the old are able to showcase their cultural talents. The ISW also collaborates with other Indian organizations in the region and acts as an advocate for many global and community causes. The multidimensional nature of the ISW has drawn local city and state authorities, as well as businesses to the society. Today, the ISW is one of the most renowned organizations representing the Indian Community.

History

1963 – ISW was established

1987 : New constitution established and  ISW started creating new programs by bringing renowned artists to the Worcester area.

1963 – 1991 – Initial days of ISW as the organization which was founded by Mr Shyam Sharma evolved into a vibrant organization which started thinking about a community center.

1991 : In November of 1991, ISW acquired a 5-acre lot with existing buildings in a prime location in Shrewsbury, near Worcester.

1992-2004 – Seeding our roots by buying a 5-acre lot in Shresbury in 1991 and starting to envision a community center. Which was built and inaugurated in 2004.

2004 – 2022 – Growing the community and beyond. As the Indian community grew in multiples so did the activities of ISW. We launched our ISW2020 vision which resulted in 10 key initiatives and finally getting to expanding our center.

“We kicked off ISW 2025 which focused on 4 new initiatives – ISWSymphony, ISWUniversity, ISWPen, ISW WeW – these are focused on arts and music, expanded learnings like 3D printing, robotics, SAT classes etc.,” says Mr. Kohli. “Entrepreneur and Professional network and Women Empowering Women. We have been running close to 80+ events each year for the past 2 years around all the activities and initiatives I mentioned above. The focus now is to grow th reach to larger metrowest areas and bring other community organizations along with us. We currently serve over 4,000 people through our newsletter.”

The organization has about 200 active volunteers.

ISW is celebrating its annual Diwali Cultural program.

Please save the date, November 18th, 2023 

St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 30 Anna St. Worcester - MA

Register for tickets here

ISW Durga Puja 2023  Five days of celebrations

Scroll down and click on the PUJA  you wish to attend

Since there are multiple days/events, a separate registration is requested  for each day.  It will help us in setting up. Thanks

•  Friday Puja October 20th, 2023  6 pm-9 pm
•  Doors are open for worshippers.
• Devotional Songs by Raganjali School of Music and Mrs. Swati Panda.

• Saturday Puja  October 21st, 2023 12.30 pm-2 pm 
• Doors are open for worshippers

• Saturday Berklee School of Music October 21st 2023  6 pm-9 pm
• Evening aarti cultural program followed by dinner
• Dinner contribution  $15 per person

• Sunday October 22nd, 2023 12.30 pm-2 pm
• Doors are open for worshippers

• Sunday Philomela Live October 22nd 2023 6 pm-9 pm
• Evening aarti Cultural program followed by dinner
• Dinner contribution  $15 per person

• Monday October 23rd, 2023 11.30 am- 2 pm
•  Doors are open for worshippers

• Monday October 23rd, 2023 6 pm - 8 pm
• Doors are open for worshippers

• Tuesday Sindoor Khela October 24th, 2023 11.30 am- 2 pm
• Sindoor Khela &  Visarjan

We held our Ganpati Special 3D printing classes last weekend.

Thanks to everyone who joined to build some special projects in time for Ganpati.. Special thanks to returning student Yajas who also doubled as a Assistant Teacher !

Also -Special shout out to our youngest student yet - Jay - Age 6! 

We also conducted our annual Idol making workshop where budding artists of all ages built their own clay idols under the guidance of Shrikant and Sapna Savant. 

On Saturday, September 26. At our Humrahi gathering. We had few new members join us. Since our Humrahi gathering news is spreading more and more people come to our gathering. Activity wise we had two rounds of part 1 line dancing and then we had two rounds of the 2nd part of line dancing. Our Humrahi group are dancing like professionals now on line dancing.with the able guidance of Mr. Narayan Sharma.

Then we had a short break for our Chai. Coffee and Nastha.

After break our D.J . Mr Narayan Sharma started karaoke singing event .We had about 10 singers sing. We had a variety of songs. From  romantic, to emotional, to light classical to comedy songs. Mr Narayan Sharma manages the sequence in an orderly form.

Our next Humrahi gathering will be on October 26th

We won't be having our gathering in November and December due to Thanksgiving and Christmas. But we will have a gathering on Saturday December 2nd. The content of the program is a surprise. So keep this date free for yourself. Information will be sent soon on Humrahi group as soon as we formalize everything.

ISW Ganeshotsav 2023 - recap

On Sunday September 24th ISW's, Shrewsbury Ganeshotsav Mandal (SGM) team celebrated Ganesh Festival with lots of enthusiasm and vigor, for the twelfth year in a row. Despite the inconvenience of weather conditions the team still executed the event as planned and with a lot of zeal and "जोश" as always.

This year's festival at ISW had many significant highlights. Prior to the event, a ganesh idol making workshop was held where almost 25 to 30 participants learnt and made ganesh idols from clay. The 3D model generated ganesh idol was made especially for the event day pooja by volunteers of the SGM team. The theme of the event for this year was Social Media. So in conjunction with the theme, the team had made a beautiful backdrop of various social media platforms and today's ways of communication in picture form. The pictures were digitally drawn taking inspiration from famous Marathi artist/cartoonist Mr. S. D. Phadnis. He is known for his captionless and colorful cartoons, which mainly featured on magazine covers. As kids back home in India, we all grew up appreciating and enjoying his creations. Hence this decoration was our tribute to this great Marathi artist.

The event started with Ganapati procession (miravnook) in the premises of ISW and was followed by pooja and sacred hymns chanting (aarti). This year's pooja was performed by the parents of Mr. Ashish Cowlagi (past president of ISW). Scrumptious prasad (autnethis maharastrain modak delicacy and shira) was served. Promptly the entertainment program based on the same social media theme started and the hall was filled with claps and foot tappings. Live dances, skits and songs intertwined with reels on screen, showcased today's life, where social media is prevalent in our day to day. The intertwining was important to highlight the balance we all need to achieve, a key message of the program.

The third highlight of the event was the Dhol-Tasha. The team played the instruments (specially ordered from India) in a procession with many others dancing and rejoicing to the rhythm. The air was filled with energy and a lot of enthusiasm like the festival back in India. From old generation to young kids everyone was enjoying the music and participated in the celebration fever whole heartedly.

All in all it was a very colorful celebration with pooja, prasad, entertainment program, decorations and food, in the grandeur of the newly renovated India Center. Everyone who attended the program enjoyed it thoroughly.

The event ended with a delicious authentic dinner of Shrikhand poori, batata wada among other dishes. Volunteers and the SGM team planned the event for months and its fruitful completion left everyone satisfied and content.

SGM team

Spirit of Shrewsbury Talent Show, Float  & Parade Sept 23 & 24, 2023

Talent Show pictures

Float & Parade  Pictures

Celebration for 60 years of completion of ISW’s participation at spirit of Shrewsbury happened on 24th of September . The new team of Youth, Adult and Dancers participated with Dhol Tasha and lezim . Their energy and enthusiasm was out of mark and they were unstoppable in the inclement weather. The high energy and Spirit of the team to prepare themselves in the short span of time to participate in the town parade was incredible. I want to thank from my heart to all the volunteers who showed up early in the rainy morning to put their hands on deck and make the float look presentable at the parade . I want to finish by saying outstanding team work.
Thank You Anupama Deb Roy

‘We’re here rain or shine’: Spirit of Shrewsbury Parade marches on By Evan Walsh -September 24, 2023 Community Advocate

Consistent rain couldn’t stop the Spirit of Shrewsbury Parade on Sunday afternoon. Crowds of rain-soaked individuals from over 25 local organizations marched through the center of Shrewsbury. Despite the downpours, hearty townsfolk lined the streets to show their support.

This year, the India Society of Worcester designed the first-place float. The float included balloons to celebrate the society’s 60th anniversary, as well as miniature models of the organization’s new and old buildings.

“The cardboard – it’s all eco-friendly. I used cardboard, tape, no plastic. I made it part by part, it took me – to complete both the models – about three weeks. I built it, I painted it, and then I did the small doors,” said Anupama Debroy, who was instrumental in the float’s creation.

The India Society of Worcester’s float was at the front of the parade; the group danced and played music for the entire 1.1-mile parade route – all in the pouring rain. “I’m excited. Everyone is so enthusiastic – it’s raining, but everyone is dancing, everyone is doing their work. Everybody here is working hard to make it possible,” Debroy said.

Other local organizations made appearances, including Central One Federal Credit Union, Clinton Savings Bank, several Girl Scout troops, youth lacrosse organizations, and Saint John’s High School, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

The parade also featured local figures like Spirit of Shrewsbury Grand Marshal Missy Hollenback. Hollenback – per her request – drove in an electric vehicle throughout the parade.

The Shrewsbury High School Band also joined in the fun. With rain being blown in their faces, band members valiantly marched forward, playing upbeat music to energize the crowd.

“It’s really important [to be here]. The community is a big part of our program, and we feel like our participation plays an important role in the community’s events. We’re here rain or shine and we’re happy to be doing so,” said Band Director Caryn Wardwell.

ISW Garba is back October 13 & 14

• OCTOBER 13, 7 PM  ISW Garba JHANKAR LIVE SINGING

• OCTOBER 14, 7 PM ISW Garba Dhamaka with DJ Sidd

VENUE : ST GEORGE ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL,
30 ANNA ST, WORCESTER , MA
Become a ISW member

• Tickets for Family & Life Members : $10 per person, per day
• No combination tickets or early bird tickets
• only one time login is allowed for tickets, so buy your group ticket in one purchase, multiple logins with same email ids will not be allowed by system
• max 10 tickets per member, become a ISW member
• Will stop member sales at noon on day of event
• Non-payment within 15 mins will automatically cancel registration
• Non-members/ At the door : $20
• Please buy ticket for children 5 and over, and adults
• Children under 5 are free
• Dandiyas for purchase in cash $5 to $10
• Food, Jewelry/clothing & Diwali item vendors on site

Shrewsbury's Got Talent  September 23rd, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Oak Middle School, Shrewsbury

Once again, ISW will be hosting the annual Shrewsbury's Got Talent competition as part of the Spirit of Shrewsbury festivities. Sign up to perform by September 20th. 

On Sunday Sep 24th, on Municipal Ave. Parade starts at 1pm

ISW Symphony Dhol-Tasha-Lezim participating in Spirit of Shewsbury parade

 CANCELLED due to RAIN

ISW Symphony Dhol-Tasha-Lezim participating in Northboro Applefest parade September 10, Sunday 2 pm

The Northborough Applefest is an annual event that takes place in Northborough, Massachusetts. It typically features a variety of activities, entertainment, food vendors, and a parade.

ISW Symphony Dhol Tasha Lezim will be participating in the parade this year! This promises to add a lively and cultural element to the festivities. Please join us at the event to enjoy the spectacular performance and cheer the ISW team!

Please see details at http://www.northboroughapplefest.com/