Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day celebrates Kashmir

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Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day celebrates Kashmir Miami Shores, USA March 28, 2015

The Kashmiri Community of South Florida, jointly with "Preserve Our Heritage" and Kashmir Hindu Foundation, recently celebrated the third anniversary of their annual event,"Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day". The event, to honor the rich Kashmiri Hindu Culture, was held on March 28th, 2015, at the Miami Shores Recreational Center, with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor, and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners. The event began with a meet-and-greet and a food tasting session where the guests were welcomed to sample the mouthwatering authentic Kashmiri cuisine, such as Dumaloo, Pulao, Palak-Nadur along with the ever popular Roth and Kehwa. After the meet-and-greet, everyone visited the exhibits, showcasing the various aspects of Kashmiri Hindu culture, such as art, architecture, textiles, handicrafts, saints, and philosophers. Soon, the program moved on to the musical and cultural aspect of the rich Kashmiri heritage. And, the children from South Florida community were ready with a cultural bonanza for the guests present. But we could not go on without mentioning a very dear and prominent member of our Kashmiri community whom we lost recently. Mr. Shashi Shakher was a very loving and caring person who was very passionate about Kashmiri culture and cuisine. It was a very emotional moment for everyone as Dr. Shashi Razdan remembered and honored him for his contributions in the Kashmiri community by presenting a plaque to his two daughters, Priyanka and Nina Shakher. Soon, the children from the community began the program by offering the universal prayers and invoking the blessings from the Lord to guide everyone to be able to create a world where all the cultures coexist peacefully. At this time, the Mayor of Miami Shores Council, Ms. Herta Holly, was welcomed by Shri G.N. Raina, the senior editor of Kashmiri online magazine Shehjar, and Shri Vijay Kaul, a respected senior member of the community. Ms. Holly then presented the certificate of recognition to Raina Sahib and congratulated the Kashmiri community for their efforts in bringing cultural awareness to South Florida by showcasing rich Kashmiri culture and heritage. In her speech, she also mentioned that it was this blend of most diverse communities that contributed to South Florida's unique cultural reputation. This was followed by a speech by Dr. Shaykher, another prominent member of the community, who spoke about the importance of preserving one's culture and heritage in today's times and learn from each other's unique traditions. This was followed by an interesting lineup of performances by the kids, including an Indian classical dance called Bharatnatyam, a flute recital, Kashmiri folk dance Rouff, and a modern take on the traditional dance on a melodious Kashmiri folk song. Besides these wonderful performances, the older kids shared their experiences about growing up in America and learning the best of both cultures. Moving on, there was a beautiful video presentation by Deepak Ganju that gave a visual voyage to the Valley of Kashmir, taking everyone on a journey through memory lane, as the teary-eyed audience reminisced about their homes they had left behind years ago. That brought us to the end of the day's celebration, indeed another milestone in our journey to promote and preserve our culture and heritage in today's challenging times. As a closing note, a vote of thanks was given by Dr. Shaykher to everyone who had worked hard to make this event a success. Please see photo Feature at: http://www.shehjar.com