India Festival 2010

India Festival 2010
MY INDIA FESTIVAL
EXPERIENCE
I am a 7th grader at Liberty
Middle School, in New Tampa.
I am 12 years old.
This Article is about my
experiences at India Festival and
how I look forward to it each year.
I love India Festival, and I am glad
Tampa hosts it every year.
I hear the audience long
before I see them…I feel the stage
vibrate…I see the curtain open…
my heart is racing…the emcee
announces “Item # 22”….and the
familiar beat begins…..
After eight years of
participating at India Festival,
you’d think that each year it would
get more boring, but it never wears
off. In fact, I get re-energized to do
more. I have attended this festival since I was born
(even though I don’t remember the early years).
Everything about our India festival is wonderful. The
shopping, the food, the competitions, even watching
the chaos in the dressing rooms!!
When practices start way
back in August, I can already
feel the momentum building
for the contest. I have a blast
meeting all my friends during
practice. When I dance, the
Indian music flows through
me, and I feel energized. I feel
like I am dancing in front of the
audience, on the big stage, at the
Sundome. Over the years, I have
done everything, from garba to
bhangra, folk to fashion show,
and each one is thrilling.
The food and shopping are
also something I look forward to
every year. I like to buy outfits,
bindis, CD’s and all kinds of jewelry.
I literally shop ‘til I drop! For me,
India Fest is an eating fest. I eat pani
puri, pav bhaji, dhosa, falooda and
of course, polar bear ices!!
The day of India Festival, I feel proud to be an
Indian. I feel more Indian on that day than any
other day of the year.
Maya Patel
www.gujaratisamaj.org 30 GUJARATI SAMAJ OF TAMPA BAY