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Dear Urmilla and Chithra: What an astounding success! Thank you both, and the rest of your amazing committee, for the tremendous work you did for our first India Fest here at NOMA. With nearly 2,500 attendees (including volunteers and participants), engaging with the cultures of India is clearly important to members of our communities. The young, the old, families, singles, professionals, students, hipsters and all those in-between were here. Only the absence of rain could possibly have made the day better. What was so remarkable about the festival was the palpable sense of joy within the museum- everyone was happy to participate and to enjoy the lectures, performances and activities. I have seldom seen the auditorium so full for so long. Thank you again for all that you did. It was truly our pleasure to work with you, and we look forward to doing so in the future.
~ All best Lisa Rotondo-McCord Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs Curator of Asian Art New Orleans -
Dear Jayashree: Thank you so much for these wonderful pictures. Saturday was truly a fabulous day, and I cannot thank you, and the other members of the organizing committee, enough for all that you did. We were all overwhelmed by the positive energy that filled the museum on Saturday. Visitors were overjoyed to be here, and all of the participants looked happy to be sharing their talents with the community. India Fest was truly an amazing success. It is hard to imagine that the day could have gone any better. Thank you again for all that you did.
~ All best wishes, Lisa Rotondo-McCord Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs Curator of Asian Art New Orleans - Hi Jayashree, No need for words! The pictures tell it all how successful India Fest was! Best organizers ever! loved to be a part of it, thanks for including me. ~ Sridevi Reddy
- Great job.!! All the people who worked on the India Fest did a phenomenal job. Congratulations. ~ Sushma Gupta
- Dear Jayashree, Enjoyed all the pictures.Thank you all for taking the lead to organize this beautiful program. ~ Tilak and Baishali Mallik
- I had a very good time as well. kudos to you guys for such a fantastic show! ~ Deepthi Murthy
- Thank you Jayashree, it was so much fun. And you all did a great job. ~ Maya Irimpen
- Thank you to you both for a resounding success with India Fest. As a greeter in the Great Hall, I met so many people, who expressed their excitement at attending but only wished they could have sampled some food. The crowds came in large numbers toward the end. All in all, it was awesome. The committee should be commended for doing such a great job. Terry and I had a lovely time - thank you! ~ Bernadette D’Souza
- Dear Jayashree and Urmila, I meant to write to you myself but caught up in Mother's Day celebration. I hope you had a great and restful day yesterday. Congratulations on your spectacular success. Yes, I suppose a debriefing would show areas for improvement, but considering the dire predictions about the weather and the fact that this was the first such event, the crowds were amazing. I don't know about the other booths, but the henna idea was a great way to showcase our culture as the long lines and oohs and aahs attested. Thank you for organizing this event and congratulations once again. ~ Best, Supriya M. Nair 6823 St. Charles Ave New Orleans, LA 70118 Supriya Nair Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of English Norman Mayer 122 Tulane University,
- Hi Jayashee and the rest of the team of India Fest, SIMPLY SUPERB!! ~ Sridevi
- Dear Jayashree and Urmila No question about it - our inaugural India fest was a roaring success! All your hard work really paid off. Extremely well organized and a very decent and enjoyable affair. The positives were so many more than the few negatives. I loved hearing all the wonderful positive feedback from visitors, NOMA staff, volunteers, everyone! I didn't hear one negative thing from visitors! It was really great working with you both and I look forward to more of it. ~ Warmest regards, Latha
- I have enjoyed volunteering at the fest and especially at the saree demo. You all have done an excellent job!! All of us enjoyed the festivities yesterday. Your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated. ~ Lakshmi Nandipati
- This inaugural event was wonderful and a grand success. My friends who attended liked it very much. One or two of the kids took pics with me at the door in my traditional Indian garb and round specs – I thought it was funny (felt like the doorman or guard at Buckingham Palace). Congratulations to all who made the event happen and worked so hard to give it the impeccable emphasis towards the common images or impressions of India. As the event grows and becomes an annual or biannual event, the complexity and the regional / geographical diversity should be celebrated. I recognize this will be a challange. Talking about a challenge – you have proven that challenges can be overcome – you have become great event planners. With your wonderful leadership one day the India fest will be looked upon in the same light as the Greek Fest on Memorial day week ends. With your leadership – I am glad to help. You deserve the recognition for a well-organized and executed event. Thank you for letting me be a part of a great event. Thank you! ~ H. V. Nagendra
- Thank you for an amazing experience and day for India Fest! It was so wonderful getting to know and work with all of you. I look forward to more!! I hope you share the same experience as I did! ~ All the best, Brad J. Caldwell Public Programs Manager New Orleans Museum of Art
