CHICAGO: The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS)  www.PCSChicago.org  presented their flagship annual event “Rangla Punjab 2015” to celebrate Vaisakhi festival on Saturday, April 4 at Meadows Club Banquet Hall in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. More than 200 participants rendered 22 spectacular variety acts in a talent show attended by more than 1000.

Dr. Bhupinder Singh Saini of Advanced Pain Management Clinics in Wisconsin was the grand sponsor and Balwinder Nick Singh was the chief guest.

Raja Krishnamoorthi a candidate for IL-8 Congressional district accompanied by Matt Flamm, Democratic Committeeman of Greater Palatine Area, addressed the audience and lauded PCS’ work .

The program divided in four segments included dazzling performances of Bhangra and Gidha dances, delightful Punjabi songs, and melodious music, by local and guest artists from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

Artists of all ages, teenage boys and girls, college students, and adults dressed in a variety of Punjabi colorful costumes performed their best on stage. Young children were trained by PCS who were practicing since January for this event.

University of Illinois at Chicago “UIC Bhangra,” rendered a breathtaking performance.

The Gidha dance moves by the ladies from “Milwaukee Gidha” Team and “Shaunkanna Chicago Diyan” were nostalgic reminders of rural Punjab and won the hearts of the audience with their fast beat music, stellar acts and colorful costumes.

There were many other excellent Bhangra, Gidha, and dance items presented by the local community children and adult artists. It was really a festival of Punjabi culture and a delightful treat.

Several vendors had setup shop to sell novelty merchandise in the club’s lobby. Posters of Sikh soldiers in World Wars I and II were also displayed in the lobby.

PCS Vice President Gurmit Singh Dhillon welcomed the audience. The program opened with singing of a prayer “shabad” by a group of young children from Palatine Gurdwara Gurmat School, “O, God give us the boon that we never turn away from doing good deeds.” (Deh Shiva Bar mohe ihe, shubh karman te kabhu na taron).

The variety program divided in four segments was emceed by Jaslin Kaur Nanua and Amanjeet Kaur Sandhu, Ranjit Singh Bains and Ajay Bhangu; Mona Bhalla; Guru Dhaliwal and Thakar Singh Basati.

Rajinder Singh Mago assisted by Bikram S Chohan, Gagandeep Singh Multani and Raibrinder Singh Ghotra managed the back stage coordination.

A variety of Punjabi songs delighted the audience. Kanchan ji a versatile singer rendered a melodious song “Tere Larh Laghiyaan;”  Pratibha Jairath, sang “Main Tenu Samjhavaan Ki;”  Mahijit Singh Virdi sang “Apna Sangeet;” Mona Bhalla and daughters moved the audience with their energy, passion and the song “Chittiyaan Kalaayiyaan;” Parina Mehrotra sang “Sannu Nehar Wale Pul te Bula Ke;” Mandeep Singh Saini sang “Patiala Song;” Sanjeev Vij sang “Jatt Yamla Pagla Diwana;” Tara Multani sang his own album song “Kabaddi.”

“A fast moving four hour long program with participants ranging from five to fifty in age was incredible, one of the best I have ever seen in community programs. My eyes were glued on stage and everyone around me loved it,” said Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra a professor at Northwestern University.

P.C.S. also recognized its Board of Governors and Board of Advisors.

P.C.S. Board of Directors for 2015, are Amritpal Singh Sangha (Hon. Chairman), Vick Singh (President), Gurmit Singh Dhillon (Vice President), Bikram Singh Chohan (Executive Secretary), Surinder Singh Palia (Finance Secretary), Manjeet Singh Bhalla (Sports Director), Parvinder Singh Nanua (Youth Director), Gagandeep Singh Multani and Raibrinder Singh Ghotra  (Inter-community Directors).

Rajinder Singh Mago conducted the awards and recognition ceremonies in cooperation with Sunny Kular, and Mohinderjit Singh Saini.

Outgoing PCS president Pardeep Singh Deol was awarded a plaque for his excellent services during his term. Deol thanked his team for their full support through the past year. Outgoing PCS Chairman Dr. Hargurmukhpal Singh was similarly honored. Singh praised the good works of PCS Chicago.

Dr. Bhupinder Singh Saini was honored with a plaque for his continued moral and financial support to PCS, by PCS Chairman Hargurmukhpal Singh, PCS President Vick Singh, and other PCS officials.

“I appreciate the wonderful work that PCS and its dedicated board members are doing,” said Dr. Saini, and urged the community to support PCS activities to keep our culture alive.

Dr. Hargurmukhpal Singh said that he has been attached with PCS ever since his own children were growing up here and PCS has been instrumental in imparting Punjabi culture to community’s next generation including his children.

PCS President Vick Singh thanked the participants, coordinators, sponsors, volunteers, the community members and the audience for their support.

“It’s imperative that parents support kids’ wishes to learn Bhangra and Gidha in order to keep them in touch with our rich Punjabi Culture. Also that if they don’t know where to find classes for their kids, for them to contact us (PCS) and we will enroll them,” said Pardeep Singh Deol.

The program was sponsored by Dr. Bhupinder S. Saini, Dr. Narinder S. Grewal, Dr. Surjit S. Patheja, Mohina Ahluwalia, Harinder Singh M.I.T.S., Dr. Amarjit Singh, Suga Builders, Amritpal S. Sangha,  Hardial S. Deol, Dr. Gurdial S. Basran, Dr. Hargurmukhpal Singh, Sunil Shah, Ronny Kular, Parvinder S. Nanua, Balwinder S. Girn, Vic Singh, Dr. Kamaljit S. Girn, Onkar S. Sangha, Gurmit S. Dhillon, Pete Deol, Bikram Chohan, Gagandeep S. Multani, Manjeet S. Bhalla, Nick Singh, Happy Multani, Dr. Harjinder S. Khaira,Lakhvir S. Sahota, Parminder S Ghotra, Jaspal S. Kler, Parminder S. Walia, Gurdeep Singh, Gulzar S. Multani. Santokh S. DC, Raj Dhaliwal, Mat S Dhillon, Satinder K Dhillon, Jagjit S. Dhindsa, H M Lally, Surjit S. Chera, Kanchan Lall, Major Gurcharn Singh Jhaj, Neetu Kahlon, Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra, Kanwaljit Khangura, Harman Grewal, Harvinder S Ghotra.

The program was organized by Vick Singh, Gurmit Singh Dhillon, Bikram Singh Chohan,  Manjeet Singh Bhalla, Parvinder Singh Nanua, Gagandeep Singh Multani, Rai brinder Singh Ghotra, Pardeep Singh Deol, Ronny Kular, Surinder Singh Sangha, Sunny Kular, Balwinder Singh Girn, Mohinderjit Singh Saini, Baljit Singh Sidhu, Parminder Singh Ghotra, Thakar Singh Basati, Sukhmel Singh Atwal, Amarjit Kaur Atwal, Bhinder Singh Pamma, Onkar Singh Sangha, and Rajinder Singh Mago.

The young community children performers were trained by many P.C.S. volunteers and item coordinators who worked hard for the last three months.

The coordinators include, Amardev Singh Badesha, Guru Dhaliwal, Gurkamal S. Grewal, Dr. Kamaljeet Girn, Manpreet K Bhalla and Simran K Bhalla, Navaljit K. Virk and Biant K. Virk, Naina Singh, Pardeep S. Deol and Jaskaran S. Saini, Amanjeet Kaur Sandhu and Jaslin K. Nanua, Sam Dhillon, Gagandeep S. Multani, Raibrinder S. Ghotra, Raj Dhaliwal; Maninder Chhabra, Sukhwinder Kaur, Taranpreet Nagra, Nitesh Khetarpal, Subpreet Dulat.

Many volunteers who helped in organizing and running the show included Jaskarn Saini, Amrit Girn, Gurpreet Girn, Ranjit Singh Bains, Preeti Bains, Ajay Singh Bhangu, Rishpal Singh, Arvind Singh Gakhal, and Surinder Singh Bhatia.

A delicious VIP dinner and sandwiches to participants were served.

The upcoming P.C.S. organized events are:

* “Punjabi Youth Graduation & Scholarship Night” dinner and party on June 14, 2015 at Viceroy of India Banquets in Lombard, IL. All the Punjabi graduates are requested to register with PCS. * The “Rangla Punjab 2015” participants will also be honored.

*  “P.C.S. Sports Festival” is slated on July 26, 2014 at Falcon Park, Palatine.

The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is an all volunteer not-for-profit community service organization devoted to promoting Punjabi culture, language, performing arts, education, good citizenship, healthy life style, and sports in the metropolitan Chicago area and beyond. For further information contact:

Punjabi Cultural Society 0of Chicago,

P.O. Box 1244 , Palatine , IL 60078

Ph: 847-359-5727, Fax: (206) 495-6532

e-mail to info@PCSChicago.org

PCS website http://www.pcschicago.org/

Facebook: Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago

About Vaisakhi:

Vaisakhi is a very popular cultural festival in Punjab India. It is a harvest and spring festival, a new year, and signifies renewal and rejuvenation.

Vaisakhi has a special significance for the Sikhs, actually it should be for everyone. On this day in 1699 the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind “Rai” became Gobind “Singh” and ordained the egalitarian order of “Khalsa”. This was an amazing act of unifying humanity by rejecting the caste system prevalent in India. Guru Gobind took five devotees, one Daya Ram of Khatri caste from Lahore Punjab, second Dharam Das a Jaat (farmer) from Hastina Pur U.P., third Himmat Rai a water bearer (Kumhar) from Jaganath Puri Odissa, fourth Mohkam Chand a tailor/calico printer (Chhimba) from Dwarka Gujrat, and fifth Sahib Chand a barber from Bidar Karnatka, and initiated them with Amrit Ceremony. The Guru asked them to drop their cast affiliated last names, and all to drink the ceremonial Amrit (immortalizing nectar) out of the same bowl like a family, and become one human race where all males will have their last name as “Singh” and all females “Kaur.” Thus he empowered those down trodden people in servitude to be equal to higher castes. Then he asked these “Panj Piyare” (five beloved ones) to initiate him with the same Amrit ceremony that he initiated them with, to remove any barriers between the Guru and the followers. So the first five Khalsas were not all Punjabis, they belonged to five different states of the country, and were people born in five different Hindu castes, including three from “Shudra” lower castes. This was way above national integration, this was integration of human race,””

Photos: Asian Media USA