(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Thousands of eager attendees flooded into Liberty High School to immerse themselves in food, music, and tradition, for the Indian Harvest Festival.
The rhythmic stomp of Kathak dancers and the pops of golgappas filled the air as masala and culture spiced up the community on Sunday, Jan. 21 transforming the gymnasium into a lively hub of celebration
The festival attracted not only the Indian community of Colorado Springs but also attendees from all walks of life, with more than 2,000 people joining the festivities throughout the day.
Monika Celly, owner and director of Polka Dots And Curry, an Indian Culinary School in Colorado Springs, and the organizer of the Indian Harvest Festival shared her vision of the event’s atmosphere.
“The main idea was to have a program where everything is, you know, laid back. People are sitting, enjoying a cup of chai, eating their favorite foods, and watching the performances” she said.
The festival featured 20 vendors offering everything from traditional sarees to delectable samosas.
Swati Dham, co-founder of “Just Love That,” an Indian street food catering/delivery company in Colorado Springs, was selling golgappas, crisp wheat shells stuffed with a potato/chickpea filling, topped with flavored water, and sauces. In the booth right next to her, Pakwan Indian Restaurant and Bar, was selling, mango lassi, butter chicken, and samosas among other foods.
Dham expressed the festival’s diversity, “A lot of Indians and non-Indians, everybody was here to try different kinds of flavors and foods. Even within India, we have so much diversity that there would be people who haven’t had everything that is being offered here,” she explained.
Celly elaborated on the vast regional differences in Indian cuisine, emphasizing that North Indian cuisine is more wheat-based, while South Indian cuisine is predominantly rice-based.
“Every ten kilometers in India, there is a saying that the cuisine changes. So, yes, it’s like bringing all those different states together in this event,” she noted.
Celly’s husband Sumit, and co-organizer of the event, also highlighted the importance of giving the small businesses, and restaurants a platform to showcase their foods.
“The smaller vendors who sell from their houses, make incredibly different stuff, which you probably won’t experience as an average person who goes out to eat. So, I think this is what I think the real value is giving that opportunity to them,” said Sumit Celly.
Beyond the delectable food offerings, the festival featured booths with clothing and jewelry, and Mehndi (Henna temporary tattoos). Throughout the day there were Indian dance performances, live music, and even karaoke that anyone could participate in.
Kiranjot Kaur, who was helping her family serve the food from their business Pakwan Indian Restaurant and Bar, expressed her excitement about the event, highlighting the rarity of such a gathering in the community, “It’s different, you know? It’s like, I haven’t seen this much like Indian community besides like every Sunday at the Gurdwara,”
Monika began planning this event in September, right after the success of her first Indian festival in August. The overwhelmingly positive response led to a demand for a sequel, highlighting the community’s enthusiasm and appreciation for the vibrant cultural experience she organized.
Sumit described the heartwarming scene of people from diverse backgrounds appreciating the dance performances, “It was so gratifying to see.”
Monika expressed the same sentiments saying the main goal of the event was to bring the community together, “I had tears in my eyes watching the dance performance, and looking at the crowd, I was like wow. Mission accomplished… It’s a beautiful way to connect.”
The Cellys are already gearing up for their next Indian festival scheduled for this August, promising another immersive experience that brings India’s diverse flavors and traditions to the heart of Colorado Springs.
