PEARLAND: The free, 8th annual Puranava India Art & Culture Fest organized annually by Global Organization for Divinity and supported by the City of Pearland cultural arts grant through Visit Pearland, will be held at Pearland Town Center Pavilion, on Saturday April 18 from 10 am through 6 pm.
“Pura” means ancient and “Nava” means new. Puranava is presented in various formats by the Global Organization for Divinity in several cities and countries across the USA and the world. True to its name, it endeavors to do its part in bringing India’s exquisite traditional and indigenous arts to the forefront and present to local communities here in the USA the beauty of these traditions, many of which are still being actively practiced not only in India itself but also by people of Indian origin around the world.
The art and culture fest will showcase classical and folk dances and music from India’s diverse regional cultures from the north, south, east, and west, through both stage and street performances. Kids can have fun and learn at our exclusive “Kids Zone” where they can make and take special artwork and crafts, watch an Indian string puppet show, play several traditional Indian games, take home goodies, etc. Visitors can also shop for ethnic Indian wear, jewelry, crafts at the bazaar; taste delicious, exotic Indian food and beverages from the entirely volunteer-run “Kicha’s Kitchen”; try henna art; take photos in the photo booth, and more. Another highlight is the Chariot Fest – scheduled to begin at approximately 4:30 pm – where everyone can pull a divine chariot, join in kirtan and chants, and watch special colorful, folk percussion performances.
Youth competitions in Chess, Art, Indian Classical Dance, Indian Classical Music, Ethnic Indian Costumes and a written Quiz will be held during the day (10 am to 3 pm). Advance registration for these needs to be done at www.puranava-usa.org/houston.
More information about this year’s event, registration for the competitions, vendor, and volunteer registration, etc. can be found at www.puranava-usa.org/houston. For real-time info about Puranava, visit our Facebook Event page.
