Newsletter for Jan 2019

On behalf of IAGB, we wish all readers a very Happy New Year. For all expatriates January brings in memories of flying kites, sharing Til and Gud (sesame seeds and jaggery), and singing and dancing around a bonfire celebrating Lohri, depending upon which region in India one spent their formative years. These are just few of the many traditional celebrations that happen all across India in celebration of Sankranti – a festival that is celebrated as per the Solar Calendar (unlike most other festivals that go by the lunar calendar). Additionally, every 12 years the largest human congregation (100 million plus) of anywhere on earth happens in the month of January during the Kumbh Mela. Another childhood memory for most of us would be the annual parade in front of India Gate in New Delhi. Now for our kids growing up in Massachusetts, January will lock in the memories of IAGB Republic Day celebrations and the wide variety of competitions and performances during the day long event.