Rangeela, an annual evening of multicultural music and dance that benefits the March of Dimes, takes place Saturday, December 12, at High School North. The show, organized by the Mercer County Chain Reaction Youth Council, is usually attended by close to 1,000 people.
The Chain Reaction comprises area high school students who are dedicated to the mission of the March of Dimes. They host awareness events and fundraisers year round. Rangeela has helped the Chain not only become one of the highest fundraising youth teams, but has also contributed to the Chain’s national recognition.
Although the Chain Reaction was originally active in only the WW-P school district, the group has expanded and now includes students at Robbinsville High School, Princeton High School, Princeton Day School, and SciCore Academy.
President of the High School South group is Aman Sharma and president of the High School North group is Shreya Mandloi.
Mercer County Chain Reaction officers include Bharath Jaladi, the president; Richi Amin, the vice president; Keshav Ramesh, the secretary; Nikhil Gunderia is the treasurer; and Aayush Patel and Rohan Shah are fundraising co-chairs.
March for Babies chair is Parth Thakker, Rangeela web designer is Kunal Kak, newsletter editor is Veda Donthireddy, mission chair is Neha Nadkarni, membership chair is Nithi Subbaian, and historian is Sushni Mukkamalla.
Mercer County Chain Reaction Youth Council Members include Rohan Patlola, Yash Shroff, Abhishek Konidela, Ameek Bindra, Dhruv Sharma, Kunal Sinha, and Ahilan Subbaian.
March of Dimes, the leading non-profit organization for maternal and infant health, celebrates its ongoing work to help all babies get a healthy start in life. Rangeela dates back to 2001, when it was founded by Rahul Bansal, then a student at High School North and now a graduate of Georgetown University who is still an active March of Dimes volunteer.
Since its inception, the event has raised more than $500,000 for the March of Dimes. The musical evening will be followed by an Indian dinner from Palace of Asia. Ticket prices range from $20 for students to $100 for a VIP ticket.
Performance groups are either based in Central Jersey or have a large number of students from the West Windsor and Plainsboro community. The repertoire blends South Asian tradition, Indian classical music, and contemporary dance. Anitha Krishna and Chirag Trivedi accompanied by Panaroma Orchestra of Mumbai present Bollywood music, performance by Neel Nadkarni. Dance performances by Nrityanjali Arts, Prerna School of Dance, Sughamini Dance Academy, Exodus Dance Company, Archana Arts, and more.
Rangeela 12th Anniversary, March of Dimes, High School North, 90 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro. Saturday, December 12, 4 to 8:30 p.m. $40 to $100 includes dinner from the Pind and Palace of Asia. Donations of canned goods are invited to benefit a food bank. 609-448-7620. www.marchofdimesrangeels.com.
