The fourth annual March of Dimes benefit coordinated by youth volunteers features a wide variety of music, dancing, singing, and a dinner. Rangeela coincides with the colorful Indian holiday of Holi on Saturday, April 9, at High School North. Tickets range from $25 to $50 with a price of $15 for students. For information and reservations call 609-610-1920.
The event, supported by the Indian American Civic Forum and India Foundation of Metropolitan Princeton, features a performance by classical Indian singers Sanjeev and Armeen Ramabhadran. Professional choreographers including Sudha Shekhar, Bina Shah, Madhavi and Pratik Devasthale, Seema Iyer, Jharna, and Renuka Srinivasan, present their own dance students. Dinner is catered by the Palace of Asia. Formal dress is suggested.
“Having the opportunity to put together a fundraising show on such a large scale has allowed us to develop our leadership skills in numerous way,” says Ruta Pathak, a senior at High School South who also co-chaired the event last year.
The committee members, active in the March of Dimes National Youth Club, Chain Reaction, include Rajvi Shah, Poojitha Regulapati, Rima Kotak, Neha Deshpande, and Neil Desai. Chain Reaction is the youth group working with the March of Dimes to educate other students about preventing birth defects and infant mortality.
“We have developed leadership skills in public speakng, goal setting, and effective meeting planning,” says Vipul Patel, a senior at High School North and event co-chair. “At the same time we are helping save babies’ lives.” So far this year the group has raised more than $13,”000.
The first two events were organized by Rahul Bansal, High School North, Class of 2003. His successful shows, “Vande Materam,” raised over $22,”000 for the March of Dimes. The group has now raised over $60,”000 to benefit March of Dimes with the annual event and through WalkAmerica. For information about Chain Reaction visit www.marchofdimes.com or call 609-655-7400.
Bansal, now a sophomore at Georgetown University, continues to be involved with March of Dimes and is the chairman of the National Youth Conference taking place in July in Washington, D.C. Rohit, his twin brother, continues to raise money through WalkAmerica. He is a sophomore at New York University.
Rahul, one of three sons of Percis and Rakesh Bansal of West Windsor, became interested in birth defects when a close relative lost a baby. “The March of Dimes keeps the fire in my heart burning,” says Rahul. “It’s my inspiration to continuously volunteer in hope that one day every baby will enter this world with the chances that I had — the opportunity to be born healthy.”
The event is also to celebrate Holi, a festival of colors that honors the natural change of colors from dull to bright with the coming of spring. Although one of the fun things about Holi, celebrated throughout India, is to partake in dousing others with water balloons and buckets of colored water, this process will not take place and formal attire is requested.
— Lynn Miller
Rangeela 2005, March of Dimes, High School North, 90 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro, 609-610-1920. Fourth annual benefit evening of music, dancing, and Indian foods. All proceeds are to benefit the March of Dimes. $35 to $50. Saturday, April 9, 5 p.m.
