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AUGUST 21, 2020 | The Indian Eye india day celebrated with car parade in long island
Our Bureau
NHicksville, NY
ecessity, as they say is the mother of inven- tion. Not cowed down
by Covid-19, Long Island’s IDP USA went on to find an alterna- tive to holding the annual India Day Parade in Hicksville. The successful Car Parade that took place on August 15 afternoon was so smooth and successful that now the talk is to make it an annual affair adding a few floats as in the previous parades.
The estimates of the number of cars displaying the tricolor that participated ranged from
150 to 200. The cavalcade was led by a fire engine and the IDP USA float with Grand Mar- shall Dr Raj Bhayani, President Mukesh Modi and the glamor- ous Grand Marshall Bhavna Chamoli waving to cheering In- dia lovers along the route.
Starting from Patel Brothers on South Broadway at around 4.45 p.m. the cars wound their way back from Apna Bazar, ending before 6 pm at Badshah Farmers Market before 6 pm, where a cultural program was held and supporters of the pa- rade honored.
At the Patel Brothers stage, the program began with lamp lighting and national anthems of the two nations. The dignitar- ies who addressed the sizeable gathering included Deputy Con- sul General of India Shatrughna Sinha (Guest of Honor), Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino, State Senator Kev- in Thomas, and Nassau Coun- ty’s Farrah Mozawalla. Parade Founders Bobby Kumar Kalo- tee and Kamlesh Mehta as well as Dr Raj Bhayani spoke. Pres- ident Mukesh Modi thanked his team, as well as the Town of Oyster Bay & Nassau County’s help & assistance in organiz- ing the Car Parade. Sponsors and VIP Guests were honored by Supervisor Saladino, DCG
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Sinha and the Grand Marshall.
The local community participated with great
enthusiasm maintaining social distance as per Covid-19 restrictions.
Many viewers of the Car Parade sent lauda- tory messages to the IDP USA team. Hundreds also accessed the proceedings on Radio Zindagi and social media platforms like YouTube.
IDP USA has held the India Day Parade in Hicksville since 2012 bringing together over 100 community organizations under one umbrella.
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