Naperville festival showcases Indian cultural traditions

Experiencing the culture of India usually requires a passport and hours of air travel.

On Saturday, all it took was a stroll in a park in downtown Naperville.

The Indian Cultural Festival, organized by Naperville nonprofit Simply Vedic, filled Central Park with the nation's traditions through food and performances.

"India is known a lot of times for Bollywood," said Ipsita Mahapatra of Naperville. "So this is a great opportunity to learn more."

She said the annual festival, which debuted in 2009, is a celebration of authentic Indian art, culture and food.

Mahapatra was one of the instructors for the festival's classical dance demonstrations. She teaches Odissi, which is a dance style that's about 2,000 years old.

In addition to the classical dance demonstrations, there were performances of folk dances from different regions of India. Visitors also dined on a variety of vegetarian dishes.

Organizers said they hope the festival introduces the community to the cultural roots of many residents while allowing those with Indian heritage to celebrate their traditions.

Beyond the food and stage performances, the festival offered sari-wrapping lessons, examples of the rangoli art form, Indian jewelry, yoga and information booths.

Amar Anumakonda of Naperville and other members of the Sathya Sai Center of Chicago West Suburbs had a booth where they were educating visitors about the group.

"We are an organization where we focus on serving people," said Anumakonda, adding the group does local community service as wells as efforts on a global level.

Saturday's Indian Cultural Festival was expected to draw more than 1,500 people. Even before the festival officially started, passers-by were stopping to take in the scene.

Ragi Ravi said she was going for a walk when she spotted the booths in the park.

"I saw the earrings and Indian clothing," the Naperville resident said. "It just attracted me here. It pulled me in."