Festival captures the spirit of India

While attending school at Banaras Hindu University in India, Sarita Sharma became friends with people from England to Uganda.

"We always enjoyed different people's company, and you always learn from them," she said.

Sharma cherished the time she spent entertaining her international friends at her parents' guesthouse, where they would talk about their cultures and how they compared to their lives at the university.

So when she moved to Naperville more than a decade ago, she knew she wanted to bring that same spirit. She yearned for others to see the unique, rich aspects of her Indian culture, such as the mridangam drums and the classical bharata natyam dance.

To teach others about her Indian traditions, Sharma organized the Indian Cultural Festival, which will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, at the Iskcon Temple of Greater Chicago in Naperville. She expects more than 2,000 people to attend the free event.

"Celebrate with us and all the festivities and the culture," she said. "Then come and have a journey to the exotic land of India."

One of her favorite events of the day is the mrdanga drum presentation because the energy from the music makes her feel like dancing. In the 20-minute presentation, the entertainers will sing while playing their instruments.

Her son, Ragav, who is in the presentation, took an interest in the drum after seeing others play it at his temple. After learning that groups perform the mrdanga drums all over the world, he became inspired and created a five-person group that practices weekly.

He said he gets nervous just before he performs but that quickly fades away. The music energizes him and he turns his attention to pleasing the crowd.

Ragav said most people haven't heard this type of music before and, when they do, they immediately start cheering.

"When the basses are tuned to the same pitch, it sounds like thunder," he said.

Sharma said she feels this same excitement when teaching people about her culture and hopes they are willing to step out of their comfort zones.

"When we hear they had a fun time, we feel so good. It's like our purpose is being fulfilled," she said.

For details, visit Indianculturalfestival.org.