Saturday, August 27, 2005
Mondavi Center
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA
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The Mondavi Center, located on the UC Davis campus, with an approximate capacity of 2,000,
was the venue to the sold out 4th Annual Punjabi Heritage Festival, which was dedicated to
victims and heroes of September 11th. This annual non profit event was founded in 2002 by
the Punjabi-American Cultural Association to educate the mainstream American community
about South Asian Americans, especially the Sikhs.
Like the previous years, the event started with a social hour. All guests were served
complimentary dinner by grand sponsor India Chaat and Sweets. There was a special
photography exhibit by Janmeja Singh Johl from India showcasing the life in Punjab with
highlights from rural life. The main program started with the Posting of Colors by the
Travis Air Force Base Honor Guard and the U.S. National Anthem was sung by Holly Charles.
The evening continued with a lively performance by U.S. born Josheelay Punjabis, a Bhangra
team from Solano County.
Two educational documentaries, which received a great applause from the audience, were
shown. The first documentary, "Punjabi Cab", shared the plight of Sikh cab drivers; three
of them have lost their lives due to misdirected hate crimes against them by ignorant
Americans since 9/11. The second documentary, "The Sikhs", a BBC production, summarized the
history of the growth of the Sikh faith over last five centuries. It helped many in the
audience understand basic beliefs of Sikhs and the reasons for tying turbans by Sikhs. Many
people in audience, including American born children of Sikh parents, expressed their
positive opinion about documentaries.
Some audience members included, California Assemblywomen Lois Wolk, Fairfield Mayor Karin
McMcmillan, Vacaville Mayor Len Augustine, District Attorney David Paulson, and Solano
County Supervisor Duanne Kromm. There were over 200 teachers from local American public
schools in attendance and they received a special applause from the audience and the
organizers for their presence at the event. Two Punjabi teachers Mrs. Kanwaljit Kaur Sooch
and Mrs. Gurcharan Kaur Aulakh were also recognized for teaching the Punjabi language to
Solano County kids.
Other performances included Bhangra by the Gabroo Punjabis and Giddha by the UC Davis
Giddha Sqad. These performances were not only enjoyed by the Punjabis but were also enjoyed
by the non-Punjabi speaking Americans in the audience. Many American speakers were very
appreciative of the rhythm, spirit, and energy of the dancers.
The evening concluded by a great performance by Canadian Punjabi singer Gursewak Mann.
Originally, Ravinder Singh Grewal, a well known singer from Punjab, was supposed to be the
main performer at this event but he was unable to come due to visa problems. Gursewak Mann
entertained the audience well into the evening by singing various Punjabi melodies.
The grand sponsors of the event were Zee TV\Alpha ETC Punjabi and India Chaat and Sweets.
PACA would like to thank all the sponsors, volunteers, participants,
and attendees of this year's festival for their tremendous support and participation!
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