FIA held two parade council meetings within a span of one week—on July 12 and July 19, 2023. The first meeting saw the presence of Media personalities: Dr.Sudhir Parikh of Worldwide Media, Gurjit from Times Group, Penny Sandhu of JUS TV Broadcasting, Rajiv Bhambri of New India Abroad, Alka Aggarwal of EBC Radio, and Shri Guru ji. Also In attendance were members of organizations, including RANA, BJANA, and FISANA, among others.
Speaking at the first meeting, Kenny Desai thanked the Executive Team and FIA volunteers for contributing immensely towards the visit of Hon. Indian Prime Minister Sh. Narender Modi. He further went out to outline the events lined up for the upcoming Indian Independence Day, including the flag hoisting at Times Square, the lighting of the Empire State Building in the Tricolors of the Indian National Flag, and the 41st India Day parade. He said that this year, to help and support the local small businesses, FIA would be providing special booths during the India Day Parade at a subsidized cost. It is part of the commitment of the FIA to continuing to be the voice of the Indian community, he added.
Vice President Saurin Parikh said that this year’s India Day parade would see the highest number of floats and marching groups ever. He updated that this year there will be floats from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir that will showcase the unique culture and heritage of India. Chairman Ankur Vaidya said that the aim of the celebrations is to give a true representation of the 4 million plus strong diaspora in the US and appealed to the audience to lend their full support to make it a huge success.
During the second Parade Council meeting, it was announced that megastars who have made an impact on the world stage in very recent history would be part of the India Day celebrations. It was further announced that this year’s Gala, the finale to the India Day Parade, has been planned on the biggest private yacht on the East Coast and will feature a host of celebrities performing as well as entertaining performances including Garba and Bhangra supported by a live DJ.