Punjabi Khel Mela—fun from kabbadi to boliyan
The Sikh Educational Welfare Association Inc. (SEWA) of Atlanta commemorated its 11th anniversary on October 5th, 2013 by organizing a fun-filled Punjabi Khel Mela (festival). The beautifully decorated green fields of SEWA were packed with spectators, players, performers, and vendors. The mela started at 1:00 pm with an array of exciting games such as kid’s soccer, volleyball, ladies matka (pot) races, kid’s races, and tug of war. The most popular race of the day was the couple's three-legged race where twenty-four couples competitively raced to the finish line in the hopes of claiming victory.
The main attraction of the Punjabi mela was the much-anticipated kabaddi game between SEWA Sports Club Atlanta and Doaba Kabaddi Club of Chicago. Spectators enthusiastically watched the kabaddi match for over 60 minutes and enjoyed every moment of it. Local Sikh community leaders Dr. Jagjeet Singh Sidhu, Gursharan Singh Pannu, and Dr. Gulbarg Singh Basi welcomed the players and awarded them with trophies. Amrik Singh received the best raider award and Gurdial Singh, aka Bobby, was named best stopper. Barjinder Singh from Cartersville, who also hosted the kabaddi players, awarded the Chicago team with a check for $2000. Bhajaninder S. Dhillon provided commentary for the match and ensured that the crowd cheered and enjoyed the games to the fullest.
The mela participants enjoyed jallebian, goll guppas, and other ethnic Indian food that was available from several food stalls. Sports were followed by a colorful and vibrant cultural program. Keerat Kaur, Dharminder Singh, Ravinder Randhawa and a budding star, Gaggi Haibowalia, entertained the crowd with their solo songs. The energetic kid’s bhangra performance was directed by Prableen Kaur Saini. The cultural program lasted for more than ninety minutes and concluded with ladies gidha folk dance and a grand finale of Punjabi boliyan (sung couplets) that brought the crowd of 600 plus people to their feet.
Along with SEWA Chairman Dr. Jagjeet Singh Sidhu, the main organizers of the event, Bhajaninder S. Dhillon, Navdeep Singh Mann and Navdeep Singh Bhullar, thanked all and promised to make the Punjabi Mela an annual event. Please see www.sewageorgia.org
Website Bonus Feature(below)
Videos:
Manmeet Gill - Punjabi Mela (Sewa) 2013:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha5MFBdIOxI
Ajay Gill - Punjabi Mela (Sewa) 2013:
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