Houston Gopa Kuteeram Annual Day 2017

This year Gopa Kuteeram Annual Day in Houston was celebrated together by all four Gopa Kuteeram centers at Houston Namadwaar in a unique way. The children showcased India’s vibrant cultural diversity by presenting information about different states and regions in India in a fair-type event at Houston Namadwaar on Saturday, April 22nd 2017.
Children were (a few weeks earlier) divided into groups and assigned state(s) that were specifically not their parents’ home states (so that they would be exposed to a different Indian culture). They researched on Saints, Languages, Cuisine, Art Forms, Holy Places, Costumes, Important Historical Events,etc. on their regions and came up with a poster board as well as creative ideas on how to present their states on the Annual Day.
On April 22 afternoon, the weather was perfect. Tables were set up outdoors in the Namadwaar premises and children (with some help from parents) set up booths for each state/region. They dressed in costumes depicting the regions, served snacks from their regions, and displayed their posters and artifacts. There were also booths with fun games set up by parent volunteers. Parents and visitors had a great time visiting the various booths and playing games conducted by the children. Adults too learned a lot about India and her different regions.
A few children sang songs in different languages. A parents versus kids quiz was conducted based on the posters on display. Naturally the children won hands down!
Then certificates and a unique Gopa Kuteeram mug was given to all the children by Sri Radhakrishnan Nair.
Everyone finished the program with a sumptuous dinner of dishes from all across India brought by Gopa Kuteeram parents.