Public Employee Press

Asian Heritage Celebration
Diverse cultures on display

By JANE LaTOUR

On a stage festooned with the flags of Asia’s 57 nations, traditional dancers performed in a stunning display of cultural diversity June 25 at the union’s annual Asian Heritage Celebration. Before an audience of 500, the program blended the artistic presentations with a focus on the many contributions of the Asian community to New York City.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts welcomed the opportunity for the union family to share the unique aspects of Asian heritage. “The unions continue to pave the way for those who come to this country,” she said.

Maf Misbah Uddin, chair of the DC 37 Asian Heritage Committee and president of Accountants, Statisticians & Actuaries Local 1407, hosted the evening’s events. “Asians everywhere are doing their part to enrich the city,” he said. Dr. Benjamin Chu, president of the city’s Health and Hospitals Corp., pointed out that 40 percent of New York City’s population, or 4 out of 10 New Yorkers, are foreign-born. “My mother was a shop steward in Chinatown after she joined the garment workers’ union,” said Dr. Chu. He underscored the importance of the union in achieving the dreams that immigrants bring to this country.

Mrs. Uma Sen-gupta, a Queens Democratic Party leader and a leading community activist who immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1970, noted that “Almost the whole United Nations is represented in this room.

DC 37 brings everyone together under one umbrella. We all came to this country with big dreams and high hopes.” Many other cultural ambassadors were welcomed as part of the evening’s program, but the dancers won the warm heart of the evening.

Dressed in exotic costumes in vivid colors, the highly trained performers presented a rich program of folk and classical dances from India, China, and the Philippine Islands. Sita Dwarika performed a traditional South Indian classical dance. The Chinese ribbon dance challenged the artists to keep aloft a swirl of colorful sashes. In the Chinese peacock dance, Xiao Ling Yang, in an exquisite dress, used her hands expressively to simulate the movements of the bird.

The eminent Indian dancer, Saroja Vaidyanathan, on a visit to New York from New Delhi, presented a classical dance that displayed the intricate footwork, hand movements and facial expressions of the highly stylized form. An appreciative audience responded enthusiastically to the delicate performances. All were able to partake of a delicious spread of Indian and Chinese cuisine.

Co-chair Bhagwatie Dwarika complimented the work of the Asian Heritage Committee, in bringing together a program that reflects the amazing diversity found within the 57 countries. “Even one country, like India, from north to south, and east to west, has such a variety of cultures,” she said. “The success of the Asian Heritage celebration was reflected in the acknowledgement of our cultures and our contributions,” said Mr. Uddin.