“Every end is a new beginning.” As the curtain drew to a close on 2025, we welcomed the holiday season by organizing an in-person cultural event, “Incredible India,” a joyful opportunity to meet our local students and their families. As an online school since the COVID era, we truly cherish every chance we get to connect with our students beyond the screen. The same spirit extends to our team—coming together over a team dinner was the perfect way to celebrate our collective efforts and successes.

The culturally rich, cozy, and vibrant program “Incredible India” was held on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at the Hillsborough Public Library, and was beautifully organized by the HLA team. The event was led by the ever-energetic Rubina Nagarkatti and supported wholeheartedly—directly and indirectly—by the entire HLA family: Mamta Tripathi Ji, Manju Gupta Ji, Garima Agarwal, Renu Hooda, Deepika Singh, Gitanjali Gupta, Sangeeta Jain, Vinita Devangan, Mayuri Raman, Nishant Nayan, Parinitha Panakanthi, Soma Vyas, and our wonderful teaching assistant Shloka Harish. The event stood as a true testament to teamwork and collaboration.

The main highlights of this cultural immersion event included Madhubani art, a lively Bhangra workshop, henna art, a kids’ talent showcase, and of course, delicious desi food accompanied by special chai, graciously supported by ESHA President Arun Sharma Ji, who stood by us in every possible way.

A special note of appreciation goes to Rubina for seamlessly coordinating and planning multiple aspects of the event, including Madhubani art, henna, and the Bhangra workshop, with the dedicated in-person support of Garima, Renu, Gitanjali, Sangeeta, and Deepika. We are also very grateful for our dedicated TA Shloka for being the MC of the talent show on a very short notice. Heartfelt thanks also go to our teachers’ spouses and children, whose timely help with the setup made the event run smoothly.

The children’s performances were a delightful mix—ranging from “Jana Gana Mana” to poems, humorous presentations, and heartfelt speeches reflecting their Hindi learning journeys. These performances were a wonderful showcase of their progress and confidence in the language. We extend our sincere gratitude to all parents for bringing their children and for continuously supporting their Hindi learning week after week. We owe our younger generation this strong and meaningful connection to the Hindi language and Indian culture.

As we step into a new year, we wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2026. May we all strive to become better versions of ourselves by nurturing our strengths and working mindfully on our weaknesses.

“सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः, सर्वे भवन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु, मा कश्चिद् दुःखभाग्भवेत्॥”

Written By : Soma Vyas