Festival offers sights, smells, sounds of India

SLIDESHOW: Festival of India

It was easy to suffer sensory overload yesterday during the final day of the annual Festival of India.

On the main stage at the front of the room inside the Greater Richmond Convention Center, there were the eyecatching movements of modern and classical Indian dance to rhythmic music.

Off to one side, shoppers considered gold jewelry, silk saris and colorful tunics on sale by vendors.

All around, the aroma from Indian foods mixed in the air throughout the convention center.

Early in the second and final day of the 28th annual Festival of India, chairman Sanjay Thirunagari called this year's installment a success as thousands of people attended the event in downtown Richmond.

Thirunagari said that during peak times Saturday, festivalgoers were lined up elbow to elbow near the food vendors. The strong attendance came during a weekend that also featured the Richmond Folk Festival and the Richmond Italian Street Festival.

"We are pleased with the turnout, despite the other events in town," said Rambabu Chirumamilla, president of the Hindu Center of Virginia. "We hope to introduce India and the Indian culture to North America. We want people to know that we feel the same desires and aspirations -- that we're all the same."

For the first time at the event, which started in 1981, there was a children's corner that featured face painting and the reading of Indian fables.

One local school group, the Moody Middle School advanced chess team, challenged festival visitors to a game of chess to raise money to attend national tournaments throughout the school year, said Britta Wolfe, team coach.

Wolfe said the team was there to promote chess and to look for people to challenge the younger players and help them improve as they prepare for National K-12 Scholastic Championship in Dallas from Dec. 11 to 13.

The team features three sixth-graders who finished in the top 25 nationally at the Supernationals IV Championship chess competition a year ago -- Tip Wolfe placed seventh, Vikas Rajasekaran placed 22nd and Vignesh Rajasekaran placed 24th based on tiebreakers.

Throughout the convention center yesterday, the star of the event was the Indian culture. At one booth sponsored by Badri Pulavarthi, volunteers prepared dosas, a pancake from southern India that is one of the festival's best-selling treats.

One variation of the rice flour treat is cooked with curry spice and a potato-onion mixture inside.

"We want to show our culture and food to the world," Pulavarthi said as the line of people wanting to taste a dosa continued growing.

Proceeds from the sale of food and beverages go to the Hindu Center of Virginia and other nonprofit groups.

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .