Vidhyanjali: Bharatnatyam concert by Padmashri Award Winner - Alarmel Valli

Internationally acclaimed as a creative artist whose work reveals the infinite spaces within the traditional form, Alarmel Valli bases her dance on the principle that Bharatanatyam is a superbly evocative language, where the dancer who has mastered and internalised the idiom can write her personal dance-poetry. Groomed in choreography by Sri.Subbaraya Pillai from the age of 16, she has extended the frontiers of her dance tradition to evolve her own distinctive style, that has been described as "an effortless synchronisation of apparent contradictions - linearity and lyricism, symmetry and sinuosity, precision and poetry". Drawing on her knowledge of music and the rich, nuanced vocabulary of classical Indian dance, Valli explores the many complex layers of meaning in poems and lyrics, giving them a visual and melodic dimension. Her work, while remaining within the broad framework of classical Bharatanatyam, is always contemporary in its interpretation and in its scope to communicate internationally. For more information please visit www.alarmelvalli.com

This event was held at Garland Plaza theatre on April 5th 2003 and we had a sold out show. Our Grand Sponsors were Texas Instruments and the Gold sponsors were 2000 Net and Phone Connection

The event successfully raised $5000.00. We would like to thank our sponsors, patrons, family, friends and volunteers for their support and dedication to the cause of Asha for Education.

Discover India Festival - May 13th 2003:

The Asha for Education booth at Discover India Festival was very well received. We were able to raise $109.00 at almost no fixed cost associated with this event. We also had an opportunity to publicize our work in India while giving away prizes to the children. The diverse crowd enjoyed good Indian food, music, dance. The children especially liked the games and paint a tile.

A Special Thanks to all volunteers who made this event successful.

Asha Cricket Tournament - May 13th 2003:

Asha Dallas organized the Cricket Tournament on May 17th 2003 in association with FFCC (Frankford Fields Cricket Club). The event was a huge success especially with the great efforts of Sumeet Bahl and Kuljit S Nijjar. We raised over $1000.00 from this event.

Anand Bazaar 2003:

Asha volunteers once again had a great time at Anand Bazaar. Our booth was beautifully decorated with kites and Asha banners. The projects posters drew a big crowd and spread the word about Asha’s work. The crowd appreciated our mango lassi, cold coffee and rose milk and kept our volunteers busy and on their toes all the time. Kites being a unique item at Anand Bazaar got lots of attention from the children. Special thanks to the new Asha volunteers who did a great job managing the booth and describing our activities.

Asha Gully Cricket Tournament: Asha and FFCC (Frankford Fields Cricket Club) once again hosted a great cricket tournament - Gully Cricket 2003. The popularity of cricket and the good cause behind the effort brought out the very best in Dallas sporting enthusiasts and philanthropists.

Saturday started very early for few Asha and FFCC volunteers . Thanks to rain -- overnight as well as from the previous several days,several bags of filler sand had to be used to make the grounds playable. The tournament started on time at the 3 grounds at the scheduled start time (7:15 AM).

It was pure joy to see unadulterated gully cricket played with great spirit by all the teams. The champions - Irving Challengers, lead by Murali Gollapudi played aggressive and entertaining cricket throughout to win all their matches including the finals in fading light.

It was heartening to see the players not only enjoy the great game of cricket but also appreciate our cause. To quote Murali "It was a great opportunity for each one of us to get together and enjoy this wonderful game of cricket. And what would be a better way to draw deep satisfaction, when it is for a great cause like Asha - for education…. “

Asha would like to thank FFCC, participants and spectators for making this event a wonderful success

National Gandhi Day Of Service:

Under the aegis of Indian Association of North Texas (IANT), volunteers from NET IP, Asha Dallas and 5H came together to celebrate the Mahatma’s birthday in the manner most befitting his life with service to the community. Volunteers cleaned the area around Joe Pool Park.