Our Bureau
Somerset, NJ
The Indo-American Cultural Foundation of Central Jersey (IACFNJ) hosted its annual India’s Independence Day Celebration on August 16, 2025, at Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Vadtal Dham, in Somerset, New Jersey. The event featured vibrant cultural and patriotic dance performances, singing, and greetings from local elected officials who joined the community to commemorate the occasion.
This year’s Independence Day celebration was organized in collaboration with Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Vadtal Dham in Somerset and included a wide variety of family-friendly activities, live music, singing, NBT SKIT regional and cultural performances by talented local singers and dance groups. South Brunswick Mayor Charles Carley and Councilwoman Archana Grover, South Brunswick Veteran School Board Member for the last 23 years Barry Natahnson, North Brunswick Councilman Rajesh Mehta and New Jersey’s former Assemblyman and first elected state official of the state and Deputy Speaker and current Commissioner on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Upendra Chivukula were among the elected officials who attended the event to grace the occasion and extended their best wishes to everyone and congratulated on India’s Independence Day. There were more than 20 dance and singing performances and a special performance from the visually impaired group of singers from India who sang patriotic songs.
IACFNJ team members, community members along with President Dr. Tushar Patel welcomed everyone for the event and congratulated everyone and expressed his gratitude to the community and the Shree Swaminarayan Temple for their contributions to the event’s success. He remarked, “We are fortunate to live in the USA and celebrate two of the world’s top democracies—India, the largest, and the USA, the oldest. As we celebrate, we must remember the sacrifices of freedom fighters.” The young and energetic teens Daivik & Sarayu served as Master of Ceremony and did an outstanding job in hosting the entire event. Live Music was provided by DJ Ankur and the entire event was choreographed by Naina Goel of Dance4ever as the IACFNJ event Chair. IACFNJ appreciated support from Vadtal Dham Temple management for their wonderful hospitality in providing the venue and delicious food.
IACFNJ has been a leading community organization in Central Jersey for more than two decades, engaging the younger generation of Indian Americans and the large South Asian population in South Brunswick, North Brunswick, and surrounding towns. Over the years, IACFNJ has built a strong reputation for organizing highly successful community events such as Navratri Garba, summer picnics, Independence Day celebrations, spring festivals, and holiday parties that bring people of all ages together.
In addition to cultural and social activities, IACFNJ continues to promote education by sponsoring scholarships for deserving high school students. In 2025, IACFNJ awarded a total of seven scholarships to students from South Brunswick and North Brunswick High Schools in recognition of their academic excellence in various subjects. Two scholarships at North Brunswick High School were presented in memory of IACFNJ leaders Murthy Yerramilli (Trustee) and Sunil Shah (Treasurer), who passed away in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The scholarships were awarded by Darshan Shah, son of Sunil Shah and Mahendra Patel during the Senior Awards Night on June 3, 2025, and by the IACFNJ President Dr. Tushar Patel and Dimple Patel at South Brunswick High School on June 11, 2025.
Looking ahead, IACFNJ’s next major program will be its signature Navratri Garba, a mega event scheduled for September 2025. Details will be announced soon.
For updates on upcoming events, please visit IACFNJ.org.
