From 1991 to 2026: UP Association Keeps Culture and India Heritage Alive at United State of America
Our Bureau
Chicago, IL
On a warm Sunday evening, October 25, 2026, from 5:00 pm onwards at Ashyana Banquet Hall, 1620 75th Street in Downers Grove, Illinois, the UP Association of Greater Chicago (UPAGC) turned a simple banquet hall into a glowing home away from home. Families arrived in festive clothes, children ran between tables, and the air filled with the familiar scent of home-cooked Indian food and the promise of music, dance, poetry, and pure belonging.
This was more than a Diwali celebration. It was a living reunion of a community that has kept its culture alive for thirty-five years on American soil. The UP Association of Greater Chicago, founded in October 1991, once again proved that distance from the motherland only strengthens the desire to hold on to language, festivals, and friendship.
President Uma Agarwal opened the evening with grace and warmth. Looking at the smiling faces around her, she said it felt less like a formal program and more like a family reunion. Diwali, she reminded everyone, is not only about lighting diyas. It is about lighting hearts, sharing joy, and simply being present for one another. She thanked the tireless committee members who worked behind the scenes and the performers who practiced for weeks so the evening could shine. Her four-line blessing stayed with many: may every home light a lamp of happiness, may every heart keep love and belonging, and may the UP-Association family grow larger and stronger every year.
Then Dr. Subhash Pandey, Chairperson, Board of Trustee, took the stage. He is a co-founder of UPAGC and has been working tirelessly and a driving force of this organization since its inception. His voice carried both pride and emotion as he recalled the association’s founding in 1991 with the blessings of the then Consul General of India and the Governor of Bihar who happened to be visiting Chicago. From those early days the association made promotion of Hindi its special mission, launching the annual Kavi Sammelan that has become its signature event. He highlighted celebration of Diwali, Holi, and the yearly social gatherings that keep families connected. With quiet force he reminded the hall that whether one is from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, or any other state, the larger Indian community outside India has one shared responsibility: to preserve and promote the richness of Indian heritage. He ended with a heartfelt Diwali wish that every dream be fulfilled and that every evening of laughter become a Diwali of its own.
Honorable Consul General of India in Chicago, Dr. M Anand Prakash attended as a chief guest of the evening and warmly welcomed Indian community on the occasion of Diwali celebration. He was introduced by Dr. Pandey and honored by all past presidents of the UPAGC. Dr. Prakash remarks gave Indian community a wonderful and uplifting experience. His presence itself felt like a blessing on a festival of light. The association’s long-standing work of cultural preservation and community bonding received the quiet encouragement of the Consulate.
Program started with Diya lighting followed by Ganesh Vandana dance and Diwali folk song. The cultural program that followed was pure joy. Ladies of the community took the stage with graceful group dances and lively Garba that filled the hall with color and rhythm. Children and adults alike clapped along. The evening also featured powerful Hindi poetry that has become a cherished tradition of the association. The major highlights of the cultural evening were outstanding dance performances on Indian music and songs by the young generations growing in USA. Rani Trivedi and Uma Agrawal were emcees for the evening and introduced each program in the form of act with typical UP regional dialects with lots of laugh.
Vice President Dileep Srivastava closed the formal portion with a warm vote of thanks. He reminded everyone that these yearly gatherings are not accidents of the calendar. They are deliberate acts of connection. Each Diwali, each Holi, each picnic is an effort by Dr. Subhash Pandey and the entire team to keep the community woven together so that the aspirations people carried when they left India can still be fulfilled here.
Throughout the evening the organizing committee members stood quietly strong who handled tickets, seating, food, and the hundred small details that make an event feel effortless. Their collective work turned Ashyana Banquet Hall into a place where old friends reunited, new friendships began, and children and adult performed and watched celebration of our wonderful culture. Delicious food followed the performances, the dance floor opened, and the hall stayed alive with conversation and laughter. The association’s open invitation “come with family and friends and make it a memorable evening” was fully answered.
–Asian Media USA