The purpose of forming the IAF was to celebrate the Dushahra festival. There were several organizations in the Tri-State that were celebrating Holi, Diwali, Janmashtami, and other festivals but none were celebrating Dushahra Festival. Mangal ji was planning to celebrate Dushahra for a long time and many hurdles were coming in the way because of the peculiarity of this festival as it consisted burning of a Ravan Effigy. Burning a 25’-30’ Ravan effigy in an open ground in the US is important as it creates a severe fire hazard and most towns do not permit burning that in their towns. After working hard and applying in several townships, finally, Mangal ji got permission to celebrate Dushahra in East Brunswick Township. His long-time dream came true and finally, we had the first Dushahra Festival on October 9, 1999, and his old dream has become a reality. The First Dushahra Festival was inaugurated by the NJ Governor, Christine Wittman. Ram Leela
3. Food & Crafts Fair
4. Fire Works
5. Burning a 25’ tall Ravan Effigy
Since then, we have been celebrating it every year. This year is the 24th festival that we are celebrating at Lake Papaianni Park on Saturday, October 1, 2022, from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Dushahra is a celebration of the ‘Victory of Good over evil’. By celebrating this festival, children and adults learn respect for elders, tolerance, sacrifice, giving, sharing, and family values from Lord Rama’s life. Lord Rama’s life is considered an ideal family life to follow and has a deep influence on Indian culture. Cultural events such as this strengthen the bond of friendship between the two great democracies of the world. It also cultivates our rich cultural heritage in your young generation. This event draws a crowd of over 10, 000 people and it’s completely free for the public, which means Free Admission and Free Parking. Organizing such a big event of that magnitude requires a lot of volunteers and funding. Our source of funding is Middlesex County and local businesses and stall vendors. Many big corporations, banks, Insurance Companies, and other vendors come to the Fair to display their products and services and at the same time, they provide support for the event financially. We are incredibly grateful to Middlesex County, Township of Edison, and all our sponsors and vendors, and most importantly our solid team of committed and dedicated volunteers as without their support these events wouldn’t be possible.
