Community members gathered at the Sri Venkateswara Temple on Saturday to celebrate Indian culture with food, music, dance and educational programming.

The annual festival, which began 13 years ago, started as a community health fair to provide free services, such as medical tests and blood pressure checks, according to Chairman Rajan Ahuja. The festival returned this year after being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The South Texas Hindu Society was formed in 2002.

“It’s always been about giving back,” Ahuja said. “Our community has been blessed with Corpus Christi and we have a lot of doctors who are Indian who wanted to get together and give back to the community.”

The festival kicked off with a group prayer, followed by a performance by Garjana Dhol Tasha, a 16-person band from San Antonio. Some band members carried large double-headed drums, or dhol tasha, tied around their waists with rope, while others held hand cymbals.

The band formed a circle outside the Sri Venkateswara Temple, as women from the crowd performed traditional dances in the middle while children waved bright orange flags.

Attendees browsed through booths, trying 12 different varieties of Indian food, getting henna tattooes and buying Indian jewelry and clothing. The event also featured educational programming about India.

Hindu society committee member Sonali Joshi, 42, said the festival is a way to allow Corpus Christi residents to experience Indian traditions, culture and dance.

“It’s open to anybody and everybody,” Joshi said. “You can come and experience our music, fashion and prayers, and of course our food is so famous and you know everybody wants to try it. If we don’t showcase, how will everybody know what we have to offer?”

For more information or to donate to the South Texas Hindu Society, go to www.southtexashindusociety.org.

More news

More:For Thanksgiving 2022, outsource the cooking to these Corpus Christi restaurants