India Association of Minnesota

April 2026 Newsletter

53 Years Supporting the Indian Community

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IAM News & Events

Coming Events

International Festival of Minnesota (IFest-MN)

A CELEBRATION of Culture, Community, & Connection

Formerly known as the Festival of Nations, The International Festival of Minnesota (IFest-MN) gathers over 70 nations and ethnic communities to share food, music, art, dance, traditions, and cultural demonstrations. With an expected 25,000 attendees, including 7,000 youth, IFest offers a hands-on, heart-opening experience that fosters understanding across generations and provides a deeper understanding of each other’s heritage.

India Association of Minnesota (IAM) participated in Festival of Nations for 40 years from 1979 through 2019. IAM is excited to be participating in IFest, serving it's popular Mango Shakes and delicious Indian Cuisine in the cafe. Visit the cafe, India cultural booth and interactive booth .

https://www.ifestmn.org/

• ANDA - Dir. Jayendra Ganta - English - MN Made
• APARAJITO - Dir. Satyajit Ray  Bengali
• BAYAAN - Dir. Bikas Ranjan Mishra 2nd Feature Hindi
• THE CYCLE OF LOVE - Dir. Orlando von Einsiedel English, Hindi
• FULL PLATE - Dir. Tannishtha Chatterjee 2nd Feature Hindi
• IN SEARCH OF THE SKY - Dir. Jitank Singh Gurjar 2nd Feature Hindi, Braj
• THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT

Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

India Association of Minnesota (IAM), Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) and ICAM Rochester are partnering for the second year with MSPFS for its 45th year of the International Film Festival in the Twin Cities.

MSPIFF, aka the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, returns April 8-19, 2026 to celebrate its 45th anniversary with another awesome lineup of over 200 films from around the world, including Indian films (pictured above), plus parties, panels, visiting filmmakers, and special guests galore. Films will be shown at The Main, Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, Landmark Center in St. Paul, Edina Mann Theatre, Rochester, MN. As the largest annual celebration of international cinema in the region, MSPIFF45 promises to be its biggest festival yet!

MSPIFF believes that film has the power to bridge divides, foster unity across cultures, and provide a safe and welcoming space for people of all backgrounds to be in community with each other, especially during challenging times.

Indian Community Discount: When purchasing tickets, the prompt to enter the code will be the first step at checkout and will reduce a $17 general admission ticket price to $13. The code is: INDIAMSPIFF45  

For more information https://mspfilm.org/mspiff45/

Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair

Mark your calendars!

The Asian Fair is coming to Plymouth on Saturday, May 30 at the beautiful Hilde Performance Center. India Association of Minnesota will have a booth for the fourth year in a row.

Join us for a vibrant celebration of culture, community, and connection. Enjoy live music and dance performances, authentic Asian cuisine, cultural exhibits, family-friendly activities, artisan vendors, and interactive experiences for all ages. From traditional performances to modern entertainment, there’s something for everyone.

Bring your family and friends and experience a day filled with flavor, color, and joy. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Flint Hills Family Festival

Visit the India Association of Minnesota booth on Saturday, May 30, 2026 from 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Rice Park, and Landmark Plaza

345 Washington

Saint Paul, MN 55102

For over 20 years, the Flint Hills Family Festival has brought communities together through the power of the arts, welcoming over a million students, teachers, and families since its conception in 2001. Join in the fun and kick off the summer with thrilling performances, student matinees, art-making activities, and more.

During the Festival, kid-friendly activities spark creativity, exciting outdoor performances are free to attend, and inspiring, low-cost indoor performances are fun for the whole family!

2026 Consular Camp

By India Association of Minnesota

As a service to the Indian Community in Minnesota, IAM is again hosting a Consular camp on June 27, 2026. Watch for details on venue and services in the May IAM newsletter and on the IAM website. Mark your calendars.

IAM Participating in the Community

Jazba

As in the past years, IAM was proud to be a sponsor for Jazba's 12th year of their great work spreading South Asian cultural awareness through dance and the arts. In addition, Jazba supports and raises awareness for the non profit Women In Need (WIN). The event took place at the University of Minnesota's Northrop Auditorium on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

Representing IAM were Mangala Acharya, Neelima Krishnan, Reena Raichur, Madhan Kumar Rajendran, Madhulika Gaur and Anurag Saurabh. Mangala Acharya was invited on stage to talk about IAM's long standing partnership with Jazba, and IAM was also asked to present one of the trophys to the winning team. Past IAM intern and Associate Board Member, Riya Bharti was the emcee for the evening.

IAM was honored to be invited to ICoCMn’s first Pinnacle Gala, to celebrate business excellence in Minnesota. Keynote speakers were:

Adam Dittrich, President/CEO, Americana Community Bank, 

Corey Boyd, Chief Equity Officer, Office of Governor Tim Walz Senator Eric Pratt, Chairman of the Jobs and Economic Growth Committee,

Rep. Kristin Robbins, Chairwoman of the House Fraud Prevention Committee Sia Her, Executive Director, Council on Asian Pacific MN

It was a formal black tie event, with interesting conversations around business opportunities in Minnesota. The highlight of the evening was our beloved Mr. Ram Gada being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award

IAM was represented by Sanjay Teraknambi, Rashmy Nair and Mangala Acharya at

The Mosaic Venue on Friday, March 20

Government Relations & Community Engagement

API Day at the Capitol 2026

You are invited to join the Council at API Day at the Capitol, an energetic day of community and civic engagement held inside the people’s house of Minnesota. Please join us at this show of solidarity, support, and strength with Minnesota’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities and supporters.

API Day at the Capitol 2026

Capitol Rotunda

75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155

Monday, April 20, 2026 

Doors open 9 a.m., rally begins 10 a.m.

We are excited to present our guests with a diverse slate of community and legislative speakers, along with resources provided by attending nonprofit co-hosts.

No reservation is required, but please allow for extra time to enter the capitol as additional security measures have been implemented.

This event will take place in-person at the Capitol rotunda and will be live-streamed on 

CAPM facebook page

Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans

IAM Advocating for the Indian Community

IAM has been working with CAPM and a number of legislators to introduce a bill to curb Anti-Asian Indian hate in Minnesota. As you know, hate incidents across the country and in MN have been steadily rising and our goal has been to take action now before things get out of hand.

On Wednesday, March 25th, the bill (SF4741) was introduced in the senate with Senators Klein, Abeler and Hoffman as authors. A companion bill in the House (HF4650) is authored by Representatives Bahner and Robbins. This is a bipartisan bill in both the Senate and the House. We are pushing for a hearing in this session by April 17th. If the committee hearing proceeds, then the bill will move through other committees for the rest of the session. If we don't get a hearing, then the bill will be tabled till the next session. Either way, this will put us in a good position to move this forward over the next several months. Getting it introduced in the legislation is the first major step in the process. You can track the bill here.  https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/SF/4741/?body=senate

The proposed legislation is designed to strengthen Minnesota’s response framework by:

• Establishing clear definitions that include Asian Indians within statutory language
• Enhancing the ability of state agencies to track, report, and respond to hate incidents and bias across communities, schools, places of worship, and workplaces
• Expanding bias awareness training, particularly around immigration and religious discrimination
• Providing culturally responsive victim support services
• Creating an ombudsperson role focused on anti-Asian and anti-Asian Indian hate, with authority to coordinate efforts across agencies such as MDHR, DPS, and MDE, including improved data disaggregation by ethnicity

AAPI Day at the Capitol 2026

Thursday, April 30, 2026

8:30am -3:00pm

Minnesota State Capitol,

Join CAAL's annual Asian Minnesotan Day at the Capitol! This event brings people together to work toward equity and justice, offering an opportunity to connect with elected officials and discuss priorities that matter to our communities. By participating, you contribute to building a stronger, more inclusive, and fair community. Let's continue making a difference together!

Community Events

Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM)

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande (Hindustani Vocal)

Prepare for an extraordinary evening of Hindustani classical music with acclaimed vocalist Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, one of the most respected and influential artists in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana tradition. Known for her deeply expressive voice, intellectual rigor, and masterful command of raga, Deshpande brings a rare balance of tradition, creativity, and emotional depth to every performance.

Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 10:00 am

Purchase Tickets Here

Kushal Das (Sitar)

Kushal Das, an internationally acclaimed ‘Sitar and Surbahar’ player, was born in a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata. His grandfather Late Shri Bimal Ch. Das was a renowned ‘Esraj’ player and his Father & Uncle are both sitarists of high repute. His father Shri Sailen Das is a disciple of Late Pt.

Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 10:00 am

Purchase Tickets Here

Both performances will be at

Recital Hall St Catherine University

2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul MN 55105

https://www.imsom.org/

 Minnesota Sangeetha Kannada Koota (SKK)

 "UGADI SAMBHRAMA" 

Ugadi, celebrated as the New Year in Karnataka, marks the beginning of the Hindu lunar calendar. It falls in the month of Chaitra (usually March or April) and is a time for renewal and new beginnings. People celebrate Ugadi by cleaning and decorating their homes, wearing new clothes, and preparing special traditional foods like Ugadi Obbatu/Holige. The festival is also marked by prayers, rituals, and cultural activities, bringing communities together to embrace the upcoming year with hope, prosperity, and joy.

Join SKK and celebrate this occasion with food, cultural programs and Artist performance. We look forward to seeing you there as we come together to celebrate the spirit of unity and joy!

 Event Date: Sat, April 4th 2025

 Time: 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM

 Venue: Eisenhower Community Center

 Address: 1001 MN-7, Hopkins, MN 55305

More details about the event: https://www.kannadamn.org/p/events.html

Ugadi Cultural Performance sign up :- https://skkmn.short.gy/ugadi-signup



https://www.kannadamn.org

Ragamala Dance Company

Ragamala Dance Company took root 33 years ago with Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy's belief in carrying forward their Bharatanatyam lineage with integrity, excellence, and relevance. Ragamala is now widely heralded for transcending boundaries with stage performances and community engagement that ignites the imagination and mines the spirituality and philosophy of Indian art forms to move and unite audiences worldwide.

Celebrate and support Ragamala's work while enjoying great food, performance, and conversation! 

5:00 - 5:45pm: Doors open, drinks reception

5:45 - 7:00pm: Dinner catered by award-winning restaurant Raag Progressive Indian Cuisine

Program

7:15-9:00pm:  Performance of Sacred Earth followed by a live auction with one-of-a-kind experiences including trips, dinners, performance tickets and more

May 2, 5:00 - 9:00pm

Tickets

https://www.ragamaladance.org/

PANGEA WORLD THEATER PRESENTS

The Mind Has a Hundred Thousand Gates:

Connecting Kabir’s Ancient Wisdom to Minneapolis’ Present Grief

Pangea World Theater is pleased to present The Mind Has a Hundred Thousand Gates: an exploration for the stage through poetry, spoken word, music, and movement of Kabir, a 15th century poet from India. This will be a concert performance with narrative and poetry intertwined to bring the powerful words of Kabir to life. With musicians and composers Pooja Goswami Pavan and A. Pavan, Pangea World Theater explores Kabir’s message of love and compassion and how his words resonate today. Created by Meena Natarajan. Directed by Dipankar Mukherjee.

At the heart of The Mind lies new poetry by Meena Natarajan, written in response to the

Occupation in Minnesota and the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Through these verses, Natarajan transforms tragedy into invocation: a call to listen, to feel, to remember that even as the string of a Tambura breaks, the music never truly ends.

April 10-26, 2026 at The Southern Theater

1420 So Washington Ave

Minneapolis, MN 55454

For more information & tickets https://www.pangeaworldtheater.org/on-stage

Story to Screen 2026 is a creative storytelling and filmmaking workshop designed for individuals interested in bringing their stories to life through visual media. The program focuses on guiding participants through storytelling, scripting, and screen adaptation in a supportive, community-driven environment.

Its a 2-hour, 10-week, story-forward filmmaking lab for filmmakers, community members of varied experiences interested in creating cinema that bears witness to both inner and outer worlds.

The workshop will be led by Bhavana Goparaju is an independent filmmaker, writer, data scientist, and social change catalyst

Dates : April 13th - June 15th ( 10weeks)Time : 7pm-9pm

Location : Center for Performing Arts, Minneapolis

Cost : $390 - For 10 weeks

You can find more details here to register:

https://www.saathmn.org/story-to-screen-2026?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaAQmhAZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAacNACi85knsx8c1HzohNVrub-He8LgKujRaRXLOhDUxeghxXqv2aY9Uc7aQ5w_aem__caXARyTof94iV9PVPj7cA

We believe this workshop could be a great fit for your audience, especially those interested in storytelling, media, and creative expression.

Miscellaneous

Congratulations to Sayali Amarapurkar

On Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Sayali received the first “You Make A Difference” award from the Tri-City Police and Joint Community Police Partnership. Chief Todd Milburn presented her with a special challenge coin. The challenge coin was created for Community members making a difference. The significance of the challenge coin comes with no light give, it is a symbol of integrity, going above and beyond, and being someone that has made a major impact in the community. Challenge coins in law enforcement come with great pride and respect as it is a badge of honor to show others your amazing work on receiving one. Receiving a Police Challenge Coin as a civilian is a meaningful symbol of trust, partnership, and bridge-building with those who protect our community.

For the past three years, Sayali has served on the Edina Multicultural Advisory Committee to the Police Department — an initiative of Hennepin County and local police.

Dr. Amarapurkar is a community-engaged research scholar and the Community Connections, Education & Research Director at SEWA-AIFW. She also serves as the South Asian Cultural Liaison for Edina Public Schools. With over two decades of experience spanning family social science, mental health advocacy, and nonprofit leadership, she works at the intersection of culture, community, and wellbeing. She was on the IAM Board from 2021-2023 and continues to serve IAM as a committee member.

IAM Former Intern develops Fitness App

Fit AI:Rep tracker use artificial intelligence to act like a smart personal trainer that builds personalized workout and nutrition plans based on your goals, fitness level, and data such as weight, activity, and progress. They can automatically generate and adjust workouts, track your performance, give real-time feedback on form, and sync with wearables to monitor heart rate, calories, and steps. Free app designed for IPhone.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fit-ai-rep-tracker/id6748026006

The developer of this app, Jeevan Venkatesan was an IAM intern from 2020-2021. A graduate of St Thomas Academy, he is currently a senior at Penn State majoring in nuclear engineering..

Jeevan credits his interest in entrepreneurship to what he learned as an IAM intern and to A Better Community Impact Fellowship (ABCI) that he and other interns participated in as part of a partnership between IAM and Seeds to Harvest.

National Junior Board

"Arts India US has been working on Behind the Curtain, a national research report on the challenges that mainstream arts organizations face in presenting traditional art forms. One of our most striking preliminary findings: the field is critically short on trained administrators who have a full understanding of these forms, which often results in a lack of confidence in presenting them.

​

With the Arts India US Junior Board, we are training a new generation of leaders who will be both practitioners and institution-builders: individuals who not only cherish and perform these art genres, but who also know how to fund and present them."

To learn more about the National Junior Board, Curatorial Consults and the Lotus Fellowship click on this link Arts India US Newsletter

Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 each year. It is the largest secular observance in the world dedicated to environmental protection and activism. U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded it in 1970. It acts as a crucial, global rally point to raise awareness for climate change, pollution, and conservation, engaging over 1 billion people annually in over 193 countries. Each and every effort makes a difference - what can you do?

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