YUBA CITY, CA. May 19th 2008 - The 14th Annual Punjabi American Festival is expected to draw crowd in excess of ten thousand people from all over California. The event will offer world class entertainment, educational documentaries and Punjabi Cuisine and many other delicacies. This annual event is held at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds on the last Sunday of every May from 11am to Sunset. Sponsored by the Punjabi American Heritage Society of Yuba City, the festival is a way for those with Punjabi roots to celebrate and share their culture. Walking the grounds, participants can enjoy the tantalizing tastes of the exotic foods of Northern India along with Punjabi clothing, jewelry, art, books and more.
The Punjabi American Heritage Society was founded in 1993 with the purpose of creating a better understanding amongst different people living in this area and to educate our children about their ancestral roots. In the past fourteen years, many events have been organized to improve awareness and to educate fellow Americans.
Besides Professional singers from Punjab India, over 300 children from many local schools, colleges along with dancing teams from various California Universities will participate in the event. In addition to the live entertainment, five educational documentaries in English will be shown to the diverse crowd in one of the fairground halls.
The movie schedule is as follows:
1:30 PM: Voice from Heaven, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Filmed in Pakistan, India, Canada and United States, A Voice From Heaven is a tribute to one of the most beautiful voices of the century: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the king of Qawwali.
2:15 PM: The City of Amritsar, This documentary educates and provides a knowledgebase about Amritsar to those who want to know more about the city and its related facts.
3:00 PM: United States Justice Department - This educational film includes detailed information about the cultural practices and articles of the Sikh faith which are commonly unfamiliar to law enforcement.
3:30 PM: Maharaja Duleep Singh: A Monument of Injustice - A documentary showing the tragic life of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was known as the Lion of Punjab.
4:15 PM: Sikhs in America, PBS Prod. - Emmy Award Winning film - A docu-drama film based on Yuba City community informs and educates mainstream America and Non-Sikhs worldwide about who are Sikhs, what is Sikhism, and what Sikh Americans have contributed to the American in the past 100 years.
Tickets are available at local Punjabi stores for $10 and will be $15 at the door. Any teacher with valid
picture School ID will be able to get in FREE.