A colorful new year celebration aims to wipe away misconceptions about the country.

Tulsa Hindus will celebrate Ugaadi, the new year, next week with a public, multicultural program that includes folk and classical dance, music, a fashion show and traditional Indian food from Kolam Indian Restaurant, 4844 S. Memorial Drive.

"Our main purpose is to teach Indian culture to our kids who were born in the United States," said Hari Musapeta, with the sponsoring organization, Oklahoma Telugu Sangam.

"Our secondary purpose is to help our American friends to know about the rich Indian culture," he said.

Ugaadi is major festival in three states in southern India, where it has strong religious significance, Musapeta said.

The celebration will begin with prayer by Venugopala Swamy, the chief priest at the Hindu Temple of Greater Tulsa.

Venugopala said Hinduism is not the authentic word for India's dominant religion. It is properly called Vedic religion, based on the scriptures called Vedas, he said.

He said the religion is the oldest in the world and in fact the Vedas are eternal, with no beginning.

Ugaadi, he said, celebrates the first time that God came down to Earth in an immobile form so that people could worship him.

He said he will offer forecasts of the coming year, from the book Panchangam, horoscopes based on the orbits and position of the planets. The horoscopes for the 12 signs of the zodiac reveal all aspects of the coming year, he said, including things such as weather and the business climate, "the ups and downs that come in everyone's life."

The theme of the celebration is unity in diversity.

"Worship your own, respect the rest of the world," Venugopala said.

Vinita Musapeta, a Union High School senior who will participate in the fashion show of traditional Indi an clothing, said most Americans have little understanding of India.

"They think we're really poor. There is poverty, but there's so much more," she said, pointing out that India produces more movies than America, and has a lot of industry.

Priya Raju, with the Kripalaya Dance Academy, said her students will perform classical Indian dance, and also Indian folk dance.

Classical dance originally was performed in temples in praise of deities, she said, but now is not restricted to religious events.

Ugaadi

What: Hindu New Year celebration

When: 3:30 to 7 p.m. April 26, dinner at 7 p.m.

Where: Thoreau Demonstration Academy, 7370 E. 71st St.

Tickets: $10, $5 for children 3 to 12; available at Kolam Indian Restaurant, 4844 S. Memorial Drive, or RSVP to hmusapeta@aol.com

For more: Call 637-8185.

Bill Sherman 581-8398
bill.sherman@tulsaworld.com