By Rosemary Higgins
Artists, cultural leaders, entrepreneurs, journalists, and other friends of the U.S. Embassy in India gathered at the Roosevelt House—the residence of U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster—to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the official American presence in India, Sept. 7. The event also recognized the 230th anniversary of the Department of State.
Embassy New Delhi’s Public Affairs Section invited Lalitha Sindhuri, an Indian classical dancer and Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, to share her remarkable craft in honor of this celebration. Sindhuri performed in the traditional Kuchipudi style, blending dance with drama in compact, precise storytelling movements. With roots in Hindu Sanskrit texts, this art form is said to originate from a village in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Sindhuri carried the audience through each traditional Hindu story with a slight turn of her head, a glance of her eyes, and a graceful set of movements. She was accompanied by a violinist, flautist, mridangist, and vocalist. Together they captivated the audience with their music and dance. Sindhuri even performed a short, unexpected encore dance in honor of the anniversaries that she said she hoped would “help erase the differences between people and nations.”
“The U.S. Embassy is proud to play its part in bringing the people of our two countries together,” Juster said during the ceremony’s closing remarks. “These efforts bridge gaps in understanding and create lifelong ties that benefit both of our countries.”
Rosemary Higgins is a public affairs officer at Embassy New Delhi.
