Moorestown resident Amrita Desai was selected as the first female president of the Indian Cultural Center of South Jersey on May 1, so she and her team are now planning to make the center’s signature fall event open and inclusive to all.
“We are trying to look into having different programming and see what we can add to this so that it becomes more relevant to people that are non-Indian,” Desai said.
The Indian national flag, often called the Tricolor (Tiranga in Hindi), features three colors: saffron (signifying courage), white (signifying peace and truth) and green (signifying fertility and growth). The center’s Tiranga event – named after the Indian flag – will be held on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jayesh Parikh, chairman of the Indian Cultural Center of South Jersey’s board of directors, created the free event with a group of team members in 2014, when the center was founded.
While the center didn’t find traction with Tiranga in the first two years, it has now grown into a fair that hosts more than 1,000 guests. It will include cultural programs, live bands and karaoke, games, shopping, cultural dances and food vendors. Evesham Township’s fire department will have trucks on display for kids and its police department will give a K-9 demonstration.
“It’s really fun to see how the kids are involved,” Desai noted. “They learn something, it’s educational for them and they’re having fun. A lot of stuff is happening because we use the indoor as well as the outdoor space. The whole idea is to support the community, for them to come and have a fun day, and we want to bring the community together.
“That’s the goal for Tiranga.”
The center is a project of the Indian Temple Association Cultural Center (ITA-CC), and its two-story building offers dance classes, youth gymnastics, Tai Chi and Zumba, karaoke nights, concerts and other activities. The facility’s recreational space can also be used for friends and families and the center also awards scholarships to high-school and college students.
As the Indian Cultural Center of South Jersey’s first female president, Desai brings a new perspective. She wants to create more programs with her team for the center that have a family feel, and her goal for the next two years is to make the organization more diverse for all ages.
It’s about making small changes that have a big impact, Desai acknowledged, and she’s excited for that.
“It’s open to all and it’s for everyone,” she said of the center. “One of the things that the Indian Cultural Center promotes is culture, and Indian culture has become so mainstream in America that the space is rented by everyone.
“It’s inclusive, it’s diverse – and that’s what is important.”
The Indian Cultural Center of South Jersey’s 2026 Tiranga celebration will include cultural programs, live bands, food vendors and cultural dances.
