India Club at Georgia Tech (ICGT) organized a candlelight vigil on December 2, 2008 to remember the victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
About 350 members of Georgia Tech community of diverse nationalities came together at the Georgia Tech Campanile Fountain to mourn the loss of lives in this horrendous tragedy. The goal of the vigil was also to support the survivors, families, and people of India in this difficult time, and to create awareness about India's place in the world.
All the participants of the gathering were urged to wear white, since it is considered the color of mourning in India. The Memorial started with opening remarks by Vijay Palvia, ICGT Co-President.
Dr. Gary Schuster, the President of Georgia Institute of Technology himself attended the meeting and made a brief remark of sympathy for victims. Mr. Ritesh Desai, President-Elect, Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC), a Georgia Tech Alum also expressed his condolences and condemned the act of terrorism. In addition, he spoke of the implications of the tragedy on India's growing economy.
Later, India Club led the gathering in candle lighting, followed by the rendering of the Indian and American national anthems by Tal-Tadka, an Indian a capella group at Georgia Tech. A GT student Umaheni Dalal shared her thoughts on the her personal tragedy: "Being born and raised in Bombay, the recent attacks are of personal significance to me. Unfortunately, in these attacks I have lost a high school teacher who was also my classmate’s mother, among other acquaintances and Mumbaikars", she said.
The program concluded with a prayer by the Co-President of ICGT, Puneet
Agarwal.
|