Chicago, IL, August 11, 2018

Newa American Dabu (NAD) organized the 1^st GROUP IHI CEREMONY on August 11, 2018 at Shree Radhey Shyam Temple in Bloomingdale, IL. The auspicious IHI ceremony which included three young girls, Neeva Pradhan, Juni Pradhan, and Arya Maharjan was conducted by Newa priest Mr. Basav Rajopadhyay. The program was attended by 85 community members and kids.

The ceremony began with Pitri-sradh (worship to heal the souls of the expired family members) at 8:15 am, which was followed by parikrama (parade) of the temple while enjoying Newa musical instruments of dhime and dhaa. After the parikrama, the puja (worship) for IHI began inside the temple. During the puja, Newa priest Mr. Basav Rajopadhyay calmly explained the meaning of each of the puja steps including the actual meaning of IHI with a reference to time and the puja process, a transformation of a young girl from the kumari to the siddhi laxmi phase. The IHI puja ended around 1 pm with the 3 girls receiving gifts and eating the prasad (food).

With the conclusion of the puja, Mr. Uday Maharjan, president of NAD, spoke briefly about the joy to successfully organize the 1st GROUP IHI CEREMONY in 2018, a new initiative for NAD, after years of trials and tribulations. Next, Mr. Keshar Man Tamrakar, past-president of NAD and “Chicago Newa” magazine editor, congratulated NAD for reaching a milestone with the 1st GROUP IHI CEREMONY and thanked Mr. Basav Rajopadhyay for his tireless help and coordination to make the event successful. As the official program came to a close, Mr. Bibek Shrestha, an executive member of NAD, presented the thank you note to all the well-wishers and community members of NAD who helped to make the event possible. The event concluded with lunch, prepared and served by Newa American Dabu to all the attendees.