Asian Indian magazine editor accepts proclamation

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown recently presented a proclamation to Mona Pande, editor of Pennsylvania’s Asian Indian Community Magazine, in celebration of the magazine’s fifth anniversary.

Pande, an artist and art instructor who lives in Dallas, founded the magazine in 2019 and first printed it in 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

In addition to serving as editor and publisher of the magazine, Pande is a featured writer and graphics designer for the publication.

The magazine, a non-profit, has also organized fundraisers for Wilkes-Barre’s Special Needs Playground and Special Needs Christmas party. It also participates in and donates to such events as Wilkes-Barre’s Multicultural Parade and Festival.

In the proclamation Brown praised the magazine’s team for sharing their culture. And the mayor added his personal thanks for the support of the Special Needs projects, which is a cause close to his heart.

“Our mission is to connect Indians with each other and with the local community through food and art,” Pande said. “We are a volunteer organization connecting our Indian community together. We are a bunch of volunteers working together for a mission … we try to contribute and hep in the community as much as we can.”

The magazine staff will take part in a cultural event noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Everhart Museum in Scranton.

The event will feature an exhibit of Indian art by Pande as well as Indian folk dances, a demonstration of Indian food preparation as well as Indian food to sample, a demonstration of Indian embroidery and brief lectures about India. The event finale will be a group garba dance in which the audience will be invited to participate.