Plainsboro teen is throwing a big party

The March of Dimes is lucky to have Rahul Bansal.

By: Gwen Runkle
   The March of Dimes is lucky to have Rahul Bansal.
   Rahul, a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, has raised more than $30,000 for the organization over the past few years as a youth volunteer — and he is in the midst of raising more.
   On Saturday, Jan. 25, starting at 5 p.m., Rahul will be presenting Vande Mataram 2003, a night of multicultural entertainment at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, located at 90 Grovers Mill Road.
   The event will feature a wide variety of music, dancing and singing along with a fashion show and dinner to follow.
   "My goal is to raise $20,000," Rahul said. "Right now things are going well and it even looks like I might exceed that, but I don’t want to jinx myself. Tickets are almost sold out though."
   Rahul put together a similar event last year at the high school, as well, and raised about $15,000. Last year he sold 600 tickets and he believes that last year’s success has helped to spread the word about this year’s extravaganza.
   "One company even bought a bunch of $25 tickets for its employees as Christmas gifts," Rahul said. "I’m very excited and can’t wait for the big night to get here."
   Rahul became interested in The March of Dimes, which is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality, while in seventh grade.
   "I was asked by my teacher to help with some WalkAmerica forms and decided to participate," he said. "I set a goal of $100 and ended up with $1,000.
   "The next year my aunt gave birth to a stillborn baby," he continued. "It was a tragic time for my family."
   Rahul said that the time of sadness, coupled with his increased time volunteering with The March of Dimes. inspired him to raise funds and educate people about The March of Dimes’ mission.
   "The mission of The March of Dimes keeps the fire in my heart burning," he said. "It is my inspiration to continuously volunteer in the hopes that one day every baby will enter this world with the chances that I had, the opportunity to be born healthy."
   Tickets for Vande Mataram 2003 are on sale now for $25 and $50. All $15 tickets have been sold out.
   Vande Mataram literally translates from the Bengali language as "salute to the motherland." The phrase became a rallying cry for freedom fighters in India throughout the country’s peaceful and nonviolent struggle for independence during the first half of the 20th century, Rahul said.
   "Last year after Sept. 11 I thought the phrase’s patriotic feel was appropriate," he added. "And I thought it should carry over this year."
   In October Rahul was honored by The March of Dimes during a national conference in Washington, D.C., and met President George W. Bush.
   Some of the groups performing Jan. 25 include the choir from High School North; an African American drill team from the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District; the Klez Dispensers, a group of Princeton University musicians who combine Jewish music of Eastern Europe and jazz, and Sarina Jain, the leader of an Indian dance crew from New York who fuses Indian and American dance beats.
   Rahul is the son of Percis and Rakesh Bansal. He has an older brother, Amit, and a twin brother, Rohit, who is also active with The March of Dimes.
   Vande Mataram 2003 is supported by the Indian American Civic Forum, an organization representing Americans from India and the Indian community in America.
For information about tickets and the event, contact Rahul at (609) 799-4537, Ram Kolluri at (609) 799-6303, Shaila Kotak at (609) 799-9034, Pinakin Pathar at (609) 841-0601, Nagendra Racharla at (609) 275-0243 or Bina Shah at (609) 799-3420.