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Brooks Koepka caps a record week with US Open title

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Lottery numbers for Sunday, June 18, 2017.

<p>DALLAS &#8212; An event at Dallas Senior High School on Sunday was all about helping people get a better education, half a world away.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Chapter of Ekal Vidyalaya gathered together Sunday afternoon to hold its eighth fundraiser that celebrated Indian music and dance.</p><p>Dr. Raj Gajula, chapter president, explained that Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement built around providing education for students in rural and tribal India.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of children have no access to schools,&#8221; Gajula said. &#8220;Some come from broken families, and they&#8217;ve learned to become more independent.&#8221;</p><p>A presentation part way through the event, led by the chapter&#8217;s youth leader, Leana Pande, further explained the purpose of Ekal Vidyalaya.</p><p>According to Pande, Ekal Vidyalaya has started nearly 54,000 schools throughout India and parts of Nepal, with around 1.5 million students involved overall.</p><p>Pande said the goal of the single-teacher schools is to eradicate illiteracy and promote social and gender equality in small Indian villages. Approximately 736,000 of the students enrolled are female, and nearly 70 percent of the teachers are women as well.</p><p>Pande said that Ekal Vidyalaya does this without forcing the villagers to abandon their way of life.</p><p>&#8220;Ekal doesn&#8217;t want to replace their lifestyle, but enhance it,&#8221; Pande said.</p><p>Before the event, Pande said that education is vitally important, not just to the people of India, but around the world.</p><p>&#8220;Education is not just a temporary fix; it propels you forward,&#8221; Pande said. &#8220;People lack education, and they talk about things they don&#8217;t know anything about. That causes problems.&#8221;</p><p>The main entertainment for the night was music and dance. First, young dancers from a local group in Dallas, Nitya Rhythm Dance Academy, took the stage.</p><p>Later, they were followed by performers who were themselves students of Ekal Vidyalaya, a first for the cultural celebration. These performers played traditional Indian folk music, dancing for the crowd, all while the audience clapped along. Meanwhile, images of Indian scenery, Hindu gods and a number of cultural figures were projected onto a screen behind them.</p><p>Gajula explained why the performance by the Ekal Vidyalaya students was important, saying that it was proof positive of the foundation&#8217;s success.</p><p>&#8220;You can see the impact at the grassroots level,&#8221; Gajula said.</p><p>Tickets for the event were $35, and pamphlets were available with information on how to make additional donations. Gajula said the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton chapter typically raises around $30,000 annually.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Ekal Vidyalaya movement has started nearly 54,000 schools throughout India and parts of Nepal. Students with the movement dance at a performance Sunday to raise funding for the cause. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061917FolkDancing_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Ekal Vidyalaya movement has started nearly 54,000 schools throughout India and parts of Nepal. Students with the movement dance at a performance Sunday to raise funding for the cause. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061917FolkDancing_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Student performers from the Nitya Rhythm Dance Academy in Dallas dance before the start of the Ekal Vidyalaya movement&#8217;s Indian tribal music concert Sunday at Dallas High School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061917FolkDancing_3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Student performers from the Nitya Rhythm Dance Academy in Dallas dance before the start of the Ekal Vidyalaya movement&#8217;s Indian tribal music concert Sunday at Dallas High School. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061917FolkDancing_1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Performers from the Ekal Vidyalaya movement dance to Indian tribal music during a concert at Dallas High School on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061917FolkDancing_1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Performers from the Ekal Vidyalaya movement dance to Indian tribal music during a concert at Dallas High School on Sunday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6119 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Cultural celebration at Dallas High School raises money for Indian schools