In her speech Morella applauded the hard work and effort of these children and teens had come through to make this night a success. Jokingly she referred to her own kids ':Do you know how hard it is to take nine kids to the Motor Vehicle Association for their drivers license, said Morella."

One of my kids had to take the test four times and each time we had to borrow a smaller car. She finally passed it in a car they don't make any more the Yugo.

Morella serves on a committee that ded- Icates it self to learning and promoting the countries of Southern Asia.

Teens Pia Chowdry, Preshona Ghose and Sahil Sanghv; dressed in colorful tradi- tional costumes as they narrated the show, by explaining each number, which country it originated and the traditions behind the piece.

India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pak- Istan are countries that make up South Asia. Once the flight took off the plane landed in Bangladesh for a glimpse of the country's culture and folklore.

"Aji Bahahal Koria" an Bangladeshi folk dance performed by Moureen Barua and Upama Barua presented a popular Bangladesh folk song by village girls dancing to the beautiful summer season. Next on the trip to Bangladesh was "Mone Robe Kina Amare" a modern dance.

This modern song by popular poet Rabindranath Tagore about the unforgetful love between two indi- viduals was performed by Sylvia Gomez and Kamrul. Captivating and emotional the two performers really captured the love felt between the characters in the song.

The final stop in Bangladesh featured "Aajii Monea Monea Laageh Hori" a poet of Nazural dance . A famous song composed by the great Bangladesh poet and hero Kazi Nazrul Islam the tale was brought to life Pullak Rozario.

Destination: South Asia was up and flying as the plane left Bangladesh and headed for a landing in India. First stop on the tour was in Northwest India. Nisha Aggarwal, Rachna Goei and Shilpi Maheshwari performed "Nimbooda"-Rajusthani Folk Dance.

Rajasthan is a state in Northwest India that is well known for its beautiful palaces and rich colorfulculture. Popular in this state are the desert songs and dances of the village folk. "Jaithiswaram"-Bharat Natyam Classical Dance was the next piece.

Performed by Sumita Nair, Sonia Sekhar and Archana Unnithan, Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest classical dances of India. The style combines rhythmi- cally complicated dancing with Hindu legends told in both song and dance.

With a tour of India complete for the moment Desti- nation: South Asia propels into Sri Lanka with the song "Mamai Mage Deshaya" (Me and My Country) sung by teen Gayathri Kanishka Senarate and accompanied by John Bell (keyboard), Daniel Prabhaker (Tabla) and D.I. Senaratne(violin). A patriotic song expressing emotions and praise for our motherland Sri Lanka, it tells of a people's love for their country.

"Mayura Vannama"-The Peacock Dance was brought to the stage by Dinusha Priadarshini and H.K. Hishani.

This is a dance of the rural damsels with there water pots. Pinky Dias, Gothami Gunasekera, H.K. Hishani, Jehani Jayasinghe, Dinusha Priyadarshini, Devika Vi- malkanth, Manoja Vimalkanth and Nadika Vimalkanth make the village real with their interpretations and movements.

For the final pieces of the evening take the journey back to India where the two most enjoyable dances of the concert were performed. "Dholi Tare Dhol Baaje"-Gu- jarati Dandi captivates the audience with original con- cepts and sounds.

The Dandia originated in the region of Gujarat, located on the western coast of India. This dance follows a particular beat using two sticks, which are hit together, to keep the beat of the music. Dandia is usually per- formed at social events and is often conducted on religious occasions.

Performed by Kirtana Kalavapudi, Ashwati Kun- nath, Sumita Nair, Sonia Sekhar, Archana Unnithan, Sil- pa Thotakur were perfectly synchronized with their sticks to the beat of the music. The result was a highly enjoyable dance that received kudos from the audience.

Movie lover's were certain to enjoy, "Killa B's"-Bol- lywood Dance. Bollywood, India's version of Holly- wood produces hundreds of movies a year. Popular with these movies are songs that are played within the films to add more entertainment for the audience.

Reminiscent of N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys Fredy Comes, Rocky Pender, Andrew Sarkar and Ron Serrao danced with a hip hop flare. Teens and adults alike grooved to the beat along with the members of the band.

In the hallway of the auditorium was a photo gallery depicting life in South Asian countries. Rajan Devadas a world renowned photojournalist feels that Americans tend to show India's poverty instead of the wonderful aspects of his homeland. His photos show India in a positive light focusing on water carriers, farmers, and the friendships between poor and rich children.

Ahimsa Youth Organization was founded in 1997 by Ashish Dashottar of Montgomery County. A non- profit charitable and educational organization, AYO's goals are to promote and educate the people of the Wash- ington D.C. area about the culture of South Asia.

The group focuses mainly on the countries of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Dashottar chose the symbol and the name because of their meaning. The word Ahimsa means non-violence and a Dove represents peace. AYO's Dove has a double meaning.

It not only signifies peace, but the Dove in its posi- tion of flight represents progress and hope-the progress and hope of peace that the citizens of South Asia can achieve by working together and learning from each other.

For AYO information contact the director Ashish Dashottar at 301-984-1674 or write to AhimsaYouth Organization at 604 Farm Pond Lane, Rockville, 20852 and online at http://www.ayo.org/contacts.htm.