About Us

This free event is open to the general public. This is the largest Indo-American Festival in San Jose. For the past four years, this celebration has grown significantly in popularity and support with an average of 10,000 visitors coming from all over the United States, supported by a live radio broadcast that reaches anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 in-language listeners. Now in its fifth year, the organizers continue to showcase the outdoor festival as an inclusive, multi-cultural diversity celebration that shares its pride and culture with other communities.

THE SAN JOSE PUNJABI MELA’S BEGINNINGS While the 500-plus year old Vaisakhi Mela (Festival), which originated in the Punjab region of India, is a popular world-wide event held in the month of April — an annual religious, cultural, and sports celebration — the “San Jose Punjabi Mela” is meant to recognize and showcase the diverse talents and resources of the Punjab region.

The San Jose Punjabi Mela Committee invites you to “a cultural event with social significance.” In 2003, the Indo-American Senior Center of San Jose, a non-profit organization, organized its own San Jose Mela as a cultural activity benefiting the growing senior community that sought to celebrate its cultural roots in the United States. By this time frame, the founder-organizers had fully established its credibility and reputation, acquiring more participants and supporters, currently averaging 10,000 in attendance, and growing. | In 2006, a committee (a multi-ethnic coalition) that supports the Indo-American Punjabi Community was created to take the festival to the next level: “Celebrating Diverse Cultures.” This year’s San Jose Punjabi Mela Committee is chaired by “Tax Man” Jaswant Jessie.