VISION
To share the wide, varied culture and heritage of India with the communities of the North Carolina Triangle area and beyond through family-oriented cultural events geared toward learning, diversity awareness and inclusivity while helping to build a stronger foundation for our next generation.
MISSION
Hum Sub’s mission is to spread awareness of the social and cultural traditions of India in the Triangle area and beyond. We do so by promoting, supporting and organizing family-oriented events throughout the year that generate greater cultural awareness to build a foundation of inclusivity, harmony and appreciation of the value of diversity amongst our citizenry. Our focal areas include Youth Leadership, Community Outreach, Senior Citizen Inclusion just to name a few. We partner with local arts and cultural agencies, as well as with town governments, so that all our events and activities are easily accessible to the broader Triangle area and include and attract participation from the entire community. Through our yearly events and participation in community activities, we have become a regular fixture in the local cultural scene and have become the organization that represents Indian culture and heritage in the Triangle area.
Hum Sub strives to promote greater awareness of the Indian social and cultural traditions through annual celebrations of Diwali (Festival of Lights held in October each year), Basant Bahar (festival of spring, held in spring each year) and other cultural events. Hum Sub relies entirely on community support and local business sponsorships to make its programs and events possible. For its activities, Hum Sub collaborates with local agencies and other cultural organizations besides working hand–in–hand with local towns. Our programs include stage performances, cultural exhibits, a wide variety of cuisines from local Indian restaurants and craft sales from showcased vendors across the NC Triangle area and nearby states.
How it all began
The Hindi phrase “Hum Sub” means “All of us.” Hum Sub, Inc. was founded in 2001 by a group of Indian Americans living in the Triangle area of NC, to address the growing need to share India’s diverse and colorful cultural heritage with the local community at large.
The founding families were:
- Poonam and Dr. Ajay Ajmani
- Mamta and Pradeep Bisarya
- Madhu and Inder Dev
- Pam and Dilip Gandhi
- Poonam and Gyan Gupta
- Bimal Shah
- Ritu and DK Singh
The group wanted to increase awareness of Indian culture by organizing cultural events. Their idea was to bring the same level of professionalism that people exhibited at work to the organization and produce quality events. After their first successful sold-out event, Basant Bahar held at Green Hope High School, the group approached Lyman Collins, Cultural Arts Manager at the Town of Cary with the idea of organizing an event open to general public with the Town’s partnership. Mr. Collins embraced the idea and the first Cary Diwali was held with at Herb C. Young Community Center attracting a record crowd of over 2500 people. Both the Town of Cary and Hum Sub realized that they would need a bigger venue the following year to host this event and the new Koka Booth Amphitheatre seemed like a good fit. Since then, both Basant Bahar and Cary Diwali have grown both in quality and popularity. Cary Diwali was renamed to Hum Sub Diwali in 2022 and is the Triangle’s signature Indian event and the biggest free-to-attend event in the southeastern United States.