The New Jersey Devils, in conjunction with Tulsea Sports Marketing, will honor and welcome the Garden State's South Asian community with a South Asian Cultural Celebration during their game against the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 19.
Fans who purchase the South Asian Cultural Celebration Ticket Pack will receive a free commemorative scarf designed by South Asian designer Raghav Bisrakhia, as well as access to a special pregame VIP Reception.
The VIP Reception will feature New Jersey's own Sway Bhatia, who stars as high school hockey sensation Sofi in Disney's "Mighty Ducks: Game Changers." Bhatia will be one of several guests to be part of a live taping of"Immigrantly: Cross-Cultural Conversations," an award-winning podcast focused on the stories of prominent Asian Americans.
New Jersey native, street graffiti artist and ardent Devils fan SAGE will be unveiling a limited-edition, Devils-inspired digital artwork at the VIP Reception.
The night will also feature musical performances both pregame and at intermissions on the concourse, including dancers and dhols (South Asian double-headed drums), plus music spun by a South Asian DJ.
South Asians have become an important part of the culture of New Jersey. In fact, several towns in New Jersey are led by mayors of South Asian descent, including Hoboken (Ravi Bhalla), West Windsor (Hemant Marathe), Prospect Park (Mohamed Khairullah), and Edison (Sam Joshi).
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has made relations with the South Asian community a priority for his administration, including leading a business delegation on a trip to India in 2019 and sanctioning several follow-up missions in conjunction with economic development organization Choose New Jersey.
Hockey has been the platform for several important sporting milestones, including the only current South Asian player in the major North American sports leagues (Jujhar Khaira with the Chicago Blackhawks), the first South Asian professional athlete in the U.S. (Robin Bawa, who signed with the Washington Capitals in 1987) and the first sport to have dedicated Asian-language broadcast coverage nationally in North America (Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi).
