Annual India Day Parade Held in Iselin; Competing Parade Postponed

It rained on their parade, but hundreds turned out to celebrate India Day in Iselin Sunday afternoon anyway.

Hundreds turned out for the annual celebration of India's independence from British rule, despite a steady downpour that delayed the start of the event.  Another India Day parade in Edison - set to step off at nearly the same time and place as the Iselin parade - was postponed to next Sunday due to the weather.

"I just wanted to come out and enjoy the parade," said Ishaan Jain of North Brunswick, who was walking along the parade route with an umbrella for protection from rain.  "It only happens once a year."

The parade, sponsored by the Indian Business Association, was at the center of a contentious dispute between the group and the Oak Tree Indian Business Association, both of whom applied for permits to host this year's parade.  The result was two separate parades (the OTIBA on Oak Tree Road from Grove Street to the Edison/Iselin border, the IBA in Oak Tree Road in Iselin from Wood Street towards Middlesex Ave.) running at nearly the same time and place, rather than the large, town-straddling parade that typically runs.  At least, that was the plan until the poor weather stepped in, forcing the postponement of the Edison march to next weekend.

The parade stepped off just before 3 PM Sunday, an hour and a half later than the planned 1:30 start time.  A person working at the parade said the delay was due to a combination of the rain and road closures in the area.