The Indian American Coalition of Texas, a nonpartisan organization that promotes closer interaction between Asian Indians in Central Texas and political leaders, is celebrating India's Republic Day on Jan. 28 with an event at Givens Recreation Center, 3811 E. 12th St.

India Republic Day celebrates the day in 1950 when India's Constitution was put into place, three years after the country gained its independence from Great Britain. But event organizers hope to accomplish more than commemoration, said coalition President Debasree DasGupta.

"We live here, and our children are growing up here. They are American citizens, and we want to make sure Indians are involved in more than just the cultural and social stuff. We are trying to get them more involved in political and public affairs," DasGupta said.

The event, which will run from 3-8 p.m., will be the first of its magnitude that the coalition has hosted. Activities will include cultural exhibitions, such as food sampling, demonstrations on how to wrap a sari, a traditional dress worn by females, and the application of henna tattoos.

At 4:30 p.m., Mayor Lee Leffingwell and state Rep. Mark Strama, D-District 50, among others, will speak. Leffingwell is expected to proclaim Jan. 28 as India's Republic Day in Austin.

DasGupta said she thinks having a dialogue with political leaders is important, and cites an incident that took place a few years ago to illustrate why.

"I remember when I was with Indian Community Center, we had a big event at the steps of the Capitol several years ago, and the police department called me up and said they didn't realize there were so many Indians in Austin. They said we needed to get more involved, because when something happens, [the police department] doesn't really know us."

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, among Austin's Asian population, which comprises 6.3 percent of the total population, Asian Indians are the largest ethnic group with a 30 percent share.

For more information, visit https://iactaustin.org/index.html. Admission to the event is free.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that Mayor Lee Leffingwell would proclaim Jan. 28 as Indian American Day. Leffingwell proclaimed Jan. 28 India's Republic Day in Austin.