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Houston Maharashtra Mandal’s “Janata Raja” Enactment on Chhatrapati Shivaji Draws Rave Reviews

The rajyaabhishek (coronation) scene from “Janata Raja” enactment of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s life by Houston Maharashtra Mandal. Here Pandit Gagabhatt (Nitin Gokhale) from Kashi (center) declares Shivaji (Nimish Jagtap) the king on the golden throne as the courtiers cheer as Jijau (Meghana Jadhav), Shivaji’s mother watches from the upper window on the left and Shivshahir (Swanand Deshmukh) rises in the air on the right as he describes the scene in song. Photo credit: Pradnya S Joshi.

BY VARSHA HALABE

HOUSTON: “Janata Raja”, the brain child of Shiv Shaheer Babasaheb Purandare, was presented in all its glory in Houston, as a fund raiser for Houston Maharashtra Mandal’s Vastu Project at the Stafford Center on March 9, 2019.

This is a play depicting the life of Chhatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosale who established the Maratha Empire defeating Adilshahi and Nizamshahi rulers during 1630-1680 AD in Maharashtra, India
The audience’s enthusiastic rave response was totally on par with the amount of work that went into the production.

Actors, directors, backstage artists, property developers, stage set engineers kept at the task for the last six months, putting in tireless hours of work and rehearsals. The last four weekends comprised 12 hours, at a stretch, of practices.
The added challenge to the presentation was that it had to be coordinated to the tee to a pre-recorded track that is strictly copyright protected by Babasaheb. The whole presentation came together flawlessly, making the audience doubt whether these were professionals or local talent! A total over 600 seats were sold, raising a total contribution of $190,000 for the Vastu project.

Babasaheb’s recommended, two established director-actors, Anand Javdekar and Abhishek Jadhav, were invited from India to guide the enthusiastic participants in Houston. The directors worked tirelessly with the local project manager Abhishek Bhat and local director Chaitrali Thote-Gokhale, resulting in an outstanding performance. Most of the actors were performing on stage for the very first time.

The stage set was built locally and was 21 feet tall and 50 feet wide with Goddess Bhavani’s replica projected in the center as Shivaji Maharaj was her ardent follower and disciple
Several anecdotes of Shivajiraje’s life were a part of the play with Jijabai, his mother, being his inspiration and mentor for the creation of “Swarajya” (independence). Shivajiraje Bhosale is like God to the State of Maharashtra and a production like “Janata Raja” further commemorates his bravery, valor, and at the same time, his principles of kindness and generosity.

This is yet another feather in the Houston Maharashtra Mandal’s (HMM) cap, which over the past five years, has really geared up to build its own community center and temple under the direction of HMM Vastu President Rahul Deshmukh and HMM Cultural President Jyotsna Phadke. HMM now have their own land of 11 acres in Rosenberg and have recently built a Sankalp Maruti prayer station, which will be inaugurated in April. As funds accumulate, HMM hopes to build a Siddhi Vinayak temple and a sabhagruha (auditorium) on the property.

More successful ventures/fund raisers like “Janata Raja” should make the Vastu an achievable goal in the near future. Along with the performing artists and the volunteers in the back stage, the Vastu Committee and the “Janata Raja” Marketing team did an outstanding job in raising funds.

March 16, 2019
Houston Maharashtra Mandal Ganesh Festival 2018

HOUSTON: !!Ganapati Bappa Morya!!, an earnest call to Lord Ganesha, roars throughout India and Indian Diaspora during this time of the year as Indians all over the world celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.

Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) celebrated Ganesh Festival on September 22, witnessed by more than 750 devotees dressed in colorful traditional Indian attire. HMM celebrates Ganesh Festival and this year will be remembered for its unique theme that depicted festivals per Hindu calendar month called as “Kaalnirnay – Apale San Apale Utsav”. Indian festivals are like a dispersive prism that unites people from all walks of life.

The celebration started at 3:45 PM with an ornate palanquin procession shouldered by devotees and accompanied by drummers who played percussion instruments, Dhol and Tasha. Devotees accompanied the procession with their beautiful Lezim dance. The program started with an introduction of HMM and its initiatives, and felicitations for the Marathi School (Shala) students. The cultural program started with beautiful songs on Gudhi Padwa and Ram Navami, the Hindu New Year. It was followed by two dances that depicted Aashadi Ekadashi. Kids dressed as Warkaris danced to Dindi and made innocent calls to Gyanba-Tukaram, transcending the audience to a spiritual realm. Similarly, festivals such as Narali Poornima, Krishna Janma, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri, Kojagiri, Diwali, Dutta Jayanti, Magh Ganapati, Mahashivratri and Holi were depicted through dances or songs. Instrumental ensemble with Sitar, Harmonium, Viola, Tabla and keyboard was the most inspiring piece played by young and talented kids.

Bhagyashree Patwari and Tanuja Sahasrabuddhe, the co-leads for cultural activities, led the program from front by active participation, the flow of the program carried through flawlessly by Trupti Nag and Madhura Kelkar. Sri Preston Kulkarni who is running for Congress also was present in the audience. He praised the community for organizing such an event strengthening the linkage of the community with Maharashtra.

The celebration was concluded with traditional arati and prayers with a roar of “Ganapati Bappa Morya” by everyone followed by round of palanquin procession and an even grander Dhol Tasha performance that was mesmerizing and an immersive experience. The minds were further stimulated by the delicacies of Maharashtra such as modak and gulab jamun that were offered at the dinner. One can only imagine how hard the food committee would have worked to ensure smooth serving and dining arrangements. Prajakta Zambare and her team deserve kudos for their relentless efforts. We could also see so many volunteers in action managing audio system, controlling crowd, ensuring orderly event management. These invisibly visible people are always the backbone for success of any such event.

The entire HMM community congratulates the committee members for a yet another fantastic successful event. Huge thanks to the entire HMM committee, President Jyotsna Phadke and Event Manager Rajan Chaudhari who made it possible. HMM welcomes everyone for the next event to celebrate Diwali on October 27.

Please visit http://hmmhouston.org/ for more information.

October 11, 2018
HMM Presentation “Marathi Astitwa” Thrills Music Lovers

HOUSTON: On Sunday, April 29, Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM), fondly known as He Maze Mandal, presented another quality program, Marathi Astitwa, in collaboration with the Graduate Indian Student Organization (GISO) at the University of Houston Student Center. Marathi Astitwa, is a production of Grace Entertainment. HMM Dhol-Tasha team added live music to the program that held the audience spell-bound for over two hours. Here is a review by Dan Mayur.

Marathi Astitwa
Tracing the Evolution of Marathi Culture and Language
through a Mind-expanding, Audio-Visual Bonanza.

Recent years have seen a plethora of Indian cultural programs in the US. There is a beeline of renowned professional artists from India pursuing the lucrative American market fueled by moneyed NRI’s. Most of these programs follow set formulas of Hindustani classical music or Bollywood-style popular entertainment. So it is a special happening when a group of talented artists of our own, local amateurs all, presents an exceptional program, especially one that is conceptualized in a unique way. The musical “Marathi Astitwa” is such an offering. It has received rave reviews and captured many hearts in its recent triumphant tour of the US.

Produced and directed by our beloved, artistic couple, Manasi and Shreyas Bedekar, with music by the very versatile Satyajit Prabhu of Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-fame in India, Marathi Astitwa is a feast with a delightful smorgasbord of exquisite narratives and evocative Folksongs, Bhajans, and Santwani by several accomplished artists drawn from various parts of the US. But the show is not mere entertainment. It is a performance for a purpose delivered with great passion. It is about Marathi Asmita. Marathi Vaibhav. Marathi Theva to be passed on with pride to the next generation.

Marathi Astitwa is a celebration of Maharashtrian culture. And above all, it is about the preservation of the unparalleled beauty of the Marathi Language. A language is beautiful only when it is pure and properly spoken. Social scientists say that language, as the primary means of interaction, is the single most powerful bond that holds a community together and helps define its culture. And culture means social mores and traditions, festivals, food, literature, arts, a shared history and communication. That is why a common language is central to the preservation of culture.

Today, in the fast-paced, globalized, multi-cultural world, the Marathi language and the traditional Maharashtrian culture are under attack. They are, of course, evolving with time but are often in danger of losing their essence. Like Bollywood Hinglish, Manglish (an awkward mix of Marathi and English) is vitiating the Marathi language through such fashionable nonsense like, “Aaga, these days kinai, Marathi words remember karayla khoop difficult jaate.” And the same is true with age-old Maharashtrian values in today’s pseudo Westernized world.

Fortunately, Manasi does not speak Manglish. Dressed in elegant traditional Maharashtrian garb, comely and personable Manasi, who conceived, wrote, and directed the show and narrates it, is very eloquent in her delivery in impeccable Marathi and her delightful diction. Her performance is totally mesmerizing as she leads the audience through the evolution of Marathi culture and language from Dnyaneshwari to the vision of Shivaji Maharaj to the modern times through a mosaic of adored Maharashtrian deities, artists, writers and politicians together with respected luminaries like Lokmanya Tilak and Phule and Karve and Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and Pu. La. Deshpande and Lata Mangeshkar among so many others. The preservation of the very rich cultural heritage left by this galaxy of stars is the primary goal of Marathi Astitwa.

Astitwa is an abstract concept that refers to being or existence or presence. Manasi handles it in a novel way by personifying it into herself as a metaphor for Marathi Culture, the Language and the Land, all combined as she takes us through an exhilarating musical ride into the Warkari and Koli and Shetkari lives, the importance of Ganapati in the Marathi psyche followed by the ascent of Natyasangeet and Marathi Films. Indeed, this is an invaluable cultural treasure. However, like many lost civilizations of the past, it is in decline and may be lost irretrievably unless specific, deliberate measures are taken to safeguard it.

To this end, the show challenges the current generation, indeed all of us, to do our part in creating a cultural awareness and instilling its pride among the Marathi speaking families in the US. At the very minimum, we must respect the Marathi language, use it when appropriate and try to speak it in its pure, proper form. It goes without saying that Marathi organizations like HMM and BMM, whose avowed mission is to preserve Marathi culture, must insist on conducting all their business in Marathi.

Judging from the enthusiastic response, it was eminently clear that the audience loved this outstanding show with a great theme, superb music and brilliant artists. Viju Bhadkamkar with her trademark fluency in her opening remarks and the recital of a very apt Vasant Bapat poem set the stage for the program to follow. The singers Akshay Anavakar from New Jersey, Vibhuti Kavishwar from Seattle and Shreyas Bedekar supported by a very able team of musicians and behind-the-scene technical experts gave a great account of themselves and came through with flying colors.

But Manasi stole the show with her inspiring message in a narration that was music itself – profound, poetic and mellifluous. And she was humorous, particularly when she mimicked vernacular Marathi from various parts of Maharashtra like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Khandesh and Kolhapur. In her a new star has risen on the horizon of the Houston entertainment scene. Standing ovation by the audience testified that the show achieved its goal through its unique blend of art, animation, audio-visual effects, music and message.

Marathi Astitwa and its entire team is worthy of a huge applause and support from not just connoisseurs of great music but, indeed, from all lovers of Maharashtra and Marathi culture.

May 10, 2018
Houston Youth Pays a Tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

By Ameya Wakde

SUGAR LAND: Har Har Mahadev, roared the Maratha soldiers under the leadership of a brave, and fearless warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, winning many battles against the Moghuls. Shivaji Maharaj carved out an enclave from the declining Moghul rule that formed the gåenesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad. He established a competent and progressive civil rule with the help of a disciplined military and well-structured administrative organization. He innovated military tactics and pioneered unconventional methods, which leveraged strategic factors, like geography, speed, and surprise and focused pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies. He revived ancient Hindu political traditions and court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit, rather than Persian, in court and administration. Till date, Shivaji’s birthday is celebrated as Shiv Jayanti with great rigor and traditional style by Maharashtrians.

Maharastrians grow up listening to inspiring stories and history of Chhatrapati. To impart that experience with next generation Houston Marathi Mandal (HMM) organized the event as Shivjayanti celebration in Houston at Cornerstone Elementary School, Sugar Land. Inspired by the memorable stories of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the youth of Houston depicted Maharaj’s important life events through elocution, musical, dance, and art at the event. This event received an overwhelming response from Houston Marathi community. Over 300 people attended the event and enjoyed various cultural programs.

Hats off to all the young participants who eloquently showcased a ferocious and yet magnanimous personality through short speeches. It was amazing to watch US born kids as young as 5 years old reminiscing Shivaji Maharaj’s tales in Marathi language. Thanks to the Marathi school teachers for training these kids so well. While one group presented information about the forts captured by Shivaji Maharaj, the other group presented the song “Vedat Marathe” and “Powada”. There were in all 90 Marathi students who participated in the various cultural events. The entire Marathi generation respectfully salutes Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for upholding Swarajya values and Marathi heritage. The Marathi school initiative is exactly serving the purpose of expanding the Marathi heritage to generations. The event was further embellished by the beautiful art exhibition that ranged from paintings, stories and forts developed by kids and adults.

This pillars of making the program successful were Marathi Shala coordinators, Vivek Chitale, Manjusha Jadhav, Abhishek Bhat, Prasad Kavathekar, Shreyas Bedekar, Manasi Bedekar, all participants and their parents, not to forget the community volunteers who contributed their time and creativity, efforts. Uma Rajguru, Neeta Patwardhan and Sonal Tuljapurkar were the judge panel for elocution and art competitions at the event.

The entire HMM community congratulates the committee members for a yet another fantastic successful event. Huge thanks to HMM committee for organizing Shivjayanti at Houston for very first time in last twenty years. For more details visit http://hmmhouston.org/

March 8, 2018
Houston Maharashtra Mandal’s Poetry Paradise

By Varsha Halabe

HOUSTON:

A rainy afternoon; wet streets and dripping branches, a slight nip in the air and stray renditions of Indian Classical vocal music! What more can one want besides beautiful poetry to accompany it! Around sixty lucky souls witnessed the recitation of the famous Marathi poet and writer Purushottam Shivram Rege’s poetry entitled, “Srujanrang” (Creative Colors) at the First Colony Conference Center in Sugarland on February 10; another of Houston Maharashtra Mandal’s (HMM) endeavors.

The idea and direction was that of Shubhangi Damle, an actress, T.V. personality and a literary/cultural activist visiting from Pune, India. The poems and short, short stories were eloquently presented by her and Houston’s very own Akshay Deshpande, Samir Karandikar, and Anil Rajguru.

Poet and writer, Late Pu.Shi. Rege (1910-1978) despite being an economics graduate from the University of Mumbai and London, his poetry and short stories are a poignant mix of romanticism, symbolism, and bear the strong lust of life. Srujanrang started with a short poem portraying the poet’s thought of writing poetry in order to gauge the limitlessness of, both, his and the reader’s mind.

Rege’s poetry often effeminates nature, as was evident in his poem, entitled, Bolne. Given the time period in which he wrote, his poem, Tu havis hyat na paap (There is no sin in wanting you) is quite revolutionary and an embodiment of listless love. Often, his poetry appears to be the epitome of romanticism and yet effaces all traces of lust or any other negative traits of love.

Rege’s short stories like Supriya or Rajammachi Gosht – Lacchi are symbolic of the traits of the human mind; how it is opportunistic in the former story and how, if conditioned, can be a constant stream of happiness, in the latter. The poet has an uncanny knack of changing adjectives to verbs in order to bring forth the meaning as is evident in his poem Pushkala (Abundancy) where he describes a woman using the word abundant as various parts of Speech.

There is almost sacredness in his poems which at face value seem lustful as is his Lampat Ole Vastra Hoooni (Becoming a Lustful Piece of Clothing). His romantic poems evidently come from the heart and could easily be any girl’s dream of her sweet heart writing them for her. In the short story Ramakakichi Gosht (Story of Ramakaki), Rege once again portrays colors of the human mind; how it can be, both, a ghetto of pride and haughtiness and a house of love and gratitude.

Along with full-length poetry, Rege also wrote short four line poems that brimmed with meaning; for example one that means, “there are only two things we must avoid – you me and me you!” And at the next instant he writes about the three forms of Radha – the fluid, unreachable, like a star in the sky Radha, then the relentlessly in love Radha, and finally the mature, poised Radha who has become one with Krishna, in his poem Tridha Radha (Three Forms of Radha). The last poem presented, Ghadyal (Clock) portrays the poet’s thoughts as life’s dusk approaches and yet the unmistakable romance with life continues.

Bits and parts of the poetry recital had a background score of Indian Classical music – starting with Raag Bhairav and going onto Raag Nand that further accentuated the mood of the poems. The presenters’ traditional attire of colorful kurtas ranging from beige, olive green to bright yellow and red and Mrs. Damle’s chequered silk saree in shades of purple and pink were the icing on the cake.

The presenters very aptly changed the tonal quality of their voices according to the content, which was a treat for the listeners as the meaning came through even stronger. HMM presented token gifts to all the presenters.

This poetic afternoon was a part of HMM’s endeavor, “Joining the Communities” which hopes to offer programs on a range of subjects like health, finance, visual arts, etc. HMM will make an effort to have these programs in various parts of Greater Houston, which will encourage a bigger matrix of attendees.

February 22, 2018
Houston Maharashtra Mandal Celebrates Makar Sankranti 2018 with Overwhelming Response

By Varsha Halabe

HOUSTON: As the shortest day passes us by, the days start getting longer and before you know it, it is Makar Sankrant/Pongal/Udagi that marks the passing of the Sun into the Makar Rashi (Capricorn). This festival is celebrated on January 14th of each year and Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) celebrated it on the Eve of in the gym and cafeteria of West Memorial Elementary School in Katy. The School was on an unassuming, quiet residential street and children and adults were flying kites on the playing fields of the School as the shadows lengthened. The entrance was decorated with garlands of flowers on the door frame and Rangoli on the floor and traditional Shehnai music was playing in the background as one entered.

Young and old were in traditional black sarees or churidars and the HMM Committee, as always, welcomed everyone warmly with a traditional Namaskar followed by “Tilgul ghya aani goad goad bola” in Marathi, meaning help yourselves to the sweet made out of sesame(til) and brown sugar (gul) and talk sweetly to everyone through the year. All the ladies’ foreheads were adorned with red kumkum and yellow haldi (turmeric) and all attendees with fragrant essence put on their hands and hailed with a shower of rosewater. This was the auspicious start to HMM first event of the year.

The set up was in two halls. The first hall had the stage which was decorated with a colorful backdrop and was the spot for small babies under the age of one to have their “Bornahan” (“Bor” meaning a type of edible berry found in India and “nahan” meaning shower) and this ceremony involves pouring sweets, berries, sugarcane and money on the babies’ heads since this is their first season of harvest and it symbolically means that they should grow and flourish in life. The stage was also the spot for babies and toddlers to have their photos taken with jewelry made up of sesame seeds.

This is yet another Sankrant tradition since sesame is typically eaten in the winter to provide enough heat for the body. There were musical chairs with upbeat Bollywood music and games for kids arranged in the first hall that kept the kids busy and smiling. Swarali Panse, a talented teenager, hosted a Quilling workshop that was attended by more than twenty-five kids.

The first hall had stalls with jewelry hand-made by Koumudi Ketkar, a stall hosted by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangha, Aloha Mind Math, Himalayan Blooms selling attractive woolens, Sheetal’s Skincare Studio, Geetham Silks selling beautiful sarees, and the Citizens Climate Lobby that enabled those who wished to express their opinion on Climate change to their local Congressman.

The adjacent hall had food stalls selling all kinds of traditional and street food that included vada-pav, corn bhel, modak, gul polis, green peas kachori, sev batata puri, samosa chaat, malpoa, brownies, cakes, mastani, falooda, solkadhi and much more!

It was a complete treat for food-lovers and mouth-watering snacks kept people moving from stall to stall until their stomachs could handle no more. There was a prize for the best decorated stall and the most popular stall decided by voting. There was a raffle prize too! Cold weather made tea and coffee inevitable and it was served incessantly through the evening by HMM.

The food stalls were run by culinary enthusiasts who are members of the HMM. The stalls were arranged according to the food served such that there was a good mix of sweets and savory. Each stall was numbered in order to aid the voting for the best stall. The flavored modak stall was voted the best stall and the corn bhel stall was voted as most popular. Over 450 people attended this event, making it a huge success.

By, a little past eight o’clock, the food stalls were sold out and started wrapping up for the evening. Attendees looked content and went home with a copy of the upcoming HMM events for the year and an annual calendar printed in Marathi, Kalnirnay (literally meaning the decisions made by Time) listing month by month festivities and birth and death anniversaries of all famous saints, kings, national leaders and freedom-fighters of India.

January 25, 2018
Soor Niragas Ho – A Musical Transcendence by Mahesh Kale

By Dan Mayur & Amey Wakde

HOUSTON: Shri Mahesh Kale, a Consummate musician of Hindustani Classical Music, performed a transcendental rendition at University of Houston on September 23rd 2017. The event was arranged by Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) and Grace Entertainment.

A disciple of the legendary Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, today at 41, Mahesh Kale is undoubtedly the face of Indian classical music of the new generation. True to this reputation, last night Mahesh regaled Houstonians in a mesmerizing musical feast that will linger in our minds for many months to come. Mahesh is a vocalist renowned for his specialization in Hindustani Classical, Semi-Classical, Devotional music and that special genre dearest to the Maharashtrian heart, Natya Sangeet. Last night at his much-awaited concert, Sur Niragas Ho, Mahesh captivated his audience with his amazing rendition. He came through with flying colors holding the audience in a spell-binding performance that lasted for well over three divine hours.

Remarkably, Mahesh is a NRI like most of us and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born and raised in a music-loving family in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra, he began his music education early under the guidance of his mother Meenal Kale. But Mahesh proved to be a born genius. He reportedly gave his first solo performance at the impossible age of 3 leaving an incredulous audience of over 5000 totally stunned by his rendition of a beautiful devotional song. As a teenager, Mahesh trained and blossomed under the tutelage of Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki in a gurukul-like setting. Mahesh has performed in over 1000 concerts all around the world at various places in India, USA, UAE, UK and Southeast Asia. And, of course, he has won many coveted awards the latest being the 63rd Indian National Film Award as the Best Playback Singer for his classical renditions in the popular film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli.

As expected, the highlight of the evening was Mahesh’s tribute to his Guru Jitendra Abhisheki through his most popular songs of the play/movie Katyar Kaljat Ghusali. Mahesh did this in his very unique, trade-mark style of getting the audience fully involved with him. He walked the audience adroitly in a few fun-filled steps of Sargam, got them singing and nodding and lo and behold the audience had constructed the all-time hit song “Gheyi Chhand Makarand”. The ecstatic crowd joined Mahesh in a chorus at appropriate moments for a most unusual experience at a classical concert of this caliber. As the delirious listeners reveled in this musical bonanza, Mahesh went into a transcendental trance of his powerful “alaaps and taanas”. This same scenario continued with his devotional songs Moriya Moriya, Vitthal Vitthal and the brilliant title song of the program Sur Niragas Ho. Mahesh has an amazingly captivating stage presence. His energy level, depth, and maturity of his voice and its range and projection are truly out of the ordinary.

HMM and Grace paid reverence to Mahesh by presenting him a portrait of his own Guru, Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, drawn by Jyotsna Phadke. HMM and Grace paid respect to the stalwart accompanists who improvised to Mahesh’s own improvisation, a complex task to perform – Rajeev Tambe on Harmonium, Vibhav Khandolkar on Tabla, Vinayak Joshi on Pakhawaj, Suryakant Surve on side rhythms and Kedar Gulavani on Violin. The chorus was given by our own Houstonian music connoisseurs Anukool Damle, Rugved Damle, Veena Pol Watve, Sucheta Karandikar, and Trupti Gokhale Naag. Thanks to Rajan Choudhari for camera, Shreyas Bedekar for sound, and Mihir Kulkarni for managing lights.

Undoubtedly, Indian Classical Music is safe in the hands of its new leaders like Mahesh Kale where it is bound to thrive and blossom. People like him do a yeoman service in bringing the incomparable performing arts of India to global audiences. The bottom line, of course, is this – what we will remember for a long time is Mahesh Kale’s vocal dexterity and uncommon talent that made for a most thrilling musical experience.

Thank you Mahesh, thank you Grace Entertainment and thank you Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) for bringing this program to Houston.

The next HMM event is the festival of lights, Diwali, to be held on November 12th 2017 at Student’s Center, University of Houston.

October 6, 2017
HMM Ganesh Festival 2017

HMM Committee

By Amey Wakde

HOUSTON: Houston Marathi Mandal (HMM) celebrated the most awaited Ganesh Festival at VPSS Haveli on September 9th, 2017. More than 720 devotees dressed in colorful traditional Indian attire attended the event to immerse themselves into a celebration of a new beginning through display of art and culture, song and dance. HMM celebrates Ganesh Festival on an annual basis and this year was even more important for the Houston community that had just witnessed the wrath of nature. The community utilized the power of collective consciousness and prayed together to Lord Ganesh, the Remover of Obstacle (Vighnaharta) and the God of Beginnings, urging him to restore prosperity and allow people to create a new happy chapter in their life. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

Dhol Tasha Pathak

The celebration started at 4PM with an ornate palanquin procession shouldered by two devotees and accompanied by drummers who played percussion instruments, Dhol and Tasha. Devotees, that also included the young enthusiasts, accompanied the procession with their beautiful Lezim dance. As we entered the event hall one could see the beautiful decoration of mountains that resembled the Mansarovar; under which the Ganesh idol was placed. Hats off to Trupti Nag for her wonderful contribution in making the abode for the festive idol. Once the devotees gathered inside the hall, people paid their respect to both the nations by singing the US and Indian national anthems. Mandar Phadke gave a welcome speech and the HMM President, Anjou Sathe-Keller, provided updates on the past and upcoming events. Anjou also shared details on HMM collaboration with the non-profit organization – Sewa International; an organization that focuses on disaster recovery and rehabilitation (https://www.sewausa.org/chapter/houston/houston-overview). Gitesh Desai, President of Sewa-Houston talked about Harvey efforts. Certificates of honor were offered to the students from the Marathi school, the directors of the program Dipti Kanhere and Kalpana Sarode, Dhol-Tasha leads Anukool Damle and Swapnil Saraf and comparers Mandar Phadke and Achala Bapat.

Cypress Kids

The most awaited dance performances were presented by 100 volunteers including kids and adults, based on the themes of Maharashtrian folk dances. The preparation for the cultural event started months ago and many of the traditional clothes and jewelry were ordered from India. The cultural event called “Maharashtrachi Lokdhara” was organized by Dipti Kanhere and Kalpana Sarode. Kudos to the cultural committee that created these wonderful memories for us.

Katy Kids

Kids gathered on the stage to chant the powerful hymn of Atharvasheersha. The entire audience stood up to sing Aarti with representatives from all towns around Houston on stage – the blend of sounds and synchronization was so beautiful that it allowed you the space to go on a journey within. The prayers were concluded with a roar of “Ganapati Bappa Morya” by everyone followed by another round of palanquin procession and an even grander Lezim and Percussion instruments procession that went on for more than 30 minutes. It was a mesmerizing and immersive experience that coalesced the chaos of the mind into harmonic order as if to achieve higher energy that became evident from the rhythmic nods, taps, and claps of the people listening around. The minds were further stimulated by the delicacies of Maharashtra such as Modak and Shreekhanda that were offered at the dinner.

The event was indeed memorable. It always encourages the new Houston families who get knitted into this larger Marathi family, to participate and contribute in these events that require enormous amount of dedication and energy. The entire HMM community congratulates the committee members for a yet another fantastic successful event.

The next HMM event “Sur Niragas Ho” by India’s National award-winning vocalist Mahesh Kale is scheduled on 23rd September 2017, 5 pm at University of Houston. Visit http://www.hmmhouston.org for more information.

September 22, 2017
Literary Lingering

By Varsha Halabe

HOUSTON: It was yet another hot afternoon in Houston as more than two scores of literary fans headed to the George Memorial Library in Richmond for another event hosted by the Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM). Everything was grand that afternoon; the library, its setting, the book to be discussed, its setting and story-line.

For many days, this reading and discussion of the book “Vishwasta” written by an IIT Alumni, Vasant Vasant Limaye was being publicized on Facebook, among other sources, and the curiosity factor was high. Jyotsna Phadke welcomed everyone on behalf of HMM and Mr. Limaye was introduced by Mandar Phadke, who would be asking him questions about his book in an informal fashion. Ashish Chougule obliged by being in-charge of the computer operations for the book trailer and summary.

The presentation began with an impressive video portraying the setting and overall plot of “Vishwasta,” followed by another video giving the background of the author as an avid trekker and an unconventional Engineering Alumni from IIT, Powaii. The book trailer was a new and unique element for a book reading. Thereafter, the author Vasant Vasant Limaye talked about his background briefly and then about his book.

Since the book, a Marathi thriller, spanned a time period from the pre-historic era to current day, Mandar’s questions provided good markers along the way. Mr. Limaye, this being his second novel, answered all questions in a professional yet intriguing manner. He was very passionate about his creation, naturally so and proud of the fact that this book is on its way to its third edition. More so, “Vishwasta” has been made into an audio book and is soon to be published in Hindi and English. Mr. Limaye is open to the idea of it being converted into a movie, if the opportunity comes along.

The presentation ended with the audience asking him questions about the attitude of the publishing world and how the plot came to him. This endeavor and creation by Vasant Vasant Limaye is a very good example of what a person coming from a humble background can do based solely on his passion, hard-work, clarity of objective and application of his current profession to his vocation. He does give credit to inputs from experts in many fields like Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande in Indian Classical Music context, as an example. But he also owes it to his inclination of knowing whom to tap for what and when.

HMM honored Mr. Limaye with a small token of appreciation and the audience bought signed copies of “Vishwasta” in all eagerness as they left with “Vishwata’s” plot on their mind.

August 11, 2017
Stage, Lights and Action

By Varsha Halabe

HOUSTON: Growing up, going to see a Marathi play meant wearing a traditional outfit with a jasmine “gajra” in my hair and entering the famous Balgandharva Rangmandir in Pune, India, amidst wafting aromas of perfumes, jasmine flowers and mouth-watering “batatawadaas”. Yesterday was such a day; except I was across the globe in Houston, Texas, at the state-of-the art Berry Center where The Houston Maharashtra Mandal hosted two Marathi plays in one day; a Natyamahotsav as it was called. There was a slight nip in the air, despite the bright sunshine, as attendees entered the Berry Center as early as 9:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning. The Mandal’s Committee greeted us pleasantly in their red and white colored coded outfits; an amalgam of sarees, churidars, palazzos, shirts and kurtas.

The first play was a comedy written by the veteran of Marathi literature, Acharya P.K. Atre, entitled “Moruchi Mavshi” made eternally famous by the likes of Vijay Chavan. It was based on an original English play, “Charles’s Aunt” written by Brandon Thomas in 1893. There was trepidation as to whether Natyagandhar, the acting group from Detroit, would be able to do justice; given the fact that comedies are anyway hard to carry off. However, the audience was very, very pleasantly surprised at the professionalism and the flawless acting by everyone. Abhijit Paradkar, in the role of “Moruchi Mavshi” left an indelible mark in everyone’s mind. The whole team was brilliant with their timing of dialogues, acting, singing (a special mention of Yashodhan Joshi’s “navri natali aga bai supari phutali”), costumes and characterization.

Current affair references were seamlessly blended into the original age-old script, which seemed to come alive as if in its youth. The audience was in fits of laughter as Abhijit flaunted on stage batting his eyelids and fortifying his statements with an accented, “I swear!” More surprising was the fact that the team had last put up a show in 2014 and then enacted it before us with just a month in hand! This play was a perfect example of how good things can be when a group of like-minded, passionate people come together.

Natyagandhar was formed by Abhijit Paradkar and he is their Producer too. This was their 8th show of “Moruchi Mavshi” in the USA and their 50th acting performance. “Moruchi Mavshi” was directed remotely by Connecticut based Chaitanya Puranik over Skype! This group has put together 22 plays so far! Last year, they did a play called “Prayanotsav” for which all elements were indigenous to Natyagandhar; writing, direction, production, costumes, sets, everything.

The afternoon became sluggish with a luncheon buffet provided by Natura on Hillcroft Street owned by Mrs. Nabar. Dishes were adorned with Chhole, Puris, Raita, Kothimbir (Cilantro) Wadi, Masale Bhaat (rice) and luscious looking Orange Sheera. Lunch was served in the Banquet Room called Wild Cats, a slight exaggeration after a heavy Maharashtrian meal. There was, of course, tea to help get rid of the inevitable siesta temptation. But, there were more important things to take care of! Those interested in getting good seats immediately stood in line for the second play.

Volunteers and the Mandal’s Committee members were busy helping set the stage for the second play by a professional group visiting from India. Local Houstonites had built the set from scratch and had been working hard at it for over a month.

The chatter in the queue died down as the doors to the auditorium opened for “Teen Payanchi Sharyat”; the title of the second play written by Abhijit Guru. This was based on an English play, “The Business of Murder” by Richard Harris. The ambience, with dim lighting and cool air, was perfect for a suspense-thriller directed by none other than Vijay Kenkare. The cast, too, comprised well-known names such as Sanjay Narvekar, Lokesh Gupte, and Sharvari Lohokare. Expectations were very high and the audience waited with bated breath for the curtain to open. The script unfolded, taciturn in parts, loud at times, and somewhat predictably. The cast portrayed very good acting and the sound system in the auditorium did justice to the pensive moments.

The evening ended on a well-deserved thank-you note. Once again, The Houston Maharashtra Mandal successfully put together another culturally rich day for all the passionate enthusiasts who attended. There was still broad daylight outside as cars started pulling out of the Berry Center parking lot, making Sunday just a tad bit longer before the work week started, yes, all over again.

April 28, 2017
A Delighful Evening with Radha Mangeshkar and Hrishikesh Ranade

HOUSTON: Houston Maharashtra Mandal hosted another spectacular event of the year, Radha – Hrishikesh Concert, at Berry Center on March 19th, 2017. The enthralled audience was presented with an electrifying performance by the two phenomenal singers, Hrishikesh Ranade and Radha Mangeshkar, and remarkable accompanists, Vikram Bhat, Kedar Paranjage and Vivek Paranjape.

The audience mostly sat captivated during the show as the singers took them on a musical odyssey with songs from the sixties to the latest songs in Hindi and Marathi. Hrishikesh Ranade, an established playback singer in Marathi and Hindi cinema sang some of his signature Marathi songs like, “Kadhi tu” and some old and latest Hindi and songs by Mohammad Rafi, Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, Arijit Singh. The audience rocked and danced to the likes of Mitwa and Zingat. Radha Mangeshkar, daughter of Hridyanath Mangeshkar who hails from the world famous family of Mangeshkars, sang melodious songs like “Tujhase Naraaz nahee”, “Mera Saya Saath “, “Kahee deep jale kahee din”, and the catchy evergreen Marathi lavani “ Padala piklay ammba”. The concert was enjoyed by all with lots of “once mores” and audience participation.The artists were felicitated with Texas mugs as a remembrance gift.

From stage decoration to lights and sound systems, from front desk to ushering, and babysitting services were managed flawlessly by the dedicated HMM 2017 committee members. A big thankyou to our treasurer Jyotsana Phadke for hosting the artists. HMM 2017 Committee would like to thank all attendees, dedicated HMM volunteers, and Berry Center Staff. Thanks to Vidyadhar Jangale and Alpesh Thotte for taking beautiful memorable photographs of the event. The pictures of the event can be found on our website at www.hmmhouston.org.

Our next event will be “NatyaMahotsava” , showcasing two dramas, a suspense thriller “Teen Payanchi Sharyat” by Suyog, nominated for 6 Zee Gaurav Puraskars, and a light hearted comedy appropriate for all ages drama, “Moruchi Moushi” by Natyagandhar, a North American Drama group on 23rd April 2017 at Berry Center.

For more information and ticket details please visit our website at www.hmmhouston.org

April 7, 2017
Houston Maharashtra Mandal Sankrant Event 2017

By Pooja Gokhale

HOUSTON: Houston Maharashtra Mandal celebrated the Makar Sankrant event with great pomp and show on January 21, at Shri Radha Krishna Hall. The event was a huge success with over 500 attendees.

Makar Sankrant is celebrated every year in the month of January. It marks the end of winter and beginning of harvest season in India. In Maharashtra, haldi kunku by married women and kite flying by kids hold significance during Sankrant. Tilgul, a sweet made from jaggery and sesame seeds is distributed by people amongst themselves.

The HMM Sankrant event attendees were welcomed by the committee members to a hall adorned with beautiful decorations including kites, garlands, lights, flowers, rangoli and sarees. The attendees after checking in at the front desk were offered tilgul. Ladies were welcomed with haldi kunku and were presented vaan, tilgul and Marathi calendar.

The event started with an opening speech by HMM President Anjou Sathe Keller, followed by a two minutes silence in the remembrance of Tabla maestro Dexter Raghunanan.

The cultural event for the first time featured a fashion show. Little girls wearing traditional 9 yard sarees and little boys wearing pajama kurtas walked the ramp on the beats of authentic Marathi music. Ladies showcased black sarees, as is customary during Sankrant, draped in different styles. The fashion show was highly appreciated by the audience.

Following the fashion show “Bornahan” was organized for little kids. The kids wearing traditional attire and white beads jewelry were showered with white sugar balls, popcorns and candies. Parents were thrilled to see their little ones and captured all the moments that they could. Every hour, raffle prizes were announced which were given away by our sponsors.

Along with the activities being performed on stage the event had 21 stalls comprising of food, games, home décor, clothes, jewelry, kite making and henna application. The food stalls featured traditional Marathi delicacies like gul poli, modak, etc. The patrons dressed in beautiful attires also enjoyed other delicious mouthwatering foods like jhunaka bhakar, dahi vada, bhel, dahi puri, and many more. Thirst quenchers like kokam sherbet and sol kadhee were welcoming.

The event culminated with fun filled games for kids, which included sack race, three legged race and musical chairs. The enthusiasm shown by kids was unparalleled. The adults also tried their luck in musical chairs.

The effort, enthusiasm, exceptional creativity and great teamwork of HMM 2017 committee made the event successful. HMM 2017 committee would like to take the opportunity to thank all our attendees, HMM volunteers, Shri Radha Krishna Hall patrons and HMM sponsors and Raffle sponsors. We would like to extend our special thanks to Alings’, Vishala and Bombay Bazaar for their continued support.

Our next event Marathi Movie “Ti Sadhya Kay Karate will be screened at Palladium Theatre on February 4, 2017. For more details and ticket purchase please visit our website at www.hmmhouston.org.

January 26, 2017
“Ventilator” Marathi Movie

By Ravi Ozarker

HOUSTON: When you hear about famous Bollywood personalities such as Priyanka Chopra, Ashutosh Gowariker, and Boman Irani what comes to a reader’s mind? The recent super-hit Marathi movie “Ventilator” is very different. All three have acted in this movie and Priyanka has beautifully sung a great song to promote her latest movie “Ventilator”.

The director and producer has focused on acting and dialog delivery and other very important elements of film making to get a beautiful message across. Ashutosh has proved himself as an effective actor (in the role of Raja Kamerkar) in this movie along with several famous Marathi stars, Jitendra Joshi as Prasanna Kamerkar, Sulabha Arya as Manda (Prasanna’s Mother), Sukanya Kulkarni-Mone as Sarika (Prasanna’s Sister), Viju Khote as Shirish Appa, Sanjiv Shah, Nilesh Divekar, Rahul Solapurkar, Shashank Shende, Achyut Potdar, Usha Nadkarni as Akka, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi as Pritam, Swati Chitnis as Indu, Satish Alekar as Bhau (Raja’s father), Deepak Shirke as Aatma Dhadke, Boman Irani as Dr. Shroff, Priyanka Chopra as herself. Simply an amazing movie that revolves around “family” and bound to touch your hearts and make you laugh also. What is a “family” and what is a “relationship”? Ventilator is another Marathi film of deep emotional worth, which challenges our long-standing notions of the joint family system. It promotes true Indian values and how Indian families are. This is a “must watch” movie for all age groups if you get a chance!

“Ventiltor” is Directed by Rajesh Mapuskar who has directed the famous movie “Ferrari ki Sawaari” and also worked on other famous movie such as “3 idiots”, “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”, and “Munna Bhai MBBS”. Ashutosh Gowarikar who is in the lead role in this movie needs no introduction as he has Lagaan (2001), Swades (2004), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), What’s Your Raashee (2009), Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) and Mohenjo Daro (2016) under his belt. Yet he has a very friendly and down to earth personality which is probably his recipe of his massive success. Priyanka Chopra also does not need an introduction as an Indian actress, singer, film producer, philanthropist, and the winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant (e.g. Priyanka Chopra acted as Kashibai in epic historical romance film “Bajirao Mastani” in 2015.). Truly multi-talented personality. One of India’s highest-paid and most popular celebrities, Chopra has received numerous awards, including a National Film Award and five Filmfare Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honored her with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She has sung the “Baba” (i.e. Father in Marathi) song in Marathi extremely well which will instantly remind you about your own Father.

Ventilator Marathi Movie was screened by Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) on December 11, at Palladium Theatre. More than 300 people attended this movie screening which began with a video prepared by HMM showcasing their 14 super hit events of the year and thanking all their attendees, sponsors, volunteers, supporters and committee members. Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) has been screening Marathi Movies, organizing Marathi nataks/dramas/dances/musical shows, celebrating Indian festivals, organizing sporting events, organizing social services/community services events in the City of Houston for the past 40 Years! In 2016, Sukanya Kulkarni-Mone who has acted as Sarika (Prasanna’s Sister) in the “Ventilator” Movie had also acted in the famous “Selfie” Natak/Drama hosted by Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM).

HMM 2016 President, Megha Ozarker thanked all the attendees for all their massive support this year and urged attendees to do the same for HMM 2017 President, Anjou Sathe Keller and her team. The HMM 2017 has already planned very exciting events and the first event will be HMM Sankarat Event in January 2017.

December 15, 2016
HMM 40th Anniversary “Diwali Dhamakedar” Celebrations

By Amey Wakde

KATY: Diwali is one of the largest festivals celebrated across all cultures in India and Indian diaspora. It is a festival of lights that symbolizes inner spiritual victory over the dark ignorance. HMM (Houston Maharashtra Mandal) had a grand Diwali celebration on November 12, at the James William Elementary School, Katy TX. The celebration was graced by the presence of more than 400+ people.

The entrance was dazzled with lamps and beautiful rangolis. Multiple booths depicting herbal henna art, jewelry, organic line of Indian groceries and bio degradable products, sarees, and food were keeping people busy. The Diwali ‘faral’ which is a plate with variety of Indian savories and sweets was distributed early on with hot Indian chai. The celebration created an ever lasting impression on people because of the hard work and creative enthusiasm of 50+ participants and volunteers who showed their dedication over the past two plus months in preparation for this grandeur.

The celebration was important this year because it marked HMM’s 40th anniversary. It started with the Ganesh Vandana choreographed by Manjusha Jadhav followed by honoring all the past 19 out of 36 former presidents who year after year anchored the Marathi community very close to their homeland by organizing excellent cultural events and arranging scrumptious Maharashtrian food. Uma Rajguru had written a Powada (i.e. a genre of Marathi poetry) and she sang it along with 19 HMM former Presidents as chorus singers. Ajay Kothi and Gandhar Kothi were the emcees for the evening.

It was followed by recognizing individuals with extraordinary achievement awards for their outstanding performances in jobs, academics and sports. Kashinath Patil was awarded a recognition for his contributions to the field of Chemical Engineering after graduating from the first batch of renowned Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Shardul Ahire was recognized for his talent after being selected by USACA in the under 14 national cricket team. A magic show was organized that kept the kids entertained and happy. Magician Robert Barry performed a totally unique comedy show packed full of fun & surprises for all ages.There were multiple Bollywood Tadka dance performances choregraphed by Manjusha Jadhav, Parija Dighe Guha, Bhakti Naik Wakde, Abhishek Bhat with performers in colorful traditional costumes and the most elegant – nine yard sarees. There was a wonderful performance by the committee members in a Marathi play “Diwali karuya vegali style” which was written and directed by Megha and Ravi Ozarker. A surprise community flash mob on famous Marathi song “Zhingat” towards the end gave a unique experience to this year’s cultural event. Overall it was an everlasting experience that each one took along with them.The cultural event was followed by yummy food which was served by Mirch Masala.

HMM would like to thank Samir Patil and Rajesh Thatte for capturing the best snapshots from the show.

The entire Marathi community congratulated the current year President Megha Ozarker and committee for organizing outstanding events this year.

Diwali is a harbinger of the beginning of next year’s celebration and hence a formation of a new group of enthusiasts who would once again strive to make another year of memorable events. New Committee was announced and Anjou Sathe Keller was handed the baton to take forward the next year’s celebration to new heights.

HMM’s last and 14th event this year is the screening of new Marathi movie “Ventilator” (with English subtitles) which will be screened on December 11 th 2016 at the Palladium Katy.

November 23, 2016
Grandeur of Ganeshotsav Celebration by Houston Marathi Mandal (HMM)!

By Ameya Wakde

HOUSTON: “Bappa Morya” – a heartfelt call to Lord Ganesh ran in the air. It was that time of the year when houses of most of the Indian families came alive to the sound of festive preparation. Kids and elders indulged themselves in preparation of a clay idol adorned creatively with colors and jewelry and the homes filled with aroma of scrumptious food.

Like every year, this year too HMM (Houston Marathi Mandal – www.hmmhouston.org) celebrated Ganeshotsav festival with full enthusiasm on Sep 10, at VPSS Hall, 11715 Bellfort Village Dr, Houston, TX. It was a sold-out event with more than 700 people in attendance. Preparations started 2 months in advance of the festival where almost 100 participants and volunteers worked hard to make the celebration eventful. The event was telecasted live with viewers from all over US, UK and India.

The celebration started sharp 3.30 pm with miravnuk which is a procession to welcome Lord Ganesh. This procession was led by Dhol-Tasha (percussion instruments) group and Lezim (musical instrument with jingling cymbals) group who went all the way to give a grand welcome to their favorite Ganapati Bappa with their energetic performances. HMM president Megha Ozarker welcomed everyone with her speech with more information on Marathi Shala and Vaastu. This was followed with a Marathi drama (Directed By Chaitrali Gokhale Thote) with dance performances that walked us through some of the important life events of Lord Ganesh. The young ones were simply phenomenal and fluent in Marathi – well-groomed by their parents and teachers from Houston’s Marathi school.

Towards the end we had Ganesh aarti (prayer) where everyone in the audience stood up and collectively chanted in reverence of the Lord. This was followed by scrumptious Maharashtrian food with Modak and Amras being the most indispensable dishes.

HMM extends its heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors, participants and wonderful audience for their generous support.

HMM is a non-profit organization that has been organizing Maharashtrian cultural events, encouraging Maharashtrian arts and promoting the Marathi language in the Houston area since 1976.

The next event in the HMM calendar is the “Diwali Dhamaka” details of the same can be found on HMM website.

September 16, 2016
HMM Celebrates Maharashtrian Padwa

By Shilpa Nagle

HOUSTON: Houston Maharashtra Mandal organized yet another great program on the occasion of Gudi Padawa, Hindu new year. Almost 250 people attended the event.

This event started with traditional way by performing Gudi pooja, by two elderly couples from community. The importance of Gudi Padawa and introduction of program was nicely narrated by Achala Bapat. (Vice President, HMM 2016)

Program based on very unique and innovative idea by Nishad Kanhere.

“Apan Hyana Aikalt Ka?” (“Have you ever heard them?”)

It’s featured on finding out hidden talent of Marathi community in Houston. Actually not hidden talent but a talented persons who have not performed in any of the HMM’s program till date. Because of this these talent was unknown to most of the community.

Shekhar Phatak, Neha Dikshit , Amit Parchure, Deepali Kulkarni, Vrunda Manake. These singers accompanied with awesome musicians, Nishad Kanhere and Prasanna Joshi on Tabala, Shekhar Phatak on Harmonium, and Mandar Phadake on Harmonium and Organ, actually rocked the stage. The program was very nicely anchored by Dipti Kanhere and Akshay Deshpande.

One of the highlights was an Organ, a traditional instrument. It’s just like a Harmonium, but it is played sitting on the chair, like piano. This organ is made by a Houston based Mr. Mohan Ketakar, who was also one of the supportive musician.(popularly known as Ketakar kaka.) . And it’s very nicely played by Mandar Phadake.

To make this event unforgettable, a team of photographers worked hard to capture moments. They are Ravi Ozarker, Rajesh Thatte and Abhijit Dikshit.

After this heartwarming and ear soothing program everyone was pleased with the delicious Maharashtrian food from Bhojan with special sweet Shrikhand, Puri and ending with Paan.

Now HMM is ready with one another event on May 15, “Anand Gandharva”. Tickets are available online on hmmhouston.org.

Every program is a great success with the great supporters.

HMM president Megha Ozarker thanked the members, non-members, attendees, volunteers, and all the sponsors who are always there with HMM.

And three cheers to all HMM 2016 Committee Team Members whose great efforts are always behind every successful event.

April 21, 2016
HMM Celebrates Holi

By Megha Ozarker

HOUSTON: On March 20, Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) celebrated Holi/Rangapanchmi at Bear Creek Park in Houston. HMM Committee Members greeted guests by applying dry herbal colors on their faces and wishing them “Happy Holi”. The weather was just picture perfect and sunny for adults and kids to enjoy the Holi event using dry colors and water. Attendees participated in exciting games and dances. Attendees danced on popular Bollywood and Marathi songs while children were busy playing with water. Puran Poli, prepared by HMM Member Sonali Kulkarni was offered to all attendees along with tasty thali from HMM Platinum Sponsor Maharaja Bhog.

Some attendees from Pune, India commented that they were returning back to India the next day but decided to attend HMM Holi Event. They said that HMM Holi was better organized than Holi events they have seen in India which was a great compliment for the team for the 20 hardworking and enthusiastic committee members/volunteers. HMM would like to thank all attendees, volunteers, sponsors, and committee members who made this event so successful. On the auspicious day of Gudi Padwa, April 9, 2016 (i.e. first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year and the actual date of Gudi Padwa) HMM Committee has planned an exciting and first musical event of 2016!

Apan Hyanna Aikalat Ka? introduces new talented vocalists whom you have never heard sing before.

For more information about HMM, please visit www.hmmhouston.org.

March 24, 2016
Natasamrat: Asa Nat Hone Nahi

By Nishad Kanhere

HOUSTON: Thanks to Houston Marathi Mandal for arranging a screening of this wonderful movie “Natasamrat – Asa Nat hone nahi” for its Houston audience which was recently released in India.

Nearly 550+ enthusiast Houstonians experienced the screening of this movie at AMC Dunvale on Sunday, January 31, at 1 PM. Everyone were amused and satisfied with the smooth check-in and overall arrangement for the movie by Houston Marathi Mandal volunteers. Barricades were placed with the movie posters for the convenience of the attendees to form a queue to avoid the chaos during check-in process. Sankranti vaan was given to the HMM members at the front desk who could not make it to the Makar Sankranti event on January 16.

Inspite of so many obstacles before this movie screening HMM team proved the saying “The Show must go on”.

Event started sharp at 1 PM. HMM president Megha Ozarker welcomed everyone and introduced 2016 committee with a short video clip. The video clip of the Vastu progress and 2017 BMM convention invitation video clips were presented following that.

Natsamrat (The Emperor of Theater) is a 2016 Marathi language film featuring Nana Patekar in the leading role. It is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and produced by Nana Patekar and Vishwas Joshi under the banner of Great Maratha Entertainment, Gajanan Chitra and Fincraft Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. The film was officially released in India on Jan 1, to popular and critical acclaim while recording biggest opening in Marathi cinema.

The film is a tragedy about a veteran theatre actor named Ganpat “Appa” Belwalkar (Nana Patekar) who has been an acclaimed theater actor during his day, garnering fame and fortune acting in plays based on various works, especially William Shakespeare’s. He bequeaths all of his wealth to his children. Appa never keeps anything to himself & express his views very frankly. He doesn’t mind adding expletives while expressing his views. Only his close friend Ram & his wife are able to understand his nature. His daughter-in-law Neha & son doesn’t seem to appreciate his frank nature, which at times becomes embarrassing to them when they have guests or their daughter hurls expletives in school. The high point in their relationship comes when their granddaughter performs a folk dance taught by Appa, which is not appreciated by his daughter-in-law Neha. An argument follows between them when they return home & Neha slaps her daughter. Next day Neha proposes to part their ways by moving out, a ploy in which she anticipates Appa to grant them their space. Appa see’s through her plan and decides to move out, while passing on a comment to his son “The whole world is a stage & unfortunately my son my part is a sad one.”

Chowpaty Chat and Kurrywala restaurant, were the HMM sponsors for the event, for providing the food items at a discounted rate before and after the event for the HMM members on showing their membership cards.

Everyone enjoyed the movie and the hospitality by HMM volunteers. This was a sold out event and due to overwhelming response by the Marathi crowd in Houston, HMM decided to go with its 2nd screening on February 21, at 2 PM.

The details and online ticketing will be available on the HMM website. For the photos and the videos of the event please visit: www.hmmhouston.org

February 18, 2016
HMM’s Ganapati Festival: A Cinematic Salute to Maharashtra

Photos: Rajesh Thatte

By Neeta Bhate Patwardhan

HOUSTON: This year’s HMM Ganapati festival was a proud tribute to culture that has survived the dual threats of time and a new homeland. Each generation re-imagines festivals altering ever so slightly the original flavor, till one no longer even remembers why they take place. It was refreshing therefore to experience in all its authenticity, a festival made public by Lokmanya Tilak in 1894.

The reverberations of Dhol, Taasha, Lezim led by Swapnil Saraf, Sangeeta Panse and Sharmila Moharir gave the evening a resounding start.

The main program, a reenergized performance of “Ganapati Gauri Pandhari” (GGP) that Houston had so loved 10 years ago captivated an audience of more than 800 at the VPSS hall on Saturday September 26th. The show, a multimedia collaboration intertwined several magical elements: music, the visual poetry of dance and storytelling to deliver its message.

Conceptualized by Vivek Chitale and co-directed by Madhura Swadi the grand production took us on an evocative journey into the remote reaches of Maharashtra through the artistry of 120 Houstonians, both adults and children.

In Samir Karandikar’s intelligently crafted skit, young boys visited the Ashta Vinayak circuit. Color and exuberant movements exploded through transcendent dances choreographed with emotional depth by Madhura Swadi, Rupa Aranke, Sheetal Hengle and Manjusha Jadhav. Raw energy and simple joy swirled together as dancers paid homage to Ganapati, Gauri and Vitthal, the three deities associated with many festivals of Maharashtra.

Seamless integration of music and dance is no easy task. Vivek Chitale and Ravi Kolhatkar led a team of musicians, the heart of the production that delivered with finesse.

Excellent food (including steamed modaks) and logistics by HMM made for a memorable evening.

In the tango between music and dance, novice and seasoned performers, storytelling and acting, between the past and future, somewhere in the juxtaposition of these contrasts, lies the elemental truth. The triumphant power of community coming together will surely be the lasting legacy of GGP.

The great mystery of immigration is an even stronger need to keep home alive. Immigrants constantly flirt with the romantic notion that home is elusive, perhaps as ethereal as the glow of a distant horizon.

This year’s Ganapati was a testament to all we’ve held onto and hope that our children will too. It reminds us that home is an intangible concept, a figment of where our imagination chooses to anchor us. It is neither here nor there but rooted everywhere within our communities, the heritage we keep alive and the freedom that makes it possible for us to celebrate with pride.

October 1, 2015
HMM Celebrates Makar Sankrant

By Neeta Patwardhan

HOUSTON: Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) got off to a sizzling start in the New Year by welcoming more than six hundred guests to their annual Makar Sankrant celebration. Held at Durga Bari on January 17, the event celebrated the diverse taste of Maharashtra.

Incoming President, Bhagyashree Dixit thanked the Maharashtrian community for their overwhelming response and expressed gratitude to HMM sponsors. The 2015 platinum sponsors were KT Bombay Bazaar and CGS IT Staffing Services. Gold sponsors included Vishala Grocers and Maharaja Bhog restaurant. Additionally, Aling’s Hakka, KT Bombay Bazaar, Vishala Grocers, Maharaja Bhog, Udipi Café, Radha Ravala and Ayesha’s Salon contributed raffle prizes.

The event, a tour de force of Maharashtrian cuisine included more than twenty stations with enthusiastic participants serving up their favorite family recipes from “Thalipeeth,” (multigrain pancakes) served with a fiery “Kolaphuri Thecha” to “Panhe,” a sweet, summertime beverage made from raw mangos, and laced with cardamom.

All time chowpatty favorites, “Vada Pav,” “Pani-Puri” and “Bhel” were devoured with delight. As low temperatures hovered outside, these zesty dishes with an explosion of flavors warmed up more than just our hearts. No gastronomic excursion of Maharashtra would be complete without steamed “Modaks” and “Puran Poli,” calming antidotes to otherwise spicy fare.

Ladies were welcomed with time-honored Haldi-Kunku and received “Tilgul” (sesame sweets). All HMM members received “Waan,” a gift of bright candle holders and a copy of Kalnirnay, the best selling calendar that documents festivals and auspicious days.

Younger kids took part in Bor Nhaan, a custom where they are showered with the new crop of the season. The idea behind this ancient practice was to introduce toddlers to new food.

New brides had the opportunity to partake in a long standing Maharashtrian tradition – to be photographed in delicate jewelry made from “Halwa,” (sugar beads).

In popular lore, Makar Sankrant celebrates the harvest and bounty we receive from the earth. In so doing, it should also serve as a gentle reminder to remain conscious in our every day interactions with the planet we inhabit.

More importantly, Sankrant represents movement. Makar Sankrant marks an astrologically significant movement in the skies. This shift in the zodiac brings about a change in the way we embrace the world. We are all travelers after all, moving constantly in search of new places, meaningful experiences and wisdom that might further enrich our journeys.

This festival marks the beginning of spring, with a renewed promise of warmer and longer days ahead. At the end of a chilly spell, when Houstonians were more than ready to let go of our unusually cold winter, the warmth of HMM’s 2015 Makar Sankrant was definitely one to be savored.

January 22, 2015