Indo American News

Tag: India Culture Center

ICC Builds Bridges Across Communities at Packed Cultural Event

By Parul Fernandes

HOUSTON: WOW! WOW!! WOW!!! The cultural show, “Building Bridges by celebrating Diwali” was a breathtaking show that the India Culture Center put up at VPSS Hall at 11175 W. Belfort Village Drive. What a show and what a unifying concept of Building Bridges! Asian countries like Vietnam, Philippines and China participated because they too want to build bridges with Indians through culture. The Consul General of India, Aseem Mahajan; Deputy Consul General of Vietnam Lai Thai Binh; Mayor of Stafford Cecil Willis Jr.; Council Member of Stafford Alice Chen and Ft Bend County Court 3 Judge Juli Mathew graced the occasion with their presence

“Everyone thinks that only engineers build bridges, but that is not true,” said ICC President Jasmeeta Singh. “Cultural organizations play a vital part in building bridges among people of different groups. At India Culture Center, when the idea of doing something different and unique was thought of, we thought about our neighbors from different countries and how ignorant we were of each others’ cultures.”

Also, since it is the month of Diwali for the Indian Diaspora. In America – the land of immigrants – it is very important that we live peacefully while maintaining our identity. Therefore, it is important to participate in cross-cultural celebrations. As Parul Fernandes Event Chair said, “What is Culture? Culture is the way we live- we dance and sing and eat and speak and celebrate our festivals. Culture is the way of life.”

The program was an immense success because before the actual cultural program started there were vendors selling jewelry, clothes and other wares. There was also a beautiful Rangoli done on the floor at the entrance by Yogina Patel, a traditional Indian welcome design. Partnering organizations also got a chance to present themselves, and Indian Seniors Citizens Association received an award.

The show started with Bindis and Bangles Fashion Show, depicting the modern dresses that Indians wear today, choreographed by Jasmeeta Singh, followed by Tiny tots, ages 4-10 dancing to choreography by Arzan Gonda, Executive Director of Rhythm India dance school and the famous action packed Vietnamese Lion Dance choreographed by Alex Tran. The Lion Dance even went into the audience, which was thrilled to see them at close quarters.

Interspersed with Indian dances from Aditi Dance Sensation and Swagata Dance School by Maumita Chaudhary, was Sheralin Salas’ Pilipino dance called Pandanggo Sa Ilaw. Interspersed by Nrtyakalpana Dance group by Kalpana Bora, Shivangini Academy by Shiv Mathur, and Kathak Beats by Manjusha Jadhav was Chinese Eastern Pearls Community Associations elegant and poised display, all female troupe of performers. Rhythm India had another group of older dancers who did Bollywood style dancing bringing the fast beat in our hearts. The 5-hour program and show ended with Divyaa Unni’s Sreepadam Performing Arts dancers and the upbeat vigorous Garba dance by Deep Patel and group.

Thanks goes to the Houston Arts Alliance and City of Houston for partially funding the program. Thanks also goes to VPSS, Rasesh Dalal and Nimish Seth, ICC Event co- chair, for logistics.

No doubt that the ICC team comprising of Gaurav Javeri, Pavanna Gadde, Hemant Patel, Dr Falguni Gandhi, Praful Gandhi, Lachhsman Das, Girish bhai, Dr. Upadhaya, Nirmalaji and Shobhana along with many other volunteers contributed their time and energy to assisting the ICC President Jasmeeta Singh and Event Chair Parul Fernandes to showcase the Building Bridges concept. The ICC hopes to continue their efforts with “Building Bridges” in the coming years as it believes strongly in the concept, “One World, One Family”

November 19, 2021
Community Organizations Help Houstonians Recover from Deep Freeze

From left — Raghav (Silver Heart Care volunteer coordinator), ICC Director Hemant Kumar, TX State Rep Gene Wu, ICC President Jasmeeta Singh, ICC Trustee Manisha Gandhi, ABC channel13 Miya Shay and ICC Director Dr. KD Upadhyay.

Houston: Several South Asian community organizations gathered their resources to help the needy of Houston to survive the challenges of the Texas deep freeze last week. Among these organizations included India Culture Center, Sewa International and Dawoody Bohra Community of Houston.

India Culture Center addressed the need to help Seniors by providing about 400 hot lunches from two local Indo-American restaurants and distributed among the neediest people at Bellerive Senior Apartments, Lafayette Plaza Apartment Senior living, and at a local school where ICC leaders and volunteer members joined the local State Representative Honorable Gene Wu along with channel ABC 13 reporter Miya Shay, who lead this initiative to ensure that any and all who needed food got served which was sponsored by ICC. ICC President Jasmeeta Singh said, “We were glad to be part of this big initiative in a small way. ICC is playing a meaningful role in the local community.”

Sewa International, which had already mobilized to help the commnity to meet the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, quickly rose to help with problems arising from the frigid weather. Sewa created an area-specific list of plumbers to fix burst pipes. Volunteers were able to fix 13+ homes on at least temporary basis.

In other specific instances, Sewa volunteers helped a young couple in west Houston with loss of electric power. The woman was 8-months pregnant.

A lady from Phoenix asked for assisstance with her senior parents who had no electric power or water. Sewa arranged for the seniors to stay with another family, which had the necessary utilities. Temporary accommodations were found for several other families.

Sewa also assisted a 90-year-old couple. The husband was on oxygen support with his life in danger without power and oxygen cannisters. Sewa also set up food and water distribution sites.

Consul General Aseem Mahajan joined Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in food distribution drives organized by the Dawoodi Bohra community of Houston. Many Indian-Americans in the Houston area helped each other and their neighbors in coping with the challenges of frigid weather.

ICC President Jasmeeta Singh (second from left) with teenage Silver Heart Care voluntters at a local senior facility.

CG Aseem Mahajan speaking at the food distribution event organized by the Dawoodi Bohra community. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also spoke (right).

February 24, 2021
Sunny Day Brings Out Many to Celebrate India’s Republic Day

A scene from the ICC Republic Day celebration

STAFFORD: Blessed with warm temperatures and sunny skies, a stream of people came through the Stafford Civic Centre all afternoon long, till the late evening to participate in the first large community-wide event of the year, India’s Republic Day celebration. One of its two flagship events, the India Culture Center once again held the celebration of the 70th Republic Day with a now familiar setup of booths and stage shows, making it cozy for the regulars who attend and easier on the vendors who go through their often practised paces.

The organizers were likewise heartened by the turnout and especially that people lingered on till the end of the cultural programs which started after 5:30. “Success is sweet, but it’s sweeter when its achieved thorough co-ordination, cooperation, collaboration and teamwork,” said ICC President Nisha Mirani afterwards in thanking her Board and volunteers, and especially the 13 year-old Eesha Dhairyawan who assisted her throughout the day.

The doors opened at 2pm and right after the initial welcome remarks dived into the Mom & Me talent contest organized by Jasmeeta Singh who has often pulled together such shows for the ICC programs. The entries were six teams of moms and their young children performing dances, songs, musical instruments and other routines; all much appreciated by the audience.
Santosh Varma and Ajit Patel (he was dressed in a 70s style retro outfit) had organized an ICC Idol 2019 contest that projected many talented individuals and groups on stage. Other segments featured performers like the much-followed popular Mukhti Band of senior citizens who sat onstage and sang several songs while playing hand cymbals and other instruments.

Charlie Patel, Pramod Bengani and Ajit Patel organized the over 36 booth of vendors lined up in the back of the hall and the front lobby area. Particularly impressive were the large stalls of Unique Arts, a framed pictures vendor, and Archie’s Creations, an artificial jewelry vendor, both of Atlanta, who had setup enormous booths of wares. Two food booths – Tony’s Kitchen and Hot Breads – provided ready-made food for sale.

Dr. Raj Bhalla organized the Community Award Segment, which was held after the formal segment of the national anthems and speeches by ICC, community leaders and local elected officials including Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella, the Indian Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana, Stafford Councilman Ken Mathew, recently elected officials Julie Mathew and Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George. Alice Chen, who is running for Stafford City Council Position 1 in the upcoming May 4 elections, made her rounds among the crowd. Also attending were the Fort Bend County Constable Pct 4 Trever Nehls and his twin brother Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls.

Rajiv Bhavsar and Dr. Falguni Gandhi coordinated the VIP seating and the ICC booth was handled by Hemant Patel, Dr. Sarita Mehta and Swapan Dhariyawan. Darshak and Mona Thakkar of Krishna Sound provide the sound system, Raghu Thakkar of Image n Motions the photography and Asit Patel did additional photo and videography.

January 31, 2019
ICC Elections Express Confidence in Previous Executive Team

The newly elected Executive Committee of the India Culture Center, (from left) Raj Bhalla, Santosh Varma, Pramod Bengani, Nisha Mirani and Hemant Patel pose with the two new Trustees Falguni Gandhi and Sanjay Sohoni. The third Trustee, Manisha Gandhi, was unable to attend.

HOUSTON: Just over a month ago, the India Culture Center held its annual Board elections and on in a follow-up round of elections on Sunday, January 6, in India House, the new Executive Committee and three more Trustees were voted in unanimously. Outside, on a crisp, sunny day, the grounds of the center were filled with players from a local Latino soccer league and the parking lot filled up with spectators and athletes.

To express the ICC’s confidence in the leadership from last year, the same Executive Committee was selected to move forward in 2019 with the exception of the Secretary Ajit Patel who was replaced by Santosh Varma. The others are Nisha Mirani, President; Pramod Bengani, Vice president and Hemant Patel, Treasurer.
The election of the Executives and three vacant Trustee seats were conducted by this reporter who has been an Election Commissioner for four years. The other two Commissioners – Sam Merchant and Girish Pandya – were unable to attend. In addition, it was disclosed that Trustee Raj Bhalla had taken over the remaining one-year term Director position of Harshad Patel, who has had to resign due to ill health.

The remaining EC position of Past President was thrown up for grabs as the 2017 president Falguni Gandhi was term-limited and had to withdraw from the Board, according to the Bylaws. The position would then fall back on the past presidents from previous years, but as both – Raj Bhavsar and Charlie Patel – are currently Trustees, the next in line would be Bhalla, who willingly accepted.

The final bit of votes involved filling the three Trustee seats. Nominations were made from the floor and Falguni Gandhi and Sanjay Sohoni accepted while Manisha Gandhi accepted via a telephone call.

With conclusion of the elections, the ICC Board held its normal meeting and discussed plans for the first flagship event: Republic Day celebration on Sunday, Jan. 27 Stafford Civic Center on Cash Road.

January 19, 2019
New ICC Board Elections Mark the Start of a New Year of Events

The Board of Directors and Trustees of the India Culture Center after the elections for vacant positions on Sunday, December 3 at India House.

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: As the year comes to an end, another ritual of the closing month drew the members of the India Culture Center together to hold its annual elections this past Sunday, December 2 at India House. Outside, on a crisp, sunny day, the grounds of the center off West Bellfort were filled with players from a soccer league that has rented the sprawling facility for a league playoff for the past two weeks and the parking lot filled up with spectators and athletes.

Inside the center which has become the focal point and pride of the Indian community, ICC President Nisha Mirani gave a rundown of the close of another year of events under its belt, from those the organization had organized alone like its flagship Indian Republic Day event and the Indian Independence Day festival, to those it had participated in as a co-organizer and those it was a collaborator and had lent its name as a supporter.

After she had rattled off the list of achievements, Mirani paused for impact at the latest event which had not been on its radar until only a couple of weeks ago but of which the 45 year-old organization was most proud of. Brought to the ICC by one of its former Directors, President and Trustee Dr. Raj Bhalla, the event marked the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith. The simple but reverent event was held at India House the night before, December 1 (see page XX).

After she had finished, Swapan Dhairyawan, another former Director, President and Trustee offered a summary of the audited accounts of the year performed by his accounting firm, MDA Associates. A brief discussion ensued about the future goals and plans for the ICC.

The elections of the 8 vacant seats on the ICC Board were conducted by the Election Commissioners Sam Merchant and this reporter. Only two people had sent in their nominations: Hemant Patel and Namish Sheth in absenteeism, both past Directors.

The remainder were solicited from the floor and 6 more people were nominated and approved by voice vote. They were Dr. Raj Bhalla for a one year position and the remaining 6 for two year terms: Dr. Sarita Mehta, a new Director; Sapna Shah, a former Director; Lachmann Das, a former President, Trustee and Director; Kiran Shah, a past Director and Sai Rajkonda, a new Director.

With the conclusion of the elections, the newly constituted ICC Board held its first general body meeting. Elections for 3 Trustees and the Executive Committee will be held in early January. The ICC will hold its first flagship event of 2019, the Indian Republic Day celebration on Sunday, January 27 at the Stafford Civic Centre of Cash Road.

December 17, 2018
“Jai Shri Krishna” A Ballet in Hindi for the Faithful

By Dr. Sarita Mehta

HOUSTON: The Mega stage show, “Jai Shri Krishna, A Dance Ballet” in Hindi was presented on the stage by Kanu Chauhan of Rajsun Megastar Ent. Manpasand in association with Manoranjan Inc., the Gujarati Samaj of Houston, India Culture Center, VPSS Haveli, LPSH and Shiv Shakti Mandir, at the VPSS Haveli, on Saturday, June 2. This four-hour long ballet, is a contemporary kalyug portrayal of Lord Krishna and the events that took place five thousand years ago but are still as relevant in the twenty-first century.

This grand scale of Jai Shri Krishna, Radheshyam Sathwarey unfolds the life of Krishna, God of Compassion, Tenderness and Love, from his birth in Mathura to Meerabai, his greatest devotee born into a Rajput royal Rathore family of Merta, Rajasthan. The production features 40 artists from India, live music and melodious singing by Manisha Salva; composer Saurab Mehta and the wonderful team of Pardeep Bhatt on dhol; Pramod Chaluke on bansuri, and talented artists on tabla and other musical instruments and glamorous and entertaining dances and choreography.

The play was directed by Rini Patel and Neha Patel and emceed by Vishriti Gandhi, who skillfully anchored this entire work. The ballet transported the audience to a thrilling spiritual adventure of dances and music with an impressive overture.

Krishna avatar, manifested as a human on Earth, came with the principal aim of conveying the supreme message of the Bhagwad Gita, to vanquish evil and bring back justice and righteousness to humankind. Once that purpose was served, he left the mundane world as we know it. We can find relevance in his message in our modern day-to-day life and gain some useful insight that can help us live our life according to Krishna’s advice to Arjuna. Krishna shares wisdom about the soul’s existence with Arjuna at his hour of debilitating confusion.

The show began with New Heaven on Earth, a ballet featuring Vasudeva, portrayed the birth of Krishna in Mathura jail, passage through the holy River Yamuna and happy with his adoptive mother Yashodha dancing with friend friends in Vrindavan. The play was divided in 8 broad episodes, and in each episode, the message of love, peace and harmony was conveyed very beautifully.

The organizers – Manoranjan Inc., Nisha Mirani, President of ICC, and Ajit Patel, Secretary ICC, supported by other prominent organizations – worked hard with a week’s short notice to turn out an audience of over 400.

June 7, 2018
ICC Republic Day Program Falls Short on Attendance

Photos: Raghu Thakkar

Click here for Collage

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: The lingering effects of the ice storm, cold and rainy weather and people down with the raging flu virus were some of the reasons that affected the low turnout for the 69th Indian Republic Day celebrations that the India Culture Center held last Saturday afternoon, January 20 at the usual venue, the Stafford Civic Centre on Cash Road. All told, throughout the six hour event, about 1,800 people are estimated to have visited the setup of booths and a stage show.

The thin crowds were disheartening to both the organizers who had worked hard to organize the event, and the vendors who set up their wares and services. Many have been pleased with the attendance at ICC’s other signature event on the previous Independence Day and expected more of the same. But this one echoed back to the same event held in 2014 at the Bayou City Event Center near the Astrodome that also brought in dismal crowds, though the arrangements were well done. Then the reason was the event’s move to an unfamiliar and distant location.

Since then, the event was revved up with a huge digital screen backdrop onstage and contests for the children along with some better known performers to close out the evening, but this has normally been for the Independence Day program in August. The Republic Day program has always been less attended. Whatever the reasons, the Directors of the ICC were murmuring about what they could do to revive this celebration which, in New Delhi, is a massive parade of floats depicting all parts of the country, marchers, weaponry, fly overs and acts like motorcycle balancing riders.

Perhaps a parade and a fair atmosphere is what are needed. All the same, the organizers, led by new ICC President Nisha Mirani (who was the Event Chair along with Rafi Ansar) did an excellent job of bringing in kids and their parents for their parts of the stage shows.

The theme for the event was “Hum sub ek hai” (we all are one). Togetherness was the focus as the program began with the popular Ismaili matki band rousing the hall and was followed by speeches by Deputy Indian Consul General Surendra Adhana who talked about modern India and how NRIs have been instrumental in the process. He later said he felt he was immersed in the community after having been here just a year. Nira Patel emceed the show, alternating with former ICC Trustee Swapan Dhairyawan and Mirani. Young Esha Dhairyawan sang the Indian National Anthem and Shreya sang the American one.

Candidates running for political office, like former Harris County Sherriff Adrian Garcia, FBISD Trustee K.P. George, Toni Wallace and Juli Mathew had a chance to speak and meet with the community.

The Ismaili band also performed a patriotic performance onstage, with members dressed like Indian Independence heroes like Mahatma Gandhi. There were a total of 22 different dance groups performing but unfortunately, kids from two schools could not attend due to the flu virus which is three times more rampant this year than last. The musical portion (organized by Hemang Thakkar) featured two young singers, Akila and Sareen, who sang patriotic songs.

Towards the evening time, the crowd had grown a bit and the Antakshari (organized by Ajit Patel and Rafi Ansar) drew in a spirited participation. There were three teams onstage and the audience was the fourth. For an hour, it was a fun exchange between all the teams singing songs from different eras of Indian music. Each participant got a small gift bag from ICC Trustee Praful Gandhi.

January 25, 2018
New 2018 Executive Committee, Trustees for ICC

After the election held on Sunday, January 7 at India House with Election Committee Commissioners Jawahar Malhotra (right) and Girish Pandya (left) are the 2018 ICC Executive Committee from left, Hemant Patel, Treasurer; Pramod Bengani, Vice-President; Nisha Mirani, President; outgoing President Falguni Gandhi and Ajit Patel, Secretary.

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: A month after it held elections for new Directors, the India Culture Center held its follow up election for the Executive Committee for 2018 on Sunday, January 7, at India House. And once again, in the same manner as the previous election, things went smoothly as nominations were made and votes were cast.

Election Committee Commissioners Girish Pandya and this reporter conducted the process and certified the results for the key positions for 2018. A room full of ICC members, Directors and Trustees were present for the hour long process, following which the new Trustees were also announced.

Nominations received for each position were unopposed and then the candidates were accepted by unanimous voice votes. The new 2018 Executives are President Nisha Mirani; Vice-President Pramod Bengani; Treasurer Hemant Patel and Secretary Ajit Patel. Falguni Gandhi will fill out the team as past-President.

Also revealed were the two three-year term Trustees, Praful Gandhi, former president of the Indian Senior Citizens Association and Rajiv Bhavsar, twice a former ICC President and Director. The two-year term was filled by Jasmeeta Singh, a previous ICC Director. All there candidates were unopposed.

The group will now head up its first upcoming flagship events of the year: the celebration of India’s Republic Day on January 20 at the Stafford Civic Centre on Cash Road.

Each member of the new executive Committee gave a short introduction of themselves and their goals for the upcoming year. Mirani, who works as an office manager at a doctor’s office, remembered when she was a teenager 37 years ago and got involved with the community. “I want to bring the youth into the ICC through activities like sports and picnics,” she said, adding that her other goal was to work on women’s issues.

Bengani, a petrochemical engineer, said he would support Mirani in her goals and recalled a recent incident of a young Indo American who committed suicide at Texas A&M University. “I want to work with youth and give them a sense of belonging,” he added.

Hemant Patel, a researcher with MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been on the ICC Board before and said serving was for the community and not for the ego. He also agreed that getting the youth involved and empowered was an important goal. Ajit Patel, who owns Air An U Cool air conditioning, said the ICC was “one big happy family.”

In concluding her year as president, Gandhi said she was proud of what she was able to achieve and “when you sit in this seat, you understand the responsibility.” She added she was “very passionate for what the ICC stands for.”

January 11, 2018
ICC Votes in Eight Directors, Executive Committee Elections Jan 7

The ICC Board and the Election Committee at India House with the newly installed Directors at the election held on Sunday, December 3.

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: If all elections could be this amicable, there certainly wouldn’t be much to argue about and things could go much more smoothly!

As a member of the Election Committee for the India Culture Center, I had the duty of fielding all the nominations and ensuring there were no mistakes in that process. My other Committee members were Girish Pandya and Sam Merchant and the three of us conducted the election of upto nine Directors this past Sunday, December 3 at India House. A room full of ICC members, Directors and Trustees were present for the hour long process, following which the ICC held its General Body meeting.

This year, as last year, there were eight seats available for Directors for two-year terms and one for a one-year term, and two vacancies for three-year Trustee positions and one for two years. The ICC started advertising the election a month earlier and during that time, seven nominations were received for Directors and two for Trustees.

ICC President Falguni Gandhi opened up the meeting with a rundown of the long list of activities that the group had organized and participated in throughout the year. For the past few years, to follow its motto of being a communitywide umbrella organization, the ICC has made sure that some of its Directors are present at most Indian community event in the Metroplex, which makes for an impressive list indeed. The group is now preparing for one of its flagship events: the celebration of India’s Republic Day on January 20 at the Stafford Civic Centre on Cash Road.

The names of the seven who were nominated were read out and verified and all but two – Ajt Patel and Harshad Patel – were present and, as there wasn’t any opposition, there was no need for an election. One nomination was solicited from the floor and Nagar Raj agreed to be become a Director and he gave a short description of his community involvement and professional career. In addition to these three, the other newly elected Directors are Santosh Verma, Nirmala Patel, Nisha Mirani, Pramod Bengani and Dr. K.D. Upadhya. Two nominations for Trustees have been received for Praful Gandhi and Charlie Patel but these will be voted on during the Executive Committee election on January 7, 2018.

Following the election, Trustee Swapan Dhariyawan gave a report of the finances, a position that he will relinquish as he transitions to President of the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston next year. Many lamented his loss, but Dhariyawan, who has been an ardent supporter of the ICC, promised to help wherever he could.

December 7, 2017
Manoranjan & VPSS Haveli Raise Harvey Funds via “Sathi Hath Badhana”

HOUSTON: Manoranjan Inc. and VPSS Haveli joined hands to raise funds for the first responders of our community with an entertainment program on Sunday, October 29. Titled “Sathi Hath Badhana” (Together, We Will Move Forward) raised funds for first responders and Sewa International. With everyone’s help, the event raised $12000.00.

Mystic Rhythm of India started the musical evening with the prayer and then with some Bollywood music, which filled the entire venue, and entertained the crowd. People applauded and cheered after every song, and even danced to a few of their hits. Young artist Akila mesmerized the crowd with her beautiful voice.

VPSS Haveli graciously donated the venue for this event. Participants and sponsors of the program included Umangbhai of Deep Foods, Vadtaldham Swaminaryan Temple, India Culture Center, Amirali Dodiya of New York Life, Rajender Singh of Star Promotions, Indian Senior Citizens, Shiv Shakti Temple, Dinesh Purohit of Café India and Sewa International. Several individuals sold tickets, including Umangbhai, Madanbhai, Yoginaben, Swapan Dhairyaawan.

VPSS Haveli’s friendly staff made the night more enjoyable by being personable and even served delicious upma cooked by Shailesh Patel and team. Rishabh Nayak provided the sound system and his time free of charge.

Ajit Patel of Manoranjan Inc mingled with the guests and kept up the fund raising tempo throughout the event. Manisha Gandhi of TV Asia was a great help in bringing forward the names of the first responders who were in great need donations.

Among the first responders, Chief Deborah Schmidt came to the event. HPD Officer E. J. Jones provided names of three first responders, who were also Hurricane Harvey Victims: Officer Pamela Jackson, Senior Officer Matt Fowler and Sergeant Brett Hatton. These first responders were acknowledged and appreciated by the audience for their time, courage and sacrifice. Each officer was presented with a $2,501 check and $1,001gift certificate from Ramesh Parikh of Sara International. Sewa International President Gitesh Desai was presented with a check in the amount of $1,601.

November 10, 2017
India’s 71st Independence Day Celebrations by Indian Culture Center (ICC)

HOUSTON: India Culture Center Houston (ICC), is celebrating India’s 71st Independence Day on Sunday, August 20, at the Stafford Center, 10505 Cash Rd, Stafford. TX 77477 from 1pm to 8pm. This year the theme is “Magnificent India”.

The event attracts 3000+ people, it is free, and the facility has ample free parking.

As part of the celebration, an exciting Souvenir “Tarang” will be published. The ICC Board requests community support through Sponsorship, Advertisement, and Booths at the Event.

The Gold sponsorship is $2500 which entitles prime corporate booth, logo on flyer and media, digital advertisement on screen, full page souvenir ad, and segment sponsorship for prizes.

The Silver sponsorship is $1500 which entitles corporate booth, digital advertisement on the screen, and full page souvenir ad.

Booths are $600 (Corporate), $325 (Small Business), and $200 (Non-Profit). Digital advertisements are only $100.

More Information is available on http://www.icchoustontx.org/ or call Event Chair Swapan 281-3820348 or President Dr Falguni Gandhi 281-8444604

Looking forward for your support and participation for the community event.

August 4, 2017
Festival of India – Greater Houston Rath Yatra 2017

THE WOODLANDS: The rain clouds disappeared into thin layers of heavenly covering while the gorgeous thick forest trees surrounded the site for the 5th Annual Greater Houston Rath Yatra on Saturday, June 24. The Char Dham Hindu Temple and Star Plus presented this year’s Festival of India at a new location: the Char Dham Hindu Temple site in The Woodlands, inviting a new crowd dynamic nearly a thousand strong. “It was my dream to hold this Rath Yatra on the Char Dham Temple grounds and though construction was only 85% complete, the entire team made it happen!” beamed key organizer and Char Dham / SKAI Foundation founder, Dr. Surya Sahoo. One resident of The Woodlands and ardent devotee said, “I just walked to the event from my home to enjoy this annual tradition commemorating Lord Jagannath’ s summer vacation with elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra from the main Jagannath Temple in Puri, India, to the Gundicha Mandir, all replicated here in my neighborhood!”

Those devotees who arrived early were honored with double strands of jasmine garlands specially flown in from India that morning. “What a divine delight to be immersed in singing The Lord’s name with this divine fragrance while dancing!” said ISKCON’s Guru Bhakti Ma. She led the devotional aspects of the event along with Saranga Thakur Das. The ISKCON President for the last 25 years, Shyam Sundar Das, was bestowed the honor of “The King” who sweeps the path with a special broom in front of the auspicious Raths (chariots) during the procession. ISKCON’s Krishna Kripa Das took a few moments to explain the significance of the festival and his son, Gaura Karuna Das, gave the finale performance of devotional kirtans mixed with hip hop beats and rap.

Three enormous decorated chariots were pulled around the accessible temple grounds with throngs of humble devotees singing kirtans and dancing in slow majestic rhythm. Priests doled out Prasad (blessed whole fruits and specially made sweets of Khaja and Laddoos) to devotees. Throngs of believers seeking Lord Jagannath’s blessings, vied for the divine opportunity to pull the ropes of the chariots along in procession.

Lines were at times a bit long for Char Dham’s generous Dinner “Prasad” but the tasty combination of Chole, Poori, Tamarind Rice, Bisibele Bath, Curd Rice and Sweets was “…worth the wait…” reported Aparna, one of the devotees.

Sahoo had a vision to bring this festival to Houston five years ago when he and his wife, Kabita, experienced a miracle. Kabita suffered from paralysis on her right side after a stroke, but was determined to visit the original ancient Rath Yatra in Puri, India. As they approached the chariots in the procession, magically Kabita was able to climb one of the chariots – by herself – and felt the feeling return to her right side. Almost immediately her paralysis was cured and she was able to walk and function normally again! “We wanted to recreate the festival here in Houston and offer everyone a chance to experience the Lord of the Universe’s divine blessing,” said Kabita. “Later this year, in November 2017, the Temple will officially open for devotees to make a more convenient, shortened pilgrimage to the Char Dham Temples – the four sacred worship sites originally found at the four corners of India – Badrinath in the north, Dwarkanath in the west, Rameshwaram in the south and Jagannath in the east.

The event was also sponsored by New York Life Agent, Amirali Dodhiya, and My Tax Filer’s Gangaraj. Hindus of Greater Houston and India Culture Center also supported the cultural aspects of the event. SKAI’s Partha Mohanty and the head priest Sri Kiran Narayanam worked tirelessly to guide the Masala Radio and Entertainment Crews in executing a flawless event. Masala Radio’s lead radio jockey, Sunil Thakkar, emceed the lively entertainment and kept spirits high with frequent chants of “Jai Jagannath” “Hari Bol,” and “Hare Krishna.” The cultural program included devotional songs by devotees from ISKCON, choreographed dances by US Desi Gals, H-Town Divas, Odissi Academy, Shingari School of Rhythm, Avantica Odissi School, Vinanti Mistry, Bollywood Dancing Stars and devotional songs sung by Gaura Karuna. The dance performances culminated in a grand “Four Corners of India” Fashion show by Jaz Creationz.

The cooling breezes, Indian food, music, dancing, deities and raths all contributed to a spiritual experience especially in the setting of The Woodlands.

Photos by Jesus Kargue Creative Tecknik Photo, Arion Videographer and Thejas Rajaram.

For more event photos and videos visit GreaterHoustonRathYatra.org or HoustonIndiaFestival.com

June 30, 2017
Fast Paced Hindi Poetry Ties the Audience Up in Knots!

From left: Gajendra Solakni; Sudeep Bhola and Sunil Jogi gave hilarious performances at the Hasya Kavi Sammelan. Photos: Sanjay Sohoni

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: It was rapid-fire delivery of Hindi poetry, with metaphors, rhymes, similes, idioms and jest to be provocative, cajoling, delightful – and above all, amusing – as the three poets had the audience from the get-go. If you were nurtured on a staple of Hindi movies and songs but little else in the way of the written Hindi language or literature, then you could have easily been lost in the cascade of seldom-words and complex structure of expressions that were thrown out at you.

The boards of the International Hindi Association Houston Chapter and the India Culture Center posed with the three poets and IHA president Swapan Dhairyawan (back row, center).

But the audience tittered and laughed throughout the night as the words and the way they came at you, as much through the body language of the poets as the essence of their conveyance. And, even if you didn’t understand each verse – there were many for whom Hindi is not their first language – you realized that there was something funny that was said when the person next to you tittered.

This10th annual Hasya Kavi Sammelan (Laughing Poet’s Society) was as much an effort in re-visiting the national language of the Old Country as it was to follow the behaviors and mannerisms trending in India these days and on which the poets based their material. Their poetry, in true desi style, came out in verse and lilting song and was equal parts patriotic, absurd, mocking but always engaging, for a non-stop 150 minutes and the audience was kept convulsing with laughter.

Young kids performed a bhajan in Hindi before the show

The panel of poets consisted of Padma Shri Sunil Jogi, Gajendra Solanki and Sudeep Bhola who have been on a tour of 22 US cities in 40 days, sponsored by the IHA; and performed in front of the largest audience of over 500 in Atlanta. Bhola started out by saying that he was groomed for this type of work since he was 4 years-old and Solanki quipped that since he was in Space City, then maybe NASA should send a Hindi poet up next time?

Gajendra Solanki of New Delhi is a true performance artist with his loud and animated delivery of comic poetry and satire over the last three decades at over 2,000 kavi sammelan across the world. He is also an acclaimed writer of philosophy, nature, patriotism, politics, society, education, religion, spiritualism and over 400 geet, chanda, and muktak.

Sudeep Bhola, born in Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh is famous for his comic and patriotic poems and comic and quick-paced performances on stage of satire that provokes audiences to laugh breathlessly. He has performed at 1500 kavi sammelan and on many Indian TV shows.

Sunil Jogi, born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian author, poet of comic verses and the chairman of the Hindustani Academy, a post holding the rank of a Minister of State in the Government of Uttar Pradesh. He has a masters and doctorate in Hindi literature, is the author of over 75 books and in 2015 received the Government of India’s Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

The event was organized, once again, by the local chapter of the International Hindi Association in conjunction with the India Culture Center and held again this year at India House on Friday, May 26, Before the presentation, arriving guests were treated to a Chowpatty style dinner of pav-bhaji and uttapam (catered by Madras Pavilion restaurant) during the social hour.

The main hall filled close to capacity in rows of chairs as an estimated 320 people sat in eager anticipation. The founder of the push for Hindi awareness in Houston and current chapter director, Sangeeta Pasrija, and IHA national president Swapan Dhairaywan welcomed the crowd in the shudh (pure) Hindi that they are both versatile in and known for. Dhairyawan reminded everyone to come to the IHA’s 18th National Convention in Dallas in September which will feature the noted famous Hindi poet Surendra Sharma. The entire evening was conducted in Hindi, except for a few occasional English words.

The ceremonial lamps were lit by Pallavi Dhairyawan and Saroj Upadhaya and then a group of six young kids, ages 7 to 11, stood before the stage to recite a bhajan – “he bhagwan, tujhe parnam” – that they had learnt in 12 weeks of Hindi instruction from their teacher Sangeeta Gupte. A dedicated IHA and ICC volunteer, Rajiv Bhavsar and his wife Bella were honored for their service with gifts of shawls and a ring.

ICC President Falguni Gandhi welcomed the guests in complicated Hindi which had many searching for their dictionaries! Chapter President Dr. K.D. Upadhaya, who is not shy to voice his emotions and has been known to spontaneously breakout in song and dance, spoke about the role that the IHA was taking in spreading the Hindi language and its cultural heritage, and lamented the difficulty in raising money for its efforts. “Hindi is not poor, we should work to serve Hindi,” he declared. Pasrija introduced Upadhaya as the one who encouraged her first sammelan, saying he bought 30 tickets and said he would bring 50 people, and did!

June 2, 2017
Bhavsar Receives SBA Financial Services Champion Award

From left: Asif Dakri, CEO of Wallis State Bank; Rajiv Bhavsar, Sr. VP Commercial Lending Officer at WSB; and Timothy D. Jeffcoat, SBA District Director, Houston.

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: It was a proud day indeed, this past Thursday, May 11 for a hard working member of the Indian community who has not only been deeply involved with the India Culture Center twice as its president but also been a tireless organizer of events. And he has still found time to mentor and promote people who show promise of being future leaders and successful business owners.

From left: Niraj Bhavsar, Bipinchandra Bhavsar, Rajiv Bhavsar, Bela Bhavsar, Bachubhen Bhavsar, Rajni Bhavsar

And it was a proud moment for ten members of his company Wallis State Bank and the close knit group of ten people who have worked closely with him on community activities to be on hand to witness Rajiv Bhavsar receive the Financial Services Champion of the Year award from SCORE Houston, a resource partner of the US Small Business Administration. The function was held over lunch for over 600 people at the Westin Houston Hotel in Memorial City.

Rajiv Bhavsar with directors of the India Culture Center, of which he has twice been the president. From left: Parul Fernades, Manoj Patel, Bharat Desai, Swapan Dhairyawan, Rajiv Bhavsar, Nisha Mirani, Charlie Patel, Ajit Patel and Manisha Gandhi. IACCGH Executive Director Jagdip Ahluwalia is third from right.

Bhavsar, who hails from Bulsar, Gujarat (which is also the hometown of former Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai), near Surat, has been a Houston native since 1991. Though he has a MS in Mathematics, he started his career in banking with United Bank, leaving it to join United Central Bank in Little India in 1999. He later joined Walls State Bank in 2011 and during the past six years has developed a loan portfolio of about $200 million, of which $150 are SBA loans.

From left: Rajni Bhavsar, Anju Mittal, Shiv Mittal, Rajiv Bhavsar, Mimanshi Bulsara, Niraj Bhavsar.

During these past 25 years, he has also worked with other community members to develop a base of people who trust and value his skills and ability to deliver on his word. These traits helped him to become the president of the ICC twice and then launch into other community groups like International Hindi Association and Ibn Sina Foundation.

The SBA recognized his skill as a banker and relationship manager at Wallis State Bank as well as his community activism when giving him this award. “Rajiv has an outstanding record of working with customers and community members alike,” said Asif Dakri, the CEO of WSB, when he introduced Bhavsar to the audience at the event.

From left: Rajiv Bhavsar, Rajni Bhavsar, Niraj Bhavsar, Bela Bhavsar, Mamta Kapadia, Sushila Bhavsar, Ramesh Bhavsar.

Wallis State Bank is a 111 year institution that was established a wood frame building in 1906 in the small town of Wallis, about 60 miles southwest of downtown Houston on Hwy. 36 between Sealy and Rosenberg. Musa Dakri, an Indian entrepreneur with considerable skill in banking took over ownership in the early 1990s and expanded its operations to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fulshear and Los Angeles. Since then, his son Asif has taken over the reins and continues with the same growth plans.

The awards presentation featured Richard Rybacki, the SCORE Chapter 37 President; Al Lewis, Business Editor of the Houston Chronicle as emcee; Houston District Director Tim Jeffcoat and featured speaker Patrick Jankowski, VP of Research at the Greater Houston Partnership. Among other South Asians receiving outstanding awards in their fields were Dr. Saleha B. Khumawala of SURE, the UofH Bauer College of Business; Dr. Faheem Inayatali of the Eye Center of Houston and Sadik Dalal of Axistrade.

May 19, 2017
Shaam E Ghazal: An Evening of Poetry

HOUSTON: International Hindi Association, Houston Chapter (IHA) and India Culture Center (ICC) proudly presents on Friday February 10, an evening filled of joy, entertainment and love by our own Houstonian Nausha Asrar and Archana Panda from California. This wonderful duo of poets will take you to a new height with their soft, passionate and absorbing Ghazals. In addition to this there will be interactive games and prizes to be won on Valentine’s weekend. To top it all there will be a melodious singer who will take the audience to another level with his soulful Bollywood Ghazals.

To make it more memorable this all comes with complimentary wine, sumptuous dinner and take away pictures at the program.

Also, when you attend this program you are furthering the cause of Hindi in America as this is a fund-raising event for IHA and proceeds from this program will be entirely used for ‘Prasar’ and ‘Prachar’ of Hindi at the newly started classes at VVM.

Do not miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy and at the same time enhance the cause of ‘Hindi’ language.

Contact 281-3830348 for more information.

February 3, 2017
I-Fair ‘OUR INDIA’

HOUSTON: We are just few days away from I-Fair, India Culture Center’s signature event. The preparations for various segments like dance, skit, yoga for health, Antakshari, ‘Women who make India proud’, showcasing ‘Republic of Turkey’, live Quiz on ‘our India’, are almost in its final stages. These programs will certainly entertain the audience and will emotionally connect them to India.

ICC will recognize and honor few outstanding individuals from the community by awarding them ‘Community Service Awards’.

Consul General of India will grace the occasion and will deliver his congratulatory speech.

The commercial booths, as well as booths for religious, political and social organizations have all been allotted and will attract lot of attention. The food booths will provide variety of delicious food items at very affordable price.

This all is made available to the attendees just for $ 3.00 per person only.

And an ‘Icing on the Cake’ would be, quite a few gold coins to be won during the entire event on entry ticket raffle.

January 19, 2017
ICC Selects the 2017 Executive Committee and Trustees

The new India Culture Center Executive Committee after they were elected on Sunday, January 8. New President Falguni Gandhi (center) is flanked by (from left) Election Commissioner Girish Pandya, Treasurer Sanjay Sohoni, Vice President Nisha Mirani, Secretary Sapna Shah, Past President Rajiv Bhavsar and Election Commissioner Jawahar Malhotra

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: The Board of Directors of the India Culture Center convened to elect its new Executive Committee at its first annual meeting of the year at India House on West Bellfort this past Sunday, January 8.

The 2017 Board is made up of Dilip Dadhich, Pramod Bengani, Ajit Patel, Sangeeta Dua, Nimish Sheth, Kiran Shah with directors Sapna Shah, Rafi Ansar, Hemant Patel and Saundarya Sohoni who were re-elected and Nimish Sheth and Ina Patel who were newly elected just last month.

At the meeting conducted by the 2016 Executive Committee, Trustee Swapan Dhairyawan announced his resignation and he was immediately nominated and unanimously elected as a returning Board Director.

The 2017 Executive Committee election was conducted by Election Commissioners Girish Pandya and Jawahar Malhotra, while Sam Merchant was unable to attend. The new 2017 EC is composed of Falguni Gandhi, President; Nisha Mirani, Vice President; Sapna Shah, Secretary and Saundarya Sohoni, Treasurer supported by Rajiv Bhavsar as Immediate Past President.

The Board then accepted the nominations for three new Trustees for the three open spots and unanimously confirmed them – Lachhman Das, Col Raj Bhalla and Charlie Patel – who will join existing Trustees Parul Fernandes, Sangeeta Pasrija, Hasu Patel and Vijay Pallod.

The Board continued its plans for the first signature ICC event of the year, the Indian Republic Day celebrations at Stafford Center to be held on Saturday, January 21.

January 13, 2017
The Nuance of Indian Poetry, One Tantalizing Word After the Other!

Photos: Saundarya Sohoni

By Jawahar Malhotra

SUGAR LAND: Where else could you get an animated story of the battle between tea and lassi (buttermilk) delivered to you in lyrical, rhyming verse? Or the frustrations and challenge of a cop in writing poems, at first rigid and unevoking, later becoming more fantastic and provocative? These aren’t the sort of things that certainly enter the minds of poets who rummage around for whimsical ideas and ways to present them. And it’s made all the more challenging when set in the Indian context and in Hindi to a crowd in America.

The crowd, it seems, that appreciates this style of lyrical Hindi rhyme is growing, judging from the 200 people who showed up to the Kavita ki Sham (Evening of Poetry) that was held last Saturday evening, December 2 at Madras Pavilion restaurant by the International Hindi Sammelan (Association) in collaboration with the India Culture Center. The two organizations share some of the same Directors and objectives to spread Indian culture, so it’s has been a natural fit for them to participate of this effort annually for the past five years. The point was brought out by IHA Houston Chapter President Dr. K. D. Upadhyaya who gave a rundown on the group’s work through the year to promote Hindi, and ICC President Rajiv Bhavsar. Sponsors for the event were Sling TV, Deep Foods, Discount Power, Anand and Dr. Ashima Chauhan.

It was the rare day in the Bayou City when almost the entire evening was spent immersed in Hindi and for those ears which have become accustomed to being suffocated by English and had to retrain their brains to decipher and comprehend the words, it was a delightful, though occasionally challenging evening when grasping for a Hindi dictionary may have been helpful!

But the nuances of the language were there to enjoy, starting with Sapna Shah as the emcee for the evening. And to remind us of the difficulty of staying connected to your Mother language, a young 11 year-old Diya Patel kicked off the poetry session by reciting Hindi poems on Machli (fish) and Titli (butterflies) followed by two verses in Sanskrit from the Bhagwat Gita.

Fourteen other local poets, most familiar and a few new faces, stood on a small stage at the corner of the large hall to recite their favorite verses, including a few original pieces, to illustrate the different kinds of Ras (verse) – Veer ras, Shringar ras, Hasya ras, Bhakti ras, Vyang ras, Karuna ras and Bhav ras.

The evening started with Fateh Ali Chatur a versatile artist who presented Ashok Chakradhar’s Kavita based on Hasya ras. Devika Dhruv, a versatile Gujarati writer who has started writing in Hindi, presented shabdon ke pallu mein (in the company of words) and akshar ujale mein (always in the light) based on Bhav ras. Dr. Sarita Mehta, a retired Rice University Lecturer, presented her Veer ras original poem which delighted the audience. Sangeeta Pasrija, Past President of IHA Houston and an ICC Trustee presented a Hasya ras poem about the tussle between “chai (tea) and lassi (buttermilk)”, in a typical Rajasthani andaz (style) for which she got giggles and loads of applause.

Dr. Meghna Banerjee, a first timer performer in Hindi, presented a Shringar ras poem. Dr. Harendra Chahar was the evening’s featured poet. A PhD Biotechnologist at UTMB Galveston who hails from the historic city of Agra, his Braj bhasha and pure Hindi kept the audience enthralled with Hasya ras poems, especially the poem entitled Sasu (mother-in-law) which brought smiles on many faces.

Sarojini Gupta, President of the local SEWA Chapter presented a Hasya ras poem Kuch to standard banao! (keep some sort of standard!) with energy and enthusiasm which kept everyone laughing. Anjana Pandey, another first time performer presented a Hasya ras poem. Sanjay Sohoni, a Marathi writer who has shifted to writing in Hindi since 2012, presented a short Hasya Vyang ras poem on Intolerance.

Seema Jain, another first timer presented her Bhav Karuna ras poem Rishte (relations). Meera Kapur presented a Bhakti ras poem khud kaun and jeevan path. Pravina Kadakia, normally a Gujarati writer, presented a Veer ras poem written in Hindi. Dr Khalid Razvi, who knows Hindi, Urdu, German, French, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Marathi and Telugu’ presented a hilarious Hasya ras poem. Sudha Goyal presented a Veer ras poem Mann ki Baat (matter of the mind) on the issues faced due to the current Indian Demonetization.

After the recitations, IHA National President Swapan Dhairyawan disclosed that apart from the three regular programs in 2017, IHA plans to add a “Shaam-e-Ghazal” program in February to coincide with Valentine’s Day and start a Hindi language class for kids. He recognized and felicitated three community volunteers for their continued support: Manisha Gandhi of TV Asia, Nisha Mirani and Ajit Patel with token awards.

The poets were presented token gifts by Col Raj Bhalla, Girish Pandya, Praful Gandhi and Manohar Gidwani. Madras Pavillion provided the food and venue, Darshak Thacker of Krishna Sounds did the sound system, and Shreya, Eesha and Nimish were volunteers at the registration desk.

December 8, 2016
New Board Takes Helm at ICC

The ICC Board with the newly installed Directors at the general body meeting on Sunday, December 4.

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: While the national electioneering fever has inflamed passions all across the nation, one small election for Directors to the India Culture Center’s Board drew nary a whimper of protest or accusation! Which is precisely the way the venerable 43-year-old organization wants to operate and hopes to flourish. There is no lack of enthusiasm or eagerness in the 16 members who comprise the Board, many of whom have worked together for many years and continue to support each other like a well-oiled machine. It wasn’t always so, and the changes began to show about 5 years ago as different personalities jelled!

This year there were eight seats available on the Board and two seats for Trustees. After a month-long period of advertising, the nominations started coming in to the Election Committee made of Girish Pandya, Sam Merchant and this reporter. Only four nominations were received for the eight seats, hence no voting was conducted during the General Body meeting held on Sunday, December 3 at India House. The nominated Directors are Sapna Shah, Rafi Ansar, Hemant Patel and Saundarya Sohoni.

However two people from the assembled were nominated and accepted as Directors; namely Nimish Sheth and Ina Patel. The two other vacancies will be filled in the course of time.

Before the vote, ICC President Rajiv Bhavsar gave a rundown of all the activities that the ICC has been involved in during 2016. And the audited accounts and tax-filing papers were presented by Trustee Swapan Dhairyawan, who also has his own accounting firm, MD Associates.

There were three nominations – Charlie Patel, Lachman Das and Dr. Raj Bhalla – for the two Trustee positions and who will be selected will be resolved by a vote of the Directors in their January 8, 2017 meeting at which time the Executive Committee will also be formed.

December 8, 2016
Incredible Fun with I(ncredible)CC India Fest!

From left: Nisha Mirani, Sapna Shah, Sanjay Sohoni, Falguni Gandhi, Parul Fernandes, Pramod Bengani, Meera Kapur, Charlie Patel, Swapan Dhairyawan, Rajiv Bhavsar, Ajit Patel and Dr K D Upadhyaya at the India Fest by India Culture Center on Saturday, August 20 at Stafford Center.

Click here for Photo Collage

STAFFORD: It looks like the organizers have found the sweet spot for festival goers, if the attendance for last weekend’s India Fest organized by the India Culture Center is any gauge. Start after lunch, have plenty of local talent participation and then let it flow seamlessly through the early evening and close in enough time for people to go elsewhere. And what a difference it has made to the last three flagship events that form the bulk of the ICC’s efforts year long. By the midafternoon, the entire hall was packed and amidst a constant stream of people going through the day-long event.

The festival wouldn’t have been as successful had it not been for the team effort chaired by ICC Director Pramod Bengani and the planning that started two months earlier. Altogether, 52 booths were sold out in the 10 days before the event with Coordinator Charlie Patel and Ajit Patel pushing the effort while Coordinator Swapan Dhairyawan and Nisha Mirani pulled together a colorful 36-page Tarang keepsake souvenir.

From left: ICC President Rajiv Bhavsar, Indian Consul General Anupam Ray, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

A “Mom, Dad & Me” talent contest (coordinated by Keka Kar and sponsored by Xfinity Comcast) gave a chance for the entire family to present dance, music or instrumental skills with a cash prize going to winner Soma Ghosh and her family. The Essay Competition had over 28 contestants in age group 6 to21years (Coordinator Parul Fernandes). Meanwhile, the “Weaves of India” sari wrapping segment (sponsored by Sling TV and coordinated by Sangeeta Pasrija and Sangita Dua) showcased 10 women in the styles of the different States of India. The Geography and History Quiz (Co-ordinated by Sanjay Sohoni) at the ICC booth in the lobby was swamped with kids who were excited to answer questions to win cookies and chocolates.

The event began with the National Anthem sung by Paarth Maniar after which emcees Pratik Mirani and Neera Patel took over. There were welcome speeches by Pramod Bengani and ICC President Rajiv Bhavsar, followed by speeches by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner; Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella; Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen; Sugar Land Protem Mayor Himesh Gandhi and Councilman Harish Jajoo; and Indian Consul General Anupam Ray. Proclamations came from the offices Texas Senator John Cornyn, Congressman Al Green, Houston City Controller Chris Brown and the Ft. Bend Trustees.

“Weaves of India” sari wrapping segment

The program included a Community Service Award to SEWA International for their exemplary service; a Recognition Award given to Rebecca Hathorn from the Stafford Civic Centre and recognition of the Safety Officers of the City of Houston, Stafford, Sugar Land and Missouri City.

The Cultural program featured an extravaganza of 26 dances, 2 skits and a Choir – all told over 280 kids, teens and adults performing on the stage with an outsized LED display constantly running video behind them; a record participation for the ICC. It included performances by the Bollywood Dancing Stars, Sunanda Performing Arts, Anjali Center, Laaya Dance Group, Kalakriti Performing Arts, TAAL Group, TYAGI Group, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Group, Kathak Kala Kendra, skit from Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston and JVB Preksha Center, Houston Brethren, Bollywood Shake, Kala Kunj, VVM, Woodlands Garba Group, Infused Performing Arts, Bollywood Shake, US Desi Galz, HH Creationz, Sparsh Group, Telugu Dance Group and a choir from Tagore Society of Houston. This jam packed colorful cultural segment was coordinated by Swapan Dhairyawan, Nisha Mirani and Sapna Shah.

And wrapping it up was a musical segment of Bollywood hits from local young artist Serene Kaggal, which was an instant hit. Not to be forgotten was the expert handling of the AV and sound systems by Darshak and Mona Thacker of Krishna Sounds and photography by Raghu Thakkar.

August 25, 2016