HOUSTON: The newly opened Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple of Houston celebrated its grand opening with the Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav (idol installation ceremony). The event was held from Friday, October 17 through Sunday, October 19 at the temple located at 5645 Hillcroft Avenue, Suite 701, Houston.
Priest Pradip Pandya
The temple idol in Houston is replica of the Ganesh idol in the Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir located in Mumbai, India, which is dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh. In India, the temple glory was bought not only by the politicians who frequented the temple but also Bollywood film stars who continuously visit to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha. Siddhivinayak is well known as “Navasacha Ganapati” or “Navasala Pavanara Ganapati” (Ganapati grants the wish whenever humbly genuinely prayed) among devotees.
The festivities started with the Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav on Friday, October 17. As the idol was being installed, devotees surrounded Him, being a part of the magical occasion and welcoming the god Ganesh at His new home in the heart of Hillcroft’s Little India.
The day continued with chanting of the shlokas and later mahaprasad in the evening. The following day on Saturday, October 18, the Siddhivinayak maha abhishek was held that took place from 3 pm to 7 pm, followed by maha aarti and mahaprasad. The final day of the grand opening ceremony on Sunday, October 19, the temple organized a maha yagna with 108 modaks (favorite sweet of the God).
For founder member and chief priest at the temple, Pradip Pandya, the mahotsav is a dream realized. “ I would like to thank all Houstonians, for their support in making this a successful event. We had about 700 people who came forward and supported this event. The temple welcomes everyone as Ganesh is not limited to any one part of the country, He is worshiped by everyone,” said Pandya.
The temple also has idols of Lord Krishna, Gauri Mata, Shiv Ling, Hanuman, and Ram darbar. The temple is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm and everyday aarti is performed at 7:30 pm. The Gauri Siddhivinayak temple is a non-profit 501(C) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.
For further information or to participate in pooja, sponsorship or volunteering call Pradip Pandya at 832-466-9868.
HOUSTON: Mahakavi Sri Gurajada Apparao was a renowned poet, writer and social reformer born in 1862 at Rayavaram village, Andhra Pradesh. The lines, ‘Desamante matti kaadoyi, desamante manushuloyi’, from his famous patriotic song, ‘Desamunu Preminchumanna’ , composed in 1910 meant, ‘A country is not made of land; a country is made of its people’. Mahakavi also wrote the first Telugu play, Kanyasulkam, often considered the greatest play in Telugu language that got translated to 40 different languages including Russian. Gurajada Foundation, USA whose mission is to spread Mahakavi’s ‘Sphoorthi’ and philosophy, had organized ‘Gurajada Sphoorthi Utsavam’ a cultural program and essay competitions to celebrate Mahakavi’s 152nd birthday. This memorable event was held on Saturday, October 11, at India House, Houston. Mahakavi’s auspicious program was very appropriately started with melodious rendering of Lord Ganesha by Adarsh Menon, a winner of several music awards.
Several Teacher and professional singers receiving appreciation
‘Swagatam’ by Sangeetshiromani award recipient, Smt. Madhura Sankar’s students invited the audience to enjoy this unique program. With great inspiration from Mahakavi’s philosophy of ‘A country is not made of land; a country is made of its people’, several children and renowned former All India Radio artistes like Sangeet Visharad Smt. Soumya Rege and Smt. Mangala Sane sang patriotic songs from several Indian languages and submitted essays on social reformers of India. Mahakavi’s ‘Desamunu Preminchumana’ that meant ‘ Love Your Country’ and other patriotic songs, ‘Vande Mataram, Ekla Cholo Re, ‘ Bande Utkala Janini’, ‘Bahu Asot Sundar Sampanna’, ‘Hum Honge Kamiyaab’, ‘Ilaya Bharatham Iniya Bharatham’,etc were sung enthusiastically by children and professional artistes. Vidushi Smt Rajarajeshwary Bhat students sang Kannada patriotic song, ‘Bharat Maata’, Versatile artiste, Smt. Mani Sastry, sang Mahakavi’s poem and Sri Devulapalli Sastry’s composition.
Sri Sitaram Ayyagari’s students sang Mahakavi’s beautiful composition and other memorable songs. Smt Pranavi Sadhanala , former TV anchor, along with her students performed a beautiful dance ‘Desam Manade’ which meant that for BharatMaatha all her children are equal that resonated the words of Mahakavi Gurajada. Binshnupur Gharana’s Shamik Boseji and his students sang Tagoreji’s song. Hindi Patriotic song, ‘Chhodo kal ki baaten’, sung by Hindi school students summarized the spirit of Gurajada Foundation’s Utsavam celebrations. Mahakavi’s great granddaughter, Chandralekha Kovvali, spoke eloquently about Mahakavi and his correspondence with Tagoreji , Yates and other literary figures from India and abroad that reflected on the Mahakavi’s respect and passion for all languages. Consul General of India, Shri Harishji, attended the event and enjoyed listening to children sing patriotic songs including Mahakavi’s Desamunu Preminchumana that was melodiously sung by Smt. Manjula Palivela’s students of Silicon Andhra Telugu School.
Sri Harishji delivered a very motivational inspiring speech on this memorable occasion and requested children to understand the meaning of the desabhakthi song’ Desamunu Preminchumana’. Sangeet Natak Academi winner and Artistic Director of Anjali Center for Performing Arts, Dr. Rathna Kumar, was awarded Gurajada Foundation’s prestigious Gurajada Sphoorthi Ratna award for her outstanding contribution to spreading Indian culture and Heritage.
Gurajada Foundation’s (www.gurajada.org) prestigious Gurajada Seva Sphoorthi Award was presented to Dr. Chandrasekhar Gannavarapu for his outstanding service to Gurajada Foundation. The song ‘Hum Honge Kamiyaab’ sung at this event very aptly conveyed the message that all of us will live in peace and make this world a beautiful place to live in.
HOUSTON: A Malaysian dance troupe with a pure Odissi repertoire – what are the odds? That was what was made possible by the Sutra Dance Theater, which traveled from Malaysia to commence their US and Canada tour in Houston on Oct 26 at the Wortham Center with their production, “Krishna, Love Reinvented”, at the invitation of Samskriti.
It would be an understatement to say that the devotion and dedication demonstrated by a non Hindu dancer, founder/artistic director and choreographer, Datuk Ramli Ibrahim to this purely Hindu temple dance form Odissi was par excellence. Trained in classical ballet, modern dance, and Indian classical dance he put Malaysia on the dance map and is now one of its most prominent dance figures. He has almost single-handedly established Odissi as a widely appreciated dance form in Malaysia. The performance brought to focus that in a world torn apart by religious strife, art can bring people together. It transcended all barriers of religion, geography and language and embodied the liberation of the human spirit with complete abandon, sheerly through love.
The work explored the total identification of the devotee couple (poet Jayadeva and wife Padmavati) with the pastoral god Krishna and his consort Radha. The program started with a Mangala Charanam, an invocatory homage to Lord Krishna. As the group of 8 dancers went through the entire repertoire, the moods, feelings and emotions of the love affair, Rasa (highest emotional state) became a sublime allegory expressing and affirming the highest love the individual soul has for God. The colorful costumes, gorgeous set and well thought out lighting added to the ambiance of the production.
The Sthayi depicted Krishna’s springtime dalliance with the gopis, who were then intoxicated by the scintillating vision of the lord in the Krishna Tandava, and mesmerized by his divine flute playing in the abhinaya piece “Mohane Deli Chahi.” The exact precision of movements, picture perfect coordination and pursuit to perfection of the dancers, are the qualities that place the Sutra Dance theater way above the rest. The dances seemed like poetry in motion as the ethereal movements of the dancers flowed effortlessly and flawlessly to create beautiful statuesque pictures. As they froze and held the beautiful formations to the photographer’s delight, the audience seemed to fall more and more in love with the dancers’ interpretations.
The second half saw the serenading of the gopis by Krishna in Nachante range Sri Hari and a pure dance Pallavi where Krishna replicates himself and is surrounded by gopis. The evening ended with a standing ovation for the dancers and recognition of Ramli Ibrahim by the mayor of Houston, Annise Parker with the presentation of a plaque by Nandita Harish (Consul General P. Harish’s wife). The day was proclaimed as Ramli Ibrahim day and the proclamation was read by Sanjay Ramabhadran. Rathna Kumar, the Artistic director of Samskriti thanked the audience for its support. This program marked the culmination of the wonderful series of programs hosted by Samskriti in its 20th year.
HOUSTON: The Sri Govinda Gaudiya Math temple celebrated Diwali last Thursday with celebrations that began soon after the partial Solar eclipse of the sun – an auspicious sign for the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil. Several volunteers had worked tirelessly for two weeks to decorate the temple with lights, flowers, rangoli, and streamers. On Diwali, several devotees participated in the Mangal Aarti at 5:30 AM. The Deities were offered a new, gorgeous blue-colored dress. Their transcendental beauty in this new dress captivated the hearts of all who came for darshans throughout the day. In the evening, the altar was lit with hundreds of multi-colored lights. Several hundred devotees, wearing new beautiful clothes, participated enthusiastically in the aarti filling the temple room with chants of the Holy Names.
The next evening on Friday, hundreds of devotees gathered again to celebrate Govardhan Pooja and Annakut. The program included bhajans, kirtan, aarti, offering of ghee lamps to Lord Damodar and Tulasi Pooja. There was an added treat to the evening: Annakut – the mountain of food. The devotees each brought many different dishes, to offer to Sri Sri Radha Govindaji. Over 1008 different food preparations, representing tastes from Punjab to Tamil Nadu and from Bengal to Gujarat, were offered to Sri Giriraja Govardhan. Everyone circumambulated the Govardhan Hill, singing the glories of the Lord and remembering the pastime of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill and saving His dear devotees from the wrath of Indra.
As described in Srimad Bhagavatam, Indra was upset because upon the advice of Lord Krishna, the Brajavasis (the residents of Vrindavan) had decided to worship Giriraj Govardhan instead of the annual ritual of worshipping Indra. Indra had no idea that this cowherd boy Krishna was in fact the Supreme Lord. Deluded by his false sense of power, Indra decided to lash out at the Brajavasis by pouring heavy rains and flooding and destroying them. The helpless villagers went to Krishna, and surrendered to Him as they had completed faith in Him. Lord Krishna then lifted the Govardhan Hill on the pinky finger of His left hand. All the villagers and the animals took shelter underneath Govardhan Hill which protected them from the heavy rains. This lasted for seven days until Indra finally gave up, bowed down to the Lord, and restored peace. Giriraj Govardhan is Krishna Himself in one form as well as Krishna’s best devotee in another form. He takes the form of a mountain to serve the Lord. He is extremely merciful and famous for fulfilling all the desires. More than that he can give pure love and devotion unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna for sincere seekers. It is a verdict of the scriptures that even if one offers one grain of rice to Giriraj Govardhan, that person will never be poor in life.
After the aarti, Shri Ravi Puri sang several melodious Krishna bhajans making everyone swoon in ecstasy. The program was concluded with a huge feast that enchanted everyone.
Sri Govinda Gaudiya Math temple (www.sggm.org) is located at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd. The temple is located just off Hwy 6 between I-10 and 290, near the Energy Corridor and Katy. The temple is open every day from 5:30 AM – 8:30 PM. The main service is on Sunday evenings from 5 – 7 PM. It includes: kirtan and Hari Katha followed by Aarati and parasadam. Hindi classes as well as Vedic education classes are held for children aged four through eighteen (all classes are conducted in English).
OHIO: ‘Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation-USA (EVF-USA)’, recently (Oct. 3-5) hosted an international conference in Cincinnati, Ohio to address various issues facing rural education, hygiene, and integrated development in remote parts of India, where it operates. In opening remarks, Shyamji Gupta, founder of ‘Ekal Movement’ set the tone by challenging the gathering to undertake a new initiative for the rural masses. Inspired by the clarion call for a ‘Swachha-Bharat’ (Clean-India) by P.M. Narendra Modi, Ekal volunteers whole heartedly adopted this campaign to create and implement a strategy to clean the Ekal Villages where 1.5 million children are being nurtured and groomed. The campaign will create awareness and develop sustainable approaches to keep the villages clean. This conference had brought together volunteers, field teams and philanthropists from across US, India and Canada and astoundingly raised Rs. 1 Crore for this purpose.
Sunil Ishairzay of Afghanistan
Spearheading the on-the-spot fundraising efforts Himanshu Shah, CEO, Shah Capital, said “poor sanitation and lack of solid waste management has had tremendous negative impact on the health of Indians all over. It is time we address this issue”. He contributed significant amount of his own monies to the cause and matched donations raised by Ekal. Welcoming this impromptu generosity, Vinod Jhunjhunwala, President of ‘EVF-USA’ said, “while ideas are plenty, India often loses out on implementation. Ekal, with its reach in over 54,000 villages throughout India has wide grass-root network that can effectively implement this cleaning initiative”. Ekal uses education as a primary vehicle to bring holistic development of remote and rural villages. In addition to education, Ekal is working on health, sanitation, agriculture and development. Ajay Singh, Project Coordinator for EVF-USA, informed the gathering about the state-of-the-art approach adopted by ‘Ekal-India’ to administer and monitor various aspects of ‘Ekal’. He further elaborated that the teacher’s and student’s third-party assessment, automated school allocation as well as their ‘google-mapping’ was already underway. The movement has created so much excitement among youth in the U. S. that several college students are going to Ekal villages to study the movement. Recently, Rohan and Anjeli Sharma, brother-sister team, both less than 15 year old, spent three weeks in an Ekal Village, learning how Ekal had impacted villager’s lives. The reciprocal volunteerism of the Ekal model has also caught the eye of the Afghanistan community who feel that this unique model could be beneficial to the tribal-rural villages of Afghanistan. A team from Afghanistan headed by Sunil Ishairzay, visited India, last year, with the sole intention of studying and replicating Ekal education model in Afghanistan.
Several innovative solutions to a range of issues including the use of technology for education and the micro-rural entrepreneurship were also discussed. In several villages, solar energy is already being used by the villagers for life’s basic necessities with help from ‘Ekal’. At the conference, Ekal also addressed the national tragedy of the floods affecting the Kashmir valley. Ekal USA has earmarked $150,000 for these flood victims. In short, Ekal Vidyalaya, the largest grass-root movement undertaken by NRIs and Indians is playing a key role in the lives of neglected masses for their self-sustenance and empowerment
HOUSTON: The day was Sunday, October 11, the Senior Houstonians of Club 65 had their monthly ‘Lunch and Learn’ function at the Bay land Community Center in Houston.
The Conference room was thronged with seniors of diverse professional background, including engineers, physicians, attorney, real estate brokers, poets, architects and you name it.
Although Club 65 is only about two years old, founded under the aegis of Indian Muslim Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH), this non-profit organization has already won the hearts of Senior Houstonians and the membership is increasing by the month.
After announcing the whole years’ program of Club 65, Latafath Hussain, the President of Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH), then introduced the new President of Club 65, Paru McGuire to the members.
Paru McGuire, who is one of the few founding members of Club 65, then introduced the two speakers of the day to the audience.
The theme for the October meeting was ‘Diwali’, the ancient triumph of good over evil, India’s most important festival, making it an opportunity to know and learn a little about the celebration of the festival of twinkling lights, which was excellently explained and presented by Hema Chandrashekar. Not only did she talk about the Festival of Lights, which is Diwali, but linked it to Sanatan Dharma, which is commonly known as Hinduism.
The next presentation was “How to heal yourself” by M. Sadiq Ali, M.S., Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, et al., of “The Transformation Studio”. His lecture was very informative about the benefits of eating whole raw foods and minimally processed meals that could prevent chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiac disease, stroke arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, depression, autism, ADHD, depression and many more.
Sadiq Ali and his staff also provided a guide for cooking and eating foods, which destoxify the body, mind and spirit. He and his team brought along a variety of delicious herbal and organic food items to sample. As expected, the presentation triggered a lot of queries from the members.
Lunch was sponsored and made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor. It was served in accordance to the Diwali theme of the month consisting of a traditional vegetarian menu including Shrikhand and Puri, which is regarded as a specialty of Diwali. Everyone enjoyed the experience of tasting the different variety of food and the healthy lifestyle sampling.
As usual, it was a great success, receiving lots of positive feedback from the large gathering of seniors.
The meeting ended with happy faces thanking the new elected officers of the Club 65, including Paru McGuire (President), Rahat Kalle (First Vice President), Hatim Kanorwala (Second Vice President ) and Noorjahan Upadhya ( Jt.Secretary), Sudhir Mathuria ( Secretary) and Farida Jinnah (Treasurer)
MANVEL,TX: Global Organization for Divinity’s Namadwaar Prayer House will perform bhoomi pooja (groundbreaking ceremony) for its new prayer house building on November 8, Saturday at its current location, 3642 Bailey Ave, Manvel TX (Pearland area).
The bhoomi pooja, followed by prayers by Houston temples and organizations, will be conducted from 7:30 to 9 AM. In the evening, celebrations for the auspicious occasion will begin at 4 pm with “Pibare Nama Rasam” a musical offering of songs on the greatness of the Divine Name composed by various saints, by Swara Raga Laya music ensemble led by Vidushi Smt. Rajarajeshwary Bhat.
This performance will be followed at 5 pm by a Mass Prayer led by Sri Ramanujamji, disciple of His Holiness Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. Prayers with the Name of God are extremely powerful, as experienced by thousands of people across the world. During the Mass Prayer, Ramanujamji will share his Guru’s vision of calling attention to the power of the Divine Names to all those in need of prayer. His inspiring talk will be followed by group chanting of the Mahamantra for the heartfelt prayers of all those present.
The event is free and open to all. A simple dinner will be provided after the evening program.
His Holiness Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji constantly advocates the efficacy of prayers with the Divine Names and emphasizes that divinity manifests itself where the Divine Names are chanted, thus making congregational chanting very effective and fulfilling. Moreover it is universal across faiths, brings people together, spreads the fragrance of love and brings about inner transformation. This is the basis on which the global Namadwaar initiative was started by Sri Swamiji in 2006. There are over 20 Namadwaars across the world now, which reverberate with the “Hare Rama….Hare Krishna…” Mahamantra. The Houston Namadwaar was the first Namadwaar to be established outside India, in Feb 2010, and is currently the only one in the USA.
Global Organization for Divinity is a nonprofit charity organization serving the Houston area since 2007. With the support of the community we have grown every year by giving back to the community through – umpteen number of prayers, regular children/youth enrichment programs and camps, 6 major cultural events, numerous folk puppet shows and other smaller cultural programs, 3 completely free health fairs with about 300 people attending every year (next one is on Nov 15th from 8 am till 1pm in Manvel), several other community events such as food drives, clothes drives, educational supplies’ drives, special-need school supplies, donations to other charity organizations such as Pearland Neighborhood Center, Forgotten Angels, Adult Reading Center, Search Homeless Services, Houston Area Parkinson Society and others.
It is only natural that with this immense growth in our service, we are now in need of a bigger building to serve the community even better.
For further information about the event, about GOD activities or Namadwaar, or if you are interested in supporting this noble and divine cause financially or in kind, contact 281-402-6585 or houston.god@godivinity.org. To view the event invitation, visit www.godivinity.org.
Acaryas Gaurangbhai and Darshanaben Nanavaty, the priest of Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya, Sri Ganeshji, perfoming Laksmi puja. Photos by Jayesh Mistry
By Padmashree Rao
HOUSTON: Dipavali has a greater meaning to the Indians who have left the shores of India. Beyond the sparkling lights, the smiling faces, the colorful Indian clothes, the weekend get-togethers, the enthusiastic wishes, and all the joyful celebrations, the immensely popular festival is a symbol of cultural and spiritual identity in lands foreign and adopted.
Where it is not that easy to place rows of oil lamps around the homes, where it is difficult to light firecrackers out on streets, where the workaday routine tends to overshadow the popular Hindu festival of lights, the Dipavali puja becomes a significant event every year. Transporting the glowing spirit of Dipavali across the oceans, the annual Dipavali puja in many mission centers of North America is a cherished Chinmaya tradition.
True to that, at Chinmaya Prabha Houston, on Oct.19, the magic of Dipavali unraveled with greater meaning to become a luminous celebration of social and spiritual cheer. From months before, the volunteers of the festival committee had begun preparations for the puja that united more than five hundred families in two sessions. The announcements, emails, and e-brochures, invited all the Chinmaya families to gather together that Sunday morning in their beloved Chinmaya family home, Chinmaya Prabha.
And, the young and the old came with eagerness. They came dressed in their festive best, carrying their beautifully decorated puja plates, the colorful flowers, their shining lamps for arati, and other puja essentials. When more than a thousand people sat together in rows inside Chinmaya Smriti hall and Saraswati Nilayam that morning for the Dipavali puja, it was not just the external aesthetic beauty of the whole celebration that captured the imagination. What arrested everyone’s thoughts was the way in which the puja filled hearts with light and love.
In his annual address, Acarya Gaurangbhai Nanavaty welcomed everyone to reflect on the true meaning of the varied traditional celebrations of Dipavali. On Dhan Teras, and during Lakshmi puja later in the week, while praying for material prosperity, the Acarya asked all to also pray for the wealth of good values to enrich all life. On Naraka Chaturdasi, when the darkness of evil is destroyed by the light of goodness, we must recognize that Dharma always brings meaningful victory. Celebrating Dipavali as the victory of Lord Ram over the unrighteous Ravana brings to light the symbolism that pure joy is the very essence of a dharmic life. And, family is celebrated on the occasion of Bhai Dhuj in some communities.
The Acarya brought attention to the prayers done during the Dipavali puja – every year, the Lakshmi Ashtottra Shatanamavali (108 names of the Goddess Lakshmi) endows devotees with both material and spiritual upliftment; and Visnu Sahasranama (1000 names of Lord Visnu) is a divinely effective way of recognizing the Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient God in the world of names and forms.
Along with ardent prayers, Dipavali is also a time to give thanks and usher in a new year of hope and new resolve. It is the tradition of Chinmaya Mission Houston to offer heartfelt gratitude to the Chinmaya Guru Parampara, which has given spiritual direction to secular lives, especially far away from the native soil of India.
Thus, selfless prayers and deep gratitude pervaded the entire Dipavali puja which was expertly performed by Sri Ganeshji, priest of the Saumyakasi Sivalaya. At the end of the puja, every family walked to offer pranams to God and Guru; each family exchanged a moment of affection and gratitude with the Acaryas Gaurangbhai and Darshanaben, in the presence of the exquisitely adorned idols of Sri Mahavisnu and Goddess Mahalakshmi. It was then that central theme of Dipavali shone bright, the theme of shared happiness, high ideals, and hearts filled with love and hope.
The Dipavali celebration this year in Houston was tuned to greater heights because of a special musical presentation by Chinmaya Nada Bindu, the Chinmaya Gurukul of Performing Arts, on the evening of Oct.19. Sri Himanshu Nanda and Smt. Pramodini Rao, the directors of Chinmaya Naada Bindu, accompanied by Sri Anutosh Degaria, elevated the Houston audience; art, artist and audience were transported to a divine realm where the ‘sneharanjani’ of Himanshuji’s bansuri and the soulful bhajans of Pramodiniji entranced and enchanted; it was no mere entertainment. To revel in such music was truly a memorable Dipavali gift.
“Between the routine and the urgent, one should not forget the important,” says Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda. Every year, the importance of Dipavali shines brighter when illuminated with the Chinmaya spirit!
For further information on Chinmaya Mission Houston and Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya and, its activities visit www.chinmayahouston.org or Call Jay Deshmukh 832 541 0059 or Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233
HOUSTON: Madhya Pradesh Mitra Mandal (MPMM) organized its 7th annual Daal-Bati picnic on Sunday, Octover 26, at Bear Creek Park, in Houston, Texas. It was attended by approx. 200 people who enjoyed fresh made Daal-Bati, Poha-Sev, Jalebi, Jiraman and garma-garam Chai during this daylong event. The feeling of togetherness, the bonding between families and friends and the fun atmosphere made this gathering quite unique and entertaining. Everyone joined hands to volunteer in various areas: cooking batis, serving food or performing on stage.
After new families made introduction, everyone played Picture Housie (Tambola) which was prepared by one of the members. This was about places in MP or personalities who belong to MP. Everyone got to know interesting facts from MP while enjoying the quizzes. Weather being perfect for outdoors, several members took on sporting avatars to play Cricket and other games.
One of the highlight of the event was live message delivered via phone by Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, Cabinet Minister from Madhya Pradesh who handles Housing and Environment as well as the urban development portfolio. He felicitated MPMM for keeping roots of India alive in USA and also shared of great progress possibilities of India under leadership of our Prime Minister. This live Phone Call was coordinated by Jitendra Muchhal of New York, who also belongs to MP and an avid Daal-Bati fan.
For the past couple of years, response to this picnic has been so overwhelming that RSVP had to be closed 2 weeks before the event, to ensure that picnic is managed well by the volunteers.
MP Mitra Mandal is an informal community group made up of people who have come from Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh to Texas. These states reflect “unity in diversity” in true sense which is visible amongst the people who attend MPMM events in Houston. This group was started by Ashish Bhandari and Nikhil Jain in Houston in the year 2002. Today it’s grown to over 200 families belonging to various cities like Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Bilaspur, Raipur, Gwalior etc., who are also registered on the group’s website http://www.mp.abindore.com .
This unique Annual event has been covered by various media groups in Houston as well as in India in the past.
HOUSTON: On Saturday, October 18, YLDP students toured the Houston Food Bank and listened to its President and CEO, Brian Greene, speak. The topic of the day’s YLDP session was What Leaders Really Do, and it was aimed at defining what makes a leader different from a manager or a boss.
According to Greene, a leader is someone who can not only turn challenges into opportunities, but also ensure that the environment in which everyone is working remains stable. Greene emphasized the importance of a leader’s communication, as it allows us to better our surroundings and ourselves. The ability to receive criticism and compromise ideas is what makes a leader paramount in any group, be it of a board of directors or of students working on a project. Greene attributed his accomplishments to that ability as it allowed him to constantly keep an open mind throughout his time with the Food Bank. It widened his vision to embrace change and strive to make the greatest impact possible, which is what led to his push for the Food Bank to provide proper, nutritious meals rather than high-calorie junk foods, to his push for the Food Bank to donate extra foods to animal shelters rather than throw them away, and to his push for the Food Bank to install solar panels and recycled materials within its building.
When recalling his time as a simple Food Bank volunteer and as the head of the New Orleans Food Bank when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf, Greene reminded students of the value of ethics and a good character. His advice to act on good intentions rather than personal gain instilled within us a sort of reassurance in ourselves. Sure, our trip opened our eyes to the inner workings of America’s largest Food Bank, but, more than that, it opened the vault to an unforgettable lesson of how we can build ourselves to better serve our community as the leaders of tomorrow.
HOUSTON: Arya Samaj celebrated Diwali on Saturday, October 25. This jam-packed event was enjoyed by all, and the evening’s festivities were filled with good humor, friends, laughter and light.
Arya Samaj’s Diwali celebrations started Saturday evening with beautiful performances in the main hall. Next came the puja and havan. For the final portion of the event, everyone went outside. And what a sight it was to see! Spread throughout the school grounds, were rows of twinkling lights among which were stalls of games and delicious ethnic food. The air was bright, laughter rang through the air and the sweet smell of sweets enticed everyone. People milled around seeking out friends and acquaintances and spreading the good wishes of Diwali. Some sat at the thoughtfully provided chairs and tables eating the delicious food or sipping on hot tea.
There were games for the children, such as the ring toss, with prizes for the winners. There were chances to win big prizes through the raffle tickets. Additionally, there were mehendi (henna) and face paint stalls, which attracted young and old alike.
Next came one of the most favorite parts of Diwali celebrations: glorious fireworks. The fireworks were launched into the sky, and went out with loud bangs, scattering across the sky in a multitude of sparkling hues. The colors were bright, blazing and fiery – it truly was a spectacular festival of lights. Soon after people with firework tickets were given their own personal firework packages. You could hear the snap and crackle of the fireworks sizzling all around. Kids shouted with delight at the bright colors and everyone could feel the excitement in the air.
This Diwali celebration was definitely a memorable event that everyone enjoyed. Thanks to the selfless Arya Samaj volunteers and youth from the Arya Yuvak Mandal, all the planned activities went of without a hitch, and the events were conducted in a timely manner. Everyone who came to celebrate, went away happy and pleased.
Arya Samaj Greater Houston wishes everyone a very Happy Diwali, and a very prosperous year to come!
Arya Samaj Greater Houston is located at 14375 Schiller Road, Houston, TX 77082, (www.aryasamajhouston.org or Tel. 281-752-0100) and conducts Satsang every Sunday from 10 AM to 12 Noon. The DAV Sanskriti School is held every Sunday during the Satsang hours. Yoga, Sanskrit and Upanishads classes are held twice a week at ASGH. Contact Dev Mahajan at 713-468-4339 or Shekhar Agrawal at 281-242-8280 or Bhushan Verma at 713-504-2707 for any information regarding ASGH or its schools and services.
No-Cost Seminars Help Business Owners Secure Their Futures and Protect the Next Generation
SPRINGFIELD: Almost three million Asian Indians in the United States celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, on Oct. 23. For the more than 300,000 Asian-Indian owned firms* in the U.S., the holiday takes on an added dimension, as the celebration marks the beginning of a new business year. To help business owners prepare for the New Year ahead, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is offering a series of free, no-obligation business seminars in five cities across the country this Diwali.
Massmutual event in Edison, New Jersey held on October 29.
In a special Diwali ritual for businesses known as Chopda Pujan, new account books are opened and blessed. Business owners use this time to reflect on the past year while looking ahead to new opportunities for prosperity and wealth. It is said the goddess of wealth, known as Lakshmi, visits the homes of devotees on this day, and lamps light the way to welcome her.
From left: Adam Segal, Nimesh Trivedi, Nadya Amin, Zaheda, Mitesh Patel. MassMutual sponsored Atlanta Diwali Event.
A MassMutual study** found that although 77 percent of Asian Indian business owners believe financial planning for their business is very important, only 43 percent are concerned about who will run their businesses if they or another owner leaves, becomes disabled or dies; only 46 percent have a formal retirement plan.
“Entrepreneurial businesses are vital to our growing economic recovery, so it is concerning that so many business owners seem to be sacrificing their own and their family’s financial future,” says Nimesh Trivedi, Asian-Indian Market lead at MassMutual. “With help, business owners can look past the seemingly overwhelming day-to-day demands of running their businesses and establish and meet their long-term financial goals.”
From left: Nimesh Trivedi, Lalit Jallan, Adam Segal and Vikesh Amin. MassMutual sponsored Houston Diwali Event.
To help Asian Indian business owners open their new books this Diwali and plan for a prosperous new year, MassMutual is offering a series of free video-based seminars featuring stories shared by real business owners. The vignettes explore critical business planning topics, such as passing ownership on from one generation to the next, preparing for the unexpected, the death of an owner, retaining key employees, and proper estate and retirement planning.
Seminars addressing these topics critical to Asian Indian business owners were presented in the following cities across the country this Diwali:
Houston, Oct. 14
Atlanta: Oct. 18
San Jose, Calif.: Oct. 24
Edison, N.J.: Oct. 29
The Seminar in Chicago has been scheduled for November 6, 2014
For more information on the multi-city business owner seminar tour, contact Nimesh Trivedi, 413.744.1244. For more information on planning for your businesses’ and families’ financial futures, visit massmutual.com/asianindian
*2007 Survey of Business Owners Summaries of Findings, U.S. Census Bureau. This information is the most current data available.
**MassMutual’s Business Owner Perspectives: 2011 Insights in an Uncertain Economy, conducted by GfK Custom Research North America for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), 2011.
About MassMutual
Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policy owners. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policy owners consistently since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company’s strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.
MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.
For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest.
STAFFORD: Many years ago Rupal Patel recalls reading comic books on Ramayan in India. She remembers that anytime she would have a question, her grandmother would narrate the journey of Bhagwan Ram and Sita by memory.
She was always intrigued when hearing about when Ram would triumph over Ravan and bring Sita back to Ayodhya. She felt a sense of peace and restoration of balance. After each narration, Rupal would take away a new moral and apply it to her life. It is with this spirit that millions of Hindus celebrate the festival of Diwali every year.
Diwali program started with a vedic sholk by a group of 10 year old kids
Now that she lives in Sugarland, Texas and thousands of miles from India she misses Diwali and its atmosphere. She misses the assortments of sweets or mithai during Diwali. In order to sustain those memories, for the last 10 years, she and her family attends the celebrations at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford.
For the last two weekends, Diwali has been celebrated in grand scale at the Mandir. On October 11, children of all ages got to participate in a special Kid’s Diwali Carnival. Each child took part in a special sabha or assembly followed by carnival rides. The day ended with each child lighting their own divos and participating in a special grand Diwali arti on the Mandir.
Unity in Diversity Diwali Program highlighted India’s culture, music and language at BAPS
The celebrations continued at the Mandir on Saturday, October 18 with an outdoor Diwali program titled “Unity in Diversity.” The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was beautifully lit with orange, white and green representing the Indian flag. Along with Rupal’s family, several hundred visitors were welcomed with beautiful rangolis and divos. The Diwali program highlighted India’s diverse culture, language, music, character and most importantly unity.
Throughout the program a special laser show was displayed lighting up the dark skies with beautiful colors. Rupal Patel’s daughter was amazed when the fireworks started to pop at the end of the program. Each visitor left with the sentiments of being proud Indians and happy citizens of the community in which they live in.
Ferris Wheel ride at the BAPS kids diwali carnival
In an age where traditions and morals are challenging to maintain, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj invests time to build the roots of ancient rituals for generations. On the surface, Diwali is the most colorful holiday with fireworks, rangolis, and beautiful decorations, variety of mithais, fancy flowers and lit divos. But the true essence of Diwali is an internal journey of dispelling darkness in the forms of ego, anger, jealously, greed, and envy and invoking the light to bring in positive virtues of patience, contentment, compassion and inner-stability. Pramukh Swami Maharaj is a living example of positive virtues that we can strive towards with sincere efforts. Through introspection at this auspicious time, we can overcome our negative virtues and bring out the light from within.
Crowd enjoying the Diwali program at BAPS
Rupal Patel left this Diwali with the hope that the coming year will bring joy and peace to her family and instill moral values for her children to pass onto coming generations. Not only was she able to be a spectator of the beautiful colors of Diwali, she left with a sense of ease by applying virtues displayed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj into her life.
About BAPS
The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a worldwide socio-spiritual organization is dedicated to community service, peace and harmony. Motivated by Hindu principles, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families and individuals. Through social and spiritual activities, BAPS endeavors to produce better citizens of tomorrow who have a high esteem for their roots. Its 3,300 international centers support these character-building activities. Under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community that is morally, ethically and spiritually pure, and free of addictions.
About Pramukh Swami Maharaj
His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, has inspired millions of people across the world to lead a God-centered, morally pure life. As the present leader of BAPS, Pramukh Swami Maharaj has traveled extensively, emphasizing the importance of family harmony, community service and spiritual progress. He embodies the essence of Hindu life. His compassion for humanity, universal wisdom and striking simplicity has touched many world religious and national leaders.
Erin Asprec,CEO Memorial Hermann Southeast, Mayor of Pearland Tom Reid, Joanne Barrett, Chief Nursing officer Kindred Hospital, Dr. Ramesh Patel (back) and MTS Chair Dr. Vaduganathan. Photos: Nandhu Radhakrishnan
PEARLAND: Sri Meenakshi Temple looked extraordinarily vibrant starting from the daybreak on Saturday, October 18 with the morning Suprabhadam to welcome Sri Venkateswara and Sri Lakshmi to the beautiful dawn. The festive look of the temple with colorful lights, huge tents and filled parking lots were all indicative of a grand celebration. Deepavali (Diwali) literally means Festival of Lights with an ancient message to erase darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge.
Sri Mahalakshmi Rathothsavam at MTS Diwali on Saturday, October 18.
A feature of the festivities is the free community Health fair (running 19th year) and was inaugurated by dignitaries (Erin Asprec, CEO Memorial Hermann Southeast hospital, Mayor Tom Reid and Joanne Barrett, Chief Nursing officer, Kindred Hospital). Kindred Hospital and their staff provided all the blood tests. Dr. Nirmala Kethineni of Cypress Spring Family clinic provided Flu shots (either free or heavily subsidized price). Free tests and general medical checkup was conducted. Dr. Ramesh Patel gave lectures on vegetarian diet, stress management and cardiac risk screening. Temple chairman and coordinator of the Health Fair Dr. P. Vaduganathan thanked the Health professionals and volunteers.
Kids Carnival at MTS Diwali Bazaar 2014
Devotees thronged all day with families offering prayers; by noon, the temple premises had turned into a little India. The choices of delicious food items provided by the vendors, art competitions, facial paintings and the carnival games and a shiny Red Fire truck kept the children excitingly engaged.
The Spectacular Fireworks at the MTS Diwali Bazaar (Ratham in foreground)
Many area merchants had their display of beautiful items for sale – ornaments, jewels, clothes, sarees, gift items, paintings, handicrafts, imported art work, ayurvedic medicine, just to name a few. Information booths were set up to promote valuable services and innovative educational materials.
Standing room only at MTS Diwali bazaar with over 4000 visitors
The variety of entertainment demonstrated the wealth of culture in the Indian community living in Greater Houston area. While the children entertained the crowd with their impressive talents, the outstanding classical dance performance by Krithika Subrahmanian and group entertained the audience packed in the Kalyanamandapam.
By sunset, an elaborate set up was made by the priests for the traditional Lakshmi puja; this was preceded with the Diwali parade, where MTS was joined by Namadwar and ISKCON. The dedicated priest of MTS inspired the devotees with Veda manthras and pushpa archana. The utsava murthy of Sri Lakshmi was taken out on the majestic silver chariot pulled by hundreds of devotees with thousands assembled all around the temple to have a darshan of this auspicious scene. The exhilarating sound of Chenda Melam led the Rathotsavam.
The crowd rejoiced in the spectacular firework, which was followed by Garba with live music. The mood was just exhilarating till the end.
We thank the volunteers and employees of MTS for organizing such a flawless festival year after year for two decades. They deserve congratulations for a meticulous job well done with the support of many benevolent well-wishers and supporters. We pray to Sri Meenakshi, Sri Sundareswara, Sri Padmavathi and Sri Venkateswara for a year of happiness and welfare to all.
Rice Bhangra Group with (from left) Jay Guerrero, Dr. Asra Oberoi, and Asha Dhume. Photos: Syndee Jolly
Click here for photo collage
By Jawahar Malhotra
MISSOURI CITY: In the background, jets of water splashed playing fully in multi-hued colors from the middle of the kidney-shaped swimming pool and a gas-fueled fire blazed in the open hearth at the far edge. Trunks of the palm trees surrounding the pool were draped with strings of LED lights. A few tall bar tables covered with long red table cloths dotted the large open tile floor in front of the doors leading to the kitchen and the media room on one side and on the other side the main entry to the high-ceilinged foyer of the two-story house with the wrought-iron railing balcony overlooking the entire vista. White wooden round tables with matching chairs dotted the back lawn and midway to the pool was the covered cabana with a counter with the built-in cooking setup where the food catered for the evening by Mantra Indian restaurant in Katy was laid out for the Diwali party goers.
Oberoi’s beautifully illuminated backyard
Just as the hint of Fall weather touched the Gulf Coast, the first days of Diwali were being celebrated across the Metroplex and by the Club 24 Plus members at the resort-like outdoor setting of the home of Ricki and Asra Oberoi, decorated with string lights across its huge outline in Sienna Plantation. It has been a tradition of the Club to hold its second largest event of the year at the home of one of its members and to cap off its annual activities with a splendid bash. “We usually hold five events every year, the last being our Holidays Party in December”, said President Asha Dhume as she read from prepared notes at a mic below a banner of the Club, “and we have had four great ones so far”!
The Diwali event committee – Madhavi Kavadi, Poonam Pagnis, Dr. Aparna Kamat and headed by Dr. Asra Oberoi – stood behind her and acknowledged the applause of the members in the patio area in front of them. Behind them, a large garlanded idol of Ganesh formed the backdrop for many pictures and the Rice University Bhangra Team which, later in the night on Friday, October 17, entertained the 150 people who attended the function with a vigorous set of dances. Most of the Club 24 Executive Committee attended, though founding member Ashok Garg was in India for a wedding in the family.
Club 24 Plus is a social and recreational club that was founded eight years ago and is slowly redefining the way that many high-powered Indo Americans choose to give their money to charities. Organized under section 501 (c) (7) of the IRS regulations, Club 24 Plus allows its members to direct their contributions directly to the charity that they favor.
From left: Aziz Rahim, Zafar Khan, Nasrullah Khan, Asif Dakri CEO, Rajiv Bhavsar and Faizel Dakri.
HOUSTON: Wallis State Bank has made another milestone in SBA lending in the Houston area. For the SBA fiscal year from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014, Wallis State Bank is the #1 SBA volume lender for the Houston District Office. Out of the 128 banks in the Houston area, Wallis State Bank did the most SBA loans dollar wise with $49.3 million. Surpassing the previous ranking held by the larger banks, Wallis State Bank did a combination of 7(a) and 504 SBA loans to be #1.
Leading the SBA department is Nasr Khan EVP/Chief Lending Officer who has been with WSB for over 3 years. “This was a Wallis State Bank Team effort and I’m extremely proud of our SBA department for their hard work and dedication to make us #1” says Khan. “Our goal is to help the community and make their dreams come true of owning and operating a business. And with the community’s support, Wallis State Bank is on top.”
Wallis State Bank has eleven locations including offices in Dallas, San Antonio, and a Loan Production Office in Los Angeles. WSB is a Preferred Lender (PLP) of the SBA. The Preferred Lenders Program (PLP) is part of SBA’s effort to streamline the procedures necessary to provide financial assistance to the small business community. Under this program, SBA delegates the final credit decision and most servicing and liquidation authority and responsibility to carefully selected PLP lenders. Lenders are considered for PLP status based on their record with SBA, and must have demonstrated a proficiency in processing and servicing SBA-guaranteed loans.
*Along with doing SBA loans, Wallis State Bank also has an array of bank products such as personal/ business checking and savings accounts, conventional loans, business credit cards, online banking as well as personal loans and auto loan.
The leading loan officers who are servicing the South Asian Community in the Houston area are Raj B. Bhavsar/SVP at the Kempwood Branch, Aziz A. Rahim/SVP at the Stafford location and Zafar Khan/AVP also at the Stafford location.
Asif Dakri, the CEO of Wallis State Bank remains committed to providing excellent service and quick turnaround time for approval and closing.
Wallis State Bank….Where Service Begins
For further information on Wallis State Bank, visit www.WallisBank.com
HOUSTON: HMM celebrated Diwali on October 18 in Katy. Highlights of the Diwali event included Mangaldeep Sugam Sangeet Concert by Padmaja Phenany Joglekar. Padmaja received Padma Shri Award in 2001 for her god gifted voice and singing talent. She had a special privilege of composing and singing poems written by Honorable Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She has also tuned and sung poems written by former Prime Minister Hon’ Shri V P Singh. Her voice and personality is exceptional. She molded her God gifted golden voice with dedication and hard work and quickly grew up to become an extremely versatile singer.
The HMM Diwali event started with a beautiful Diwali welcome message by Viju Bhadkamkar and introduction of all artists (i.e. Padmaja Phenany Joglekar , Guitar – Aditya Joglekar, Tabla – Nitish Kulkarni, Harmonium – Mandar Parkhi). All songs were undoubtedly well sung by Padmaja Phenany Joglekar. Rising stars Aditya Joglekar (Padmaja’s son who is doing his masters in Atlanta) and Nitish Kulkarni (HMM’s home grown talent, released a Hollywood album) also gave a splendid performance. The 250 plus attendees were very happy to hear the sweet tabla and guitar. Mandar was just phenomenal on harmonium ready to play almost any tune. Mandar also sang one song very well.
People enjoyed nice Marathi and Hindi songs and then enjoyed delicious food from Maharaja Bhog restaurant.
HMM President Megha Ozarker requested all HMM members to donate for the HMM 2014 Kashmir Floods Fundraiser. In September 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir region was hit by heavy floods caused by torrential rainfall. By September 24, 2014, nearly 284 people in India died due to the floods. HMM had started fundraising for the Flood/Disaster led by Houston’s, Mrudula Lele and supported by Houston’s Sewa International.
During the Diwali event, HMM Vastu Division President, Samir Karandikar thanked all the Vastu Donors. HMM is planning to build a Vastu (a facility including a temple and community center) in the Houston area. The facility will be a symbol for HMM children to stay connected and identify with our Indian cultural heritage. HMM has organized a fundraising event called “Durga Zali Gauri” on November 8, at Cullen Performance Hall to raise funds and awareness of this initiative.
Durga Zaali Gauri is the story of a tempestuous adolescent Princess Gauri who runs away from the palace since she cannot get sleep on any bed in the palace. The musical has 60 participants between the age group of 6 and 25 from the Houston area who have been practicing for almost one year. This show will be staged in Cullen Performance Theatre in Houston on November 8. HMM’s Durga Zali Gauri is directed by Sharmila Moharir and choreographed by Madhura Swadi, Rupa Aranke, Tanuja Sahasrabudhe and Uma Rajguru.
Famous movie stars/directors, Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar will be attending this event. Sachin has acted in several Hindi and Marathi movies such as Sholay, Jewel Thief, Bramhachari. He has also directed several films such as Aamhi Saatpute. Sachin Pilgaonkar celebrated his 50 years as part of Indian Cinema.
For further details, contact Shirish Kulkarni (281)213-3799 or email thekulkarnis@hotmail.com.
STAFFORD: The great poet Rabindranath Tagore once said, ‘The measure of a singer’s liberation is in his own creative personality. He can sing the composer’s song as his own, if he has the power creatively to assert himself in his interpretation of general law of the melody which he is given to interpret’. These words came alive on October 12 at Stafford Civic Center, when Vidwan T.M.Krishna rendered a soulful concert in his mesmerizing, yet commanding voice. Renowned for his distinctive style and creativity, TMK swept the audience with an ambience of divine music, which kept ringing in the listeners’ ears, long after they left the concert. But what was truly most inspiring, was his unending passion towards every note he delivered, oozing with purity.
This concert was organized by the Houston Youth Music Association, a group of musically inclined youth who have come together to promote music by hosting Classical Music Concerts featuring young and experienced global musicians, conducting workshops to enrich the musical knowledge of young enthusiasts, and encouraging the youth to embark on a rewarding musical journey. It was a milestone in HYMA’S journey to have T.M.Krishna’s grand vocal concert. Commencing the program with a Swarajathi in the majestic Thodi raga, his musical voyage knew no boundaries to expedition. Following the swarajathi, the viruttam ‘Pullagi Poondagi’ written by Manikkavacakar, was a perfect gateway to the krithi ‘Srinathadi GuruGuho Jayati’. The viruttam explains that the human birth is extremely precious, because it is bestowed upon a soul after going through enormous births, as a grass, a worm, a tree, a reptile and so on. However, this human birth is only worthy if dedicated to the one who creates and preserves it. Hence, Dikshitar, in his krithi aptly weaves a beautiful description of the creator and preserver, to whom we owe all our births.
TMK thoughtfully tied the two into a moving piece, with the neraval at one of the most powerful lines ‘Maayaa Sabalitha Brahma rupo’. Unlike the form or swaroopa of the Creator is veiled by Maaya or illusion, TMK’s neraval unveiled the grandiosity of the phrase as well as the nuances of Mayamalava Gowla. A brief but very fitting tani avartanam by Vidwan Arun Prakash felt like a poetic completion to the swirls of Neraval. Thereafter came a surprise treat to the listeners, a melodious Javali by Ramnad Srinivasa Iyengar in Kamas raga.
While the audience was dwelling in the romantic air of the Javali, TMK presented an ice-breaking Ragam and Tanam in Salaga Bhairavi, awakening the audience to Tyagaraja’s call, ‘Padavini Sadbhakti’, stating that the real status of an individual is not contingent upon wealth, fame, royalty or wishes, but only on the intensity of devotion to Lord Rama.
It was then, a moment of calming down with Shankarabharanam, rendered very pertinently and gracefully by R.K.Shriram Kumar on the Violin. His expressions, both facial and on his violin, were demonstrative of his unison and bliss with the notes, so much that TMK decided to abandon his presentation in the same raga, and went on to another Tyagaraja krithi explaining a sweet problem,’Dwaitamu Sukhama’. Hence, TMK covered Tattvam through Dikshitar’s Srinathadi, Jnaanam through Tyagaraja’s padavini, and landed on Bhakti, while singing Dwaitamu Sukhama.
T.M.Krishna’s crescendo was at Bhairavi, while relishing Amba Kamakshi, the last words of which, he improvised into a Pallavi. The audience held its pulse when he stood still at the high notes, it felt like an outright silence before a heavy downpour of swarams and tani.
Thereafter, relaxing numbers ‘Baro Krishnaiyya’ and ‘Irakkam Varaamal’ were a calming lullaby to a restless mind. The accompanists too, waved in enjoyment of the tukkadaas, making the exemplar rapport between the three very visible to all listeners, to the extent that it was three Musicians, but just One music that flowed through the theatre.
TMK’s next big surprise unfurled in the Behag tillana, when singing Neraval for the Anupallavi. The sollu kattu got a life and emotion of their own to be proud of. The concert ended with a feeling of satisfaction, as well as the craving for a greater appetite of such moving music. Darshak Thacker (Krishna Sounds) provided an excellent acoustic for the concert.
The concert was presided by the gracious presence of Parvathaneni Harish, the Consul General of India to the United States of America and his wife Nandita Harish. Also, the renowned Violinist Vidwan Vittal Ramamurthy marked his company with his encouraging words. HYMA is not just proud to have hosted such a successful event, but is extremely optimistic about its vision to take music to the next level of appreciation, learning and sharing.
The Sri Lankan Minister for National Languages and Social Integration and Ethnic Affairs, Vasudeva Nanayakkara (right) visited Houston recently with a colleague and fellow minister Walter Wilegoda. They gave an exclusive interview to Indo-American News in the Galleria on October 7.
By Jawahar Malhotra
HOUSTON: It was a civil war that lasted 26 years and tore apart the fabric of the country, with death and destruction wreaking havoc far from the Jafna Peninsula, the epicenter of the conflict, to the streets of Columbo, the Sri Lankan capital on the western seaboard. Countless people were caught within the spiraling fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (also known as the Tamil Tigers) and the Sri Lankan military forces, and thousands of innocent lives and families were caught in the crossfire. By some accounts, close to 100,000 people lost their lives.
It was a war based as much along linguistic lines as on harsh economic realities and many Tamils caught in the fighting in the northeastern Jafna peninsula moved up into the central highlands to continue their lives. Many more who were inter-racially married found their personal allegiances challenged by the nature of the conflict between the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority.
The conflict made certain their demands for political and economic equality of the Tamil minority were heard, and it exposed the fissures that lay within Sri Lankan society and the political hierarchy of the lack of inclusivity, laying bare that much work had to be done to avoid a repeat of the conflict after the war was finally over. With the war over in 2009, the process of healing the wounds and bitter memories had to begin, a process that Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a veteran left-wing Sri Lankan politician, former presidential candidate and current Member of Parliament and Minister is now leading the government’s efforts to establish a process in a style reminiscent of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission established in South Africa to heal that country’s apartheid era wounds.
“The conflict has a linguistic basis in relation to claims as the Tamils felt Ceylonese but did not feel Sri Lankan when the country changed its name in 1972”, said Nanayakkara in an exclusive interview with Indo American News on a semi-circular balcony open to the atrium of the Galleria 3 Financial Center on Tuesday, October 7. “One way to resolve this resolve this is by becoming truly bilingual and offering everything in Tamil and Sinhalese”, he added.
Nanayakkara, 75, was on a week-long trip to Houston to visit his son Chiranjaya Nanayakkara who is an attorney here as well as give a speech on the subject of reconciliation at the Asia Society (see IAN dated October 17, 2014) organized by attorneys Rajneesh Chaudry and George Willy. He was accompanied on the trip by his colleague in politics, friend of 35 years and his Coordinating Secretary Walter Wilegoda. Nanayakkara became a Minister for National Languages and Social Integration in 2010 and represents the sole seat in the Government from the ten year-old Democratic Left Front, which is part of the United People’s Freedom Alliance, a member of the coalition government that rules the country.
“We need to change the attitude of the people regarding the differences, inequalities and gaps in traditionally inherited divisions of labor”, said Nanayakkara, “and promote ethnic harmony between the Sinhalese, Tamils, Hindus, Christians and Muslims in the country”. He hastens to add that the reconciliation effort is not the same as in South Africa, as the people do not hate each other. Of the 20 million people on the island, roughly 11 percent are Hindus and mostly Tamils, 6 per cent are Muslims and another 6 are Christians; but of the whole, almost 80 per cent of the people are relatively poor to very poor. Staring in 1956, ethnic cleansing by Sinhalese gangs and ultra-nationalists led to this problem, though now there are less of their followers.
Nanayakkara started his career as a criminal lawyer and worked with the labor and tribal movements in the southern district of Galle. From an early age his leftist leanings and concerns for the growing inequalities in society led him to join the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in 1958 and he was elected to parliament in 1970. After changing several parties, he was proscribed in 1982 and forced into hiding with other left-wing politicians until 1985. He ran for president in 1999, and won a seat on the Columbo Municipal Council in 2006.
“A large part of the conflict has been ‘Who owns Sri Lanka? Who has the right of dominance?’”, said Nanayakkara. “It is a question of a single state to the exclusion of the minorities”. He is proud that he and his Alliance have been able to get lots of things done to help the poor, like the fertilizer subsidy to small farmers; competitive purchasing by the state of agricultural products; stopping the privatization of all lands and bringing them back to state ownership and helping the small and medium farmers to get cheap loans.
Nanayakkara also worries that foreign investment has been low – about $2 billion – and has not met targets, but is going to other lucrative markets in Asia and that the IMF complains that the state interferes in the markets. “The state tax policies are light for the rich and harsher for the common man”, Nanayakkara said adding that he would like to see that change to corporations carrying 30 per cent of the tax burden and the poor much less. A large number of workers continue to send remittances from service in the Middle East.
“The solution to integration is making sure that bilingualism – Tamil and Sinhalese – becomes official in all parts of the country. More Tamils speak Sinhalese than the other way around”, emphasized Nanayakkara. “Our cultures are very similar and through a lot of inter-marriage we are related to each other. Poverty has no ethnic distinction. Our chief problem is governance”.
HOUSTON: Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) is proud to announce it first ever Banquet in Houston on Nov. 8, in celebration of the inauguration of its ninth eye care hospital in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and performing over 1.2 million free eye surgeries.
Established in 1998, Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has been working tirelessly for the past sixteen years with Sankara Eye Care Institutes in India to eradicate curable blindness. Driven by the truly inspirational vision of “Vision 20/20 by the year 2020,” Sankara has established eight community hospitals throughout India. It recently inaugurated its ninth hospital in Uttar Pradesh, and will launch its tenth hospital in Rajasthan next year.
In India, over 55 million people are visually impaired and 8 million are blind. Over 80% of the blindness such as Cataract and Glaucoma are considered curable. Sankara’s efforts based on robust infrastructure and aggressive outreach programs have enabled over 3 million patient screenings and over one million free eye surgeries with a network of state of the art hospitals across India. SEF is today the largest totally free eye care provider in the world, performing about 150,000 free eye surgeries per year.
With over 300 volunteers in several cities including Houston, SEF’s mission is to strengthen and expand the infrastructure and outreach programs to all parts of India through its fundraising efforts. America’s largest charity rating agency, Charity Navigator, has accorded SEF a prestigious four-star rating (out of four stars) for its accountability and transparency for two consecutive years, a feat achieved by only 19% of the charities in the United States.
SEF is hosting its first ever Banquet in Houston on Saturday, November 8, at the India House. With banquet dinner and multilingual musical entertainment by Swaramadhuri Group, the goal of the banquet is to raise SEF awareness in Houston while raising funds to support free eye surgeries, screenings, and capital expansion projects in India. The event will be attended by eminent personalities such as the Consul General of India, P. Harish, Dr. Ramani and Dr. Radha Ramani, Sankara Eye Care Institution Founders, and Murali and Sridharan Krishnamurthy, SEF Founders.
Visit www.giftofvision.org or contact the SEF Houston Team via email sefhouston@giftofvision.org to receive more information about the banquet.
This festival season give the “Gift of Vision”!
Contact: Dr. Rajender Aparasu at 713-429-4520b or Email: aparasu@giftofvision.org
