Month: February 2013

Rolling Meadows, IL: Human Development Foundation (HDF) and Kulsoom Foundation celebrated ‘Rahmania For Sonia’ on Sat., 23 Feb. 2013 at Meadows Club (2950 Golf Rd, Rolling Meadows, Ill.). Hosted by Kulsoom Foundation and attended by over 400 people, the theme of the evening was ‘A girl, A Dream, A Mission’. It was about Sonia Shah who wanted to help poor girls of a small village in Pakistan by building a school but could not complete her mission due to a tragic accident in summer of 2012. The fundraiser included live and silent auction, a dance performance by Sonia’s friend Shimoli Shah and choreographed dance performance by Dhrishti Art at A.R. Rahman music, which kept people engage and glued to the stage till mid night. All the proceeds will go to building Sonia Shah Memorial School in village Kangra in rural North West of Pakistan. Of Pashtun heritage, Sonia lived and studied in four countries, Thailand, England, US and finally graduated a year early from Zurich International School in Switzerland. An honor student she had a thirst for understanding the world around her. In 2011, she was the youngest intern on Capitol Hill and in 2012 among the youngest intern at […]

Glendale Heights, IL: The monthly bazaar, the first for 2013, hosted by Falak Fashions from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. through the sunny Sunday of 24 Feb. 2013 at the Ramada Inn at 780E. North Avenue, Glendale Heights, Ill., drew value shoppers all day long from across Chicagoland. Close to forty vendors offered native apparel and tailoring, bridal and other jewelry, perfumes, health food, prayer rugs and other Islamic paraphernalia, under single compact roof. Admission was free as always. In addition to wholesalers and established businesses that had their own brick-and-mortar outlets at otherwise dispersed locations, this single shared venue also makes it possible for entrepreneurial individuals working out of home and even without a business card to offer their goods and services at competitive prices. Falak Fashions and Ermas Exclusive Collection, for example, have physical outlets in Glendale Heights and Bolingbrook respectively, the latter also maintaining a dedicated Facebook page. Among the other apparel vendors selling formal or casual ware that Asian Media USA visited, interviewed, and photographed were Maeda Collection, Parizays, Iffat Boutique (Westmont), S.K. Collections, Design Boutique (Gilberts), Eiman’s Apparel (Aurora), Nafisa’s Kitchen & Desi Fashion (Morton Grove), and Malaika Collection (Carol Stream). Maaz Collection (Des Plaines) […]

Lombard IL: With red and pink heart-shaped balloons at the entrance of the banquet hall, over 200 guests gathered for a vibrant Valentine celebration on Sat., Feb. 23, 2013 at Viceroy of India, Lombard, according to a press release. Sponsored by the Club of Indian Women (CIW), the event was chaired by Pratibha Jairath, SaReGaMa Orchestra led by Hitesh Master and Kafi Khan provided the music. The singers were Pratibha Jairath, Raju Bankapur, and Hitesh Master joined by guest singer, Shaila Khedkar. The program was emceed by Madhu Uppal and Jairath. The evening peaked with Jairath singing love songs like Agar Tum Mil Jao, Aiye Meharban, Yeh Sama, Ajeeb Dastaan Chikni Chameli, and Yeh Mer Dil. . The dance floor filled up in no time and stayed that way when Raju Bankapur continued the singing with Sochenge Tumhe Pyar, Chand Sifarish, and Bachna Ae Haseeno. Later, the show continued with Master’s melodious numbers of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Khedkar’s rendering of Kaisi Paheli and Parda Parda. The singing and dancing continued till midnight. Just about every lady guest at the Valentine celebration was in glamorous red or black and red attire and men in their best red tie or […]

Naperville IL: Tri-State Telugu Association, a registered 501c(3) nonprofit organization organized “The Learning Hour- Senior Services and Benefits”, an informative and educational free seminar to benefit the Telugu community at-large on Saturday, Feb 23rd at the Naperville Public Library. The goal of this organization is to enhance the cultural, educational, social and charitable interactions among its members The seminar was presented by Mrs.Shree Gurusamy, a Senior Benefits Specialist and Health Promotion Coordinator at Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS). A Social Worker by profession and practicing in this field for more than 15 years Shree is actively engaged in community outreach and resource development activities. The seminar provided an opportunity for older adults and their care takers to hear from the speaker on a host of topics that impacted their quality of life. The seminar helped educate and raise awareness regarding the various benefits available for seniors living in Illinois . The topic highlights ranging from Social Security Retirement Benefits, Senior Transportation Services, In-Home and Adult Day Care services also covered the Prescription Drug Benefits available for seniors. The presentation was followed by an interactive Question and answer session with active participation from the attendees. Snacks were served by the organizers […]

Bartlett, IL: Manpasand and Suga Builders presented Super hit Gujarati Drama “Gujjubhai Ni Golmaal” on Friday, February 22, 2013 at Jain Center, 435 Hwy 59, Bartlett, IL. This being the first Gujarati play to come to Chicago in 2013 was a SOLD OUT event. Despite the bad snowy weather, the show attracted 600 plus members who jammed into the Jain Center auditorium. Admission tickets were $25, $35, and VIP ($55) which included Gujarati dinner. Bhavna Modi, the National and local promoter of the play has always bought quality plays to USA. She remarked that “Comedies only work when the actors share certain camaraderie and comfort level with each other, the audience could feel the amazing chemistry of the entire cast on the stage”. The play was in Gujarati Language, Writen by Pravin Solanki, Directed by Siddharth Randeria and Cast included Siddharth Randeria, Tejas Vyas, Kiran Malvanker, Chitrak Shah, Jyuthika Shah, Ketan Joshi, Sameer Uurav, Jay Pandya and Rohinton Chesan. Gujjubhai Ni Golmaal, Siddharth Randeria’s new comedy drama was a roller coaster ride of laughter. The story is about Gujjubhai’s journey to make money and get rich. His moto is “it’s better to be rich than do good”. He tries every […]

Skokie, IL: The Indian community of Niles Township celebrated India Republic Day through the afternoon of February 9, 2013 at Fairview School District 72, 7040 Laramie Ave Skokie, IL with music and dance performances, interspersed with remarks by the organizers and various guests. The initiative and inspiration behind this annual celebration since its inception has been Usha Kamaria. Chief Guest was Skokie Mayor George van Dusen. People came even from far suburbs outside Niles Township. Among the other dignitaries present, including elected and non-elected officials, were the director of Skokie public library Carolyn Anthony, Illinois State Rep. Daniel Biss, director of drug compliance Dr. Yash Amin, and prominent community leaders such as Iftekar Shareef, Naren Patel, Sunil Shah, Tushar Chotalia, and Skokie Park District superintendent Mike Reid. The program began with the auspicious lamp lighting ceremony performed by Rohit Joshi, accompanied by several dignitaries. DJ Chawla led the singing of the American and Indian national anthems, which preceded the opening remarks by Santosh Varghese. Usha Kamaria then took the podium to speak about Republic Day followed by Mayor Van Dusen. His wife Susan Van Dusen spoke subsequently about the annual “Coming Together in Skokie” festival that celebrates in turn one […]