11-09-2012 JSMC Diwali

Chicago IL: Festivity is in the air as Chicago land is all set to celebrate the Diwali once again. Having considerable Indian presence, mood in Chicago is upbeat Indian community members and the Temple are geared up to celebrate. Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC) celebrated Diwali Gala on Friday, November 10, 2012 at Jain Center, 435 N. Route 59, Bartlett, IL. Purpose and goal of organizing this event was dual, Diwali Celebration and Membership Appreciation Dinner. The auditorium was fully packed with about 600 people This was a ticketed event with VIP and Regular seating passes for $20 and $10 respectively for JSMC Life members. Non-Members paid additional $5.

Diwali is a festival of utmost importance in the Indian subcontinent. It is celebrated with exceptional enthusiasm across the country by people of every sect and religion. People light diyas (cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil) to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country. While in North India Diwali celebrates Rama’s return to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana and his coronation as king, in Gujarat, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali.

JSMC has scheduled a weeklong Celebration of Diwali that includes Spiritual, Ritual and Entertainment Events. The events were celebrated in company of Spiritual Leaders like Swami Shrutpragyaji and Hitesh Bhai Vidhikar with Religious Discourses and various Diwali Rituals scheduled from November 5th to November 14th 2012. On November 9th 2012 a Dinner and Entertainment program was scheduled. This was to be followed by Laxmi Poojan on Nov 10th, a Havan of Ghantakaran Vir on Nov 11th and a Bhakti Sangeet (Bhavna) program on the evening of New Year Day of Nov 14th 2012. There was sumptuous Indian Jain Lunch and Dinner planned for the entire weekend program. There were Diwali Snacks and Sweets served to the participants on most of the Diwali Celebration days.

Prominent Dignitaries from the Board of Village of Bartlett and the local business community were invited for the event. Board Members of Village of Bartlett, Sanjay Shah of Axiom Constructions and Bhavna Modi from Manpasand Entertainment.

The event started with social gathering and Dinner. JSMC Executive Board Members welcomed Village of Bartlett Patricia Kelly (Trustee), Rob Carney (Plan Commission Member) and Scott Skrycki (staff member)
upon arrival. They introduced each other followed by the facility tour. Village officials enjoyed Dinner with JSMC Board and Executive Committee.

Sunil Jain did excellent job as Master of Ceremony. He welcomed everyone. Village officials, JSMC Board, Executive Committee and sponsors came on the stage for lamp lighting ceremony. Sunil introduced Bartlett Patricia Kelly.

Trustee Patricia Kelly is a licensed Illinois attorney in private practice since 1989. She was awarded her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northern Illinois College of Law. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bartlett Veterans Memorial Foundation and is a Department of Veterans Affairs Accredited Attorney.

“We wish ever one happy Diwali. Tonight’s celebration is a wonderful opportunity to gather with friends and family and look back at the year behind us and forward to the months ahead. As you prepare for new beginnings, it is my wish that you see less hardship and more happiness in the year ahead. I wish you fewer challenges and more blessings. I wish you fewer losses and much, much more light and love in your lives. I know, as I look back over the years, I see what an important part of our community the Jain Center has become. You provide Bartlett with a beautiful gateway into another culture. We continue to appreciate the opportunity you give us to learn from each other and to share beliefs and traditions. When I look forward, I see good neighbors, valued neighbors with whom we hope to share many more celebrations in the years to come” siad Patricia Kelly Village of Bartlett Trustee

The volunteers at JSMC are always excited and strive to provide the best experience to all the participants of various activities at JSMC. For the successful execution of the Diwali Event, the following team of volunteers helped: Aneri Shah, Anand Zhaveri, Anila Shah, Ashok Vora, Bansri Shah, Bharat Kothari, Bhupen Shah, Chirag Shah, Daxay Shah, Dhiren Solanki, Gaurav Jain, Haresh Shah, Hitesh Shah, Jagat Shah, Kalpesh Shah, Manish Shah, Nutan Shah, Pragnesh Shah, Pinal Shah, Raju Shah, Rohit Shah, Saumil Shah, Sudha Shah, Viren Patel and all Pathshala

The program ended with a fun musical night. Entertainment Program was really praiseworthy. There was Live Entertainment Program provided by Musical Orchestra “Mumbai Masti”, with well-known artists from India.
Aman: A young and talented singer sung all the latest songs of singers like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, also specializes in Kishore Kumar songs.
Samshuddin: A versatile singer sung in multiple voices. From the oldies to the absolutely new songs, a complete package.
Aarti: Sung all latest songs. Mesmerizes the audiences with her voice quality and sings songs from latest numbers of Alka Yagnik and Sunidhi Chauhan.
Bharti: A very versatile singer. sung all the old and new songs. Specially has a god range from Asha to Lata .
The above artists were accompanied by talented musicians on Tabla, Congo, Dhol , Dholak, Octopad and Keyboard.
This was a family event. Everyone joined the crowd of thousands of people with family. There was volunteer security throughout the event. Also Bartlett Police ensured they had a safe and secured celebration of the entire festival.

The event was sponsored by Axiom Construction and Manpasand. JSMC thanked all Sponsors and Donors for making this event a big success. They also thanked the Board of Village of Bartlett for accepting their invitation and gracing the event with their presence. Above all, they thanked all Life Members whose continuous support and participation makes every event a big success. Besides that we are extremely thankful to all the individuals and families who have sponsored various religious events, lunch and dinners throughout the Diwali Celebrations.

Upcoming event: JSMC Lock In for Youth in January of 2013 and JSMC Ski Trip in Feb. 2013 (Both are JSMC Members Only event)

2012-2013 Trustees and Executive Committee of JSMC:BBB
Board Of Trustees: Arvind Shah- Chairman; Dipak Doshi; Sunil Jain; Atul Shah; Hemant Shah
Executive Committee: Tejas Shah- President; Hitesh Shah-Vice President; Vipul Shah- Secretary; Himanshu Jain-Treasurer; Sunil Shah-Jt. Treasurer; Piyush Gandhi- Membersip Secretary; Dr. Pradip Shah- Education Secretary; Dilip Shah- Food Secretary; Shilpa Shah- Youth Secretary;

About Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC):
JSMC does regular religious and community events throughout the year. Among many, the four major Religious events that JSMC does are Mahavir Jayanti, Temple Anniversary, Paryushan Mahaparva, Das Laxana Mahaparva, Diwali and regular discourses by many learned scholars from world over on Jain Philosophy JSMC also does many community events for its members and non-members alike and among many are JSMC Raas Garba – Ramzat, JSMC Mela, JSMC Health Fair, JSMC Karaoke Night, JSMC Lock In and JSMC Ski Trip. Founded in 1970, the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC) is a non-profit tax exempt organization registered in State of Illinois and operating under IRC Title 26 U.S.C. , 501(c), Section 501(c)(3) status. JSMC has a membership of about 1,500 families, the largest membership representation of the Jain Centers in North America. JSMC is a proud member of the Federation of Jain Associations In North America (JAINA) and has a distinctive honor of having built in 1992 the 1st significant Jain Temple of North America on 15.4 acre property it owns in Bartlett, Illinois. Jainism is a religion and a way of life for the Jains around the world. The primary purpose of JSMC is to provide a temple for religious services and a community center for social, cultural, educational and economic needs of the Jain community.

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