Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Mesmerizes Chicago Music Lovers

Chicago IL: Co-hosted by Saahil Exclusive, L.A. Tan “Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert” is a collective effort of Bhavesh Patel, Babubhai Patel, Mayur and Nick Patel. The legendary singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan rocked Sears Center Arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy, Hoffman Estates, IL on 8:30 PM, Friday, May 17, 2013 with yet another unforgettable concert. Chicago saw one of the finest concerts of all times. Khan mesmerizes the enthusiastic crowd of more than 5000 listeners for about 4 hours. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sang hits from various Bollywood films which rocked the crowd. He was received by the audience with standing ovation and sang hits from various Bollywood films which rocked the crowd and kept the audience spellbound. This was undoubtedly one of the finest performances by Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan of ALL time; and why not? Since this was his 50th Concert Celebration Night. Khan Sahab made it very clear in the beginning of the concert, as soon as he arrived on stage, that tonight it’s not just going to be a concert; it will be a celebration and he wanted all his fans and every member in the audience to be part of […]

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Indian Americans Organize Convention of Aam Aadmi Party in Chicago

Chicago: About 300 Indians from 20 cities in the US gathered today in Chicago for a day long convention organized by US supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Members of the Aam Aadmi Party national executive Arvind Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav and Kumar Vishwas, who is also a noted poet, were the keynote speakers. The morning began with a vigorous speech by Dr Kumar Vishwas, who combined poetry and prose with good effect to enthrall the audience. His verses emphasized the need for otherwise indifferent but educated citizens and well-wishers of India to contribute to democracy through political participation. He also used the occasion to recite his latest couplet titled “Tiranga” that he has coined reflecting on the current political situation in India. Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP’s national convener addressed the gathering live from the AAP Headquarters in Ghaziabad, near Delhi. He spoke about AAP’s role in India’s growth and the role that NRIs can play in furthering this cause. Arvind remains optimistic about India’s future and believes that the AAP could be the catalyst that can bring change in the country by redefining the rules of politics. He further stressed on the importance of decentralization in governance which would […]

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Pratham CEO Highlights Innovative Educational Strategies in India

Chicago IL: Pratham Chicago hosted an evening reception on Thursday, April 25, 2013 in honor of Pratham CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Madhav Chavan at the Best Western Plus Hotel, 1725 E. Algonquin Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173. He had stopped over to en route to the Pratham Houston Gala on Saturday. Chavan, who is the 2012 recipient of the WISE Prize, a prestigious award considered to be the “Nobel Prize” in education, gave an impromptu talk on Pratham’s various initiatives, several of which the Indian government has been assiduously studying and even trying to emulate in view of their very tangible and demonstrable results. A recurring theme behind the case studies he recounted was how outmoded our current age-based assembly line system of education, geared to the bygone needs of the industrial revolution, had become. Instead of being pumped with facts, learners need their creativity to be unleashed. Pratham Chicago Chairman Raj Rajaram introduced the Founder-CEO as having “transformed” education. Pratham is a non-profit organization that reaches millions of primary school age children in India. After obtaining his PhD in Chemistry in the USA followed by post-doctoral research, Chavan returned to India in 1986. In 1989, while teaching at the University […]

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Malladi Trio Lend Sparkle to Thillana-Themed Veena Festival

Chicago IL: The fifth annual three-day Veena festival curated by Sri Annamacharya Project of North America (SAPNA) over the weekend from April 26–28 had “Thillana” for its theme this year, and was dedicated to the memory of Padmabhushan Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sripada Pinakapani and legendary violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman. Between Chitravina Ravikiran’s inauguration concert (Friday evening) and Balamurali Krishna’s grand finale (Sunday evening) both held at the Lemont Hindu temple, the whole weekend resounded with veena concerts at the Sri Venkateshwara Swami (SVS), popularly known as Balaji, temple in Aurora, Ill. Saturday’s highlight was the award of the title ‘Srikala Purna’ to Sangitacharya Malladi Suri Babu, father of the famous vocalists Malladi Brothers, Sriram Prasad and Ravi Kumar, followed by their evening vocal concert. With their stentorian voices, Malladi Brothers took the audience by storm and sang their way into the hearts of connoisseurs. As a fitting tribute to maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman, they began the concert with Suri Babu’s brief but imposing delineation of the ragam Asaveri through Lalgudi’s set composition (varnam) Jalajaksha Neepadame Gati. Setting a stately pace for the entire concert with Parameshwara Jagadeeshwara in ragam Nattai, Malladi Brothers then sang Thyagaraja’s Manasu Nilpa in ragam Abhogi. The sparkling alapana […]

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