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Chicago IL: Geetha Mandalam Chicago celebrated Vibhava Sandhya an evening with dinner and entertainment on Saturday, December 03, 2011 at Holiday Inn Skokie, 5300 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie, IL. On this occasion, More than 300 people attended this program. The occasion was graced with the participation of dignitaries and high ranking officials along with eminent public figures like Congressman Danny Davis, Secretary of State Jesse White, 49th ward Alderman Joe Moore, Skokie Mayor Van Dusan, Trustee Pramod Shah, Commission member George Mathew, School Board member Shajan Anithottam and various community leaders like Past president of Indio American Center Ashraf Hasim, Collen Sen, David Putrus and various media members. Geetha Mandalam Board of Director, Suresh Balachandran initiated the cultural programs for the evening after social hour, which commenced with an invocation prayer song by the children of Geetha Mandalam, Nandhini Nair, Ritika Nair, Arjun Nair, Sankar Nair, Nithya Nair, Srihari Nair and Sriram Nair. General Secretary, Sivan Mohamma, introduced the president Mr. Anil Pillai for his welcome address. In his welcome address Mr. Anil Pillai, spoke about organization’s future plan, he requested every one’s help and support to reach organization’s goal, and also he introduced board members and past presidents of […]

Chicago, IL: On Sunday November 27th, the American Association of Radiologists of Indian Origin (AARI) held its Annual Dinner of the 2011 and Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting at Gaylord India Restaurant located at 100 E. Walton Street, Chicago, Illinois. Over 162 radiologists from America and abroad attended the event. AARI started in 1975 and functions as a venue for charitable, educational and cultural activities. Furthermore, it creates a forum that allows members to share common ideas and discuss mutual concerns. AARI or the American Association of Radiologists of Indian origin was formerly called Sushruta Society. It was founded over 25 years ago. The Association meets annually at the same time of the RSNA (Radiological Society of North America) annual meeting. This dinner meeting has become a tradition over the last several years where radiologists of Indian origin practicing in the US and Radiologists visiting from India have had a chance to socialize, exchange ideas and make lasting friends for life. This year’s annual dinner is being sponsored by Merrill Lynch. They have a 30 minute presentation “Financial Strategies For a Successful Retirement” Presented by Timothy C. Hines, First Vice President and Scott D. Miller, Vice President, Merrill […]

Chicago IL: The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) kept up it’s tradition of enthusiastically participating in the 79th McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held on the Thanksgiving Day Thursday November 24, 2011 on State Street downtown Chicago despite a chilly morning weather. The parade was televised live on WGN Channel 9 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m, and rebroadcast at 1 pm 4 pm on CLTV on the same day. http://www.wgntv.com/videogallery/66306090/News/Punjabi-Cultural-Society-of-Chicago—Thanksgiving- Day-Parade-2011 Celebrating its 78th year, the McDonald’s® Thanksgiving Parade is Chicago’s premier holiday event. PCS was a part of 101 spectacular contingents proudly marching the parade route North on State Street from Congress to Lake Street. “PCS has been participating in this parade since 2005, it gives our Indian community a great exposure in the mainstream, and it shows our commitment to celebrate the American festivals,” said PCS President Balwinder Singh Girn. “ The theme of the PCS float and it’s contingent was an Indian/Punjabi/Sikh wedding party (Baraat), which included the Bride and the groom in traditional Punjabi wedding outfits, the baraatees in festive ethnic costumes, Punjabi Dhol, amplified Bhangra music and street dancing. It was a great exposure of our community in the mainstream, through a major TV […]

Chicago, IL: On Saturday, November 19, 2011, the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services held its 19th Annual Gala at the Donald E. Stephens Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. It was a celebration of 19 years at with special guest, Ravi Baichwal from ABC 7 News as the Master of Ceremony. Evening highlights included a high couture fashion show by Designer Studio, a live auction, and musical performance by Kavita Khrishna Murthy. 835 people from the South Asian and American Community attended the program. Pakistani Consul General Zaheer Pervaiz Khan. Hamdard Center raised $235,000 of which will go towards their seven programs including the domestic violence division, transitional housing, senior services, youth services, primary and mental health services, and case management. The evening started with a warm welcome from Elissa Efroymson. This was followed by a cocktail hour in the lobby area, which was shared by over 18 exhibitors and vendors created a small Bazaar ambiance by displaying their beautiful products such as Indian Clothing, jewelry and paintings. Some of the participants were Sanyaz Photography, Makeup Iglam, I.Khanic, and Brown Hub and numerous others, who participated in making the Gala a successful event. The admission fee for the […]

Chicago IL: Compassionate Care Network (CCN) of Chicago hosted their 4th Annual fund raising Banquet on Saturday, November 18, 2011, at Monty’s Elegant Banquets, 703 S. York Road, Bensenville, IL 60106. The evening was attended by about 312 guests. It started off with a social hour that included many choices of delicious appetizers and soft drinks to neutralize the sting of spicy dishes. After the recitation of Quran by Anas Shahzad, the Master of ceremony, Janine Salameh, welcomed the guests. In her opening and introductory speech she remarked that, ‘In any type of non-profit organization you will find dedicated, hard-working individuals with a passion for giving back and a conscious that will not settle for enough, but must go above and beyond to use what they know and are skilled at to give back to the community and those in need’. Following the introduction she introduced the President of CCN, Dr. Mohammed Gafoor. In his masterful speech Dr. Gafoor outlined the functions and goal of the organization and linked them with divine messages from the holy Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) and Holy book. From these, CCN is an idea which evolved to be what it is now, service […]

Chicago, IL: On Sunday, November 13th, 2011, The Indo American Center’s (IAC) hosted its annual benefit gala at Oak Brook Marriott Hotel, 1401 West 22nd Street, Oak Brook, Illinois. The Indo-American Center special guests, sponsors, and other members of the community gathered to celebrate and support the IAC’s accomplishments and aspirations. $225,000 was raised for new vision through space and program expansion projects. Over 325 people attend this event. The evening was full of exciting short speeches, delicious dinner and entertainment by Artists from Anila Sinha Foundation, who presented traditional Kathak dance. “A Portrait of the Community” was this year’s gala theme, signifying the broader community that IAC works in and with. “We exist to serve the Community,” said IAC Executive Director, Jay Luthra”. “We would like to showcase our work, explain why some in the community need our help, and why the others in the community may wish to support us so we may continue to provide the help,” he continued. IAC teamwork and community collaboration have been, and will continue to be, keys to accomplishing IAC’s primary goal to continue to generate the necessary funds that will enable the Center’s work to continue”. He further stated “the Center […]

Chicago IL: Vchilli hosted a phenomenal event Supporting South Asian heritage, Art and Culture on Saturday, Nov 12th 2011 at Primitive Located at 130 N. Jefferson street, Chicago IL that opened its doors for the first time for a South Asian event of this magnitude and scale. It was the launch of SATMA( South Asian Talent Management) here in the U.S and an attempt by Vchilli to give back to the community by providing a platform for the promotion of South Asian talent in the U.S. Two amazing artist’s – Fahim Ali, A self taught artist whose work ranges from historic events, Islamic calligraphy, Hindu mythology to people and whose original painting of Tipu Sultan has been acquired by the National Museum of Pakistan mesmerized the crowds with his live painting to music. It was the first time in Chicago an event of this magnitude was organized and an artist of this caliber performed live to the amazement of the crowds.He is much at ease with the wash painting technique where he works with liquid oil paints flowing like water and using his fingers to paint. Since 1991 Fahim has shown his works in Singapore, Canada, United Kingdom , Dubai, […]

Chicago, IL: NetIP Chicago hosted the Third Annual Charity Gala benefiting Cancer is Colorblind on Saturday, November 12, 2011, at the Doubletree Chicago Magnificent Mile, 300 E. Ohio Street, Chicago, Illinois. The evening was attended by about 300 guests. Close to $30,000 was raised. CiC seeks to raise awareness and funds for pediatric and adult cancer prevention and treatment, while honoring cancer survivors and fighters. The festivities featured a formal three-course dinner, cultural performances, celebrity appearances, inspirational speakers, and special recognition for cancer fighters and survivors. The gala included a matching rally, a silent/live auction and raffle with an impressive line-up of donated items and prizes. Upon entering the event, Surabhi Saraswat stated, “NetIP chooses causes that are important to the community and where our efforts will make a direct impact. This year, Bear Necessities and Robert H Lurie were selected. Previous beneficiaries include Apna Ghar, a domestic violence center, Children’s Memorial Hospital and Sinai Health Systems.” All CiC proceeds directly benefited a genetics research program and a cancer support program at two cancer institutions, which serve diverse communities and patient populations: Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The evening started […]

Chicago IL: The Indian American Medical Association of Illinois (IAMA IL) is a non-for-profit professional organization comprised of Illinois physicians of Indian origin. It’s vision amongst other things is to organize community seminars related to public health issues. On November 12th, 2011, in collaboration with the Chinmaya Mission Chicago (Badri), Willowbrook, IL, conducted a well organized and attended “Fit at “Fifty” seminar and free health screening. The Fit at Fifty program was aimed at helping lay people understand several health-related issues pertaining to diabetes, cholesterol, colon cancer, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension. Free blood tests which included complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, and lipid profile were performed on people over the age of 35. All attendees were screened for hypertension and Body Mass Indices were performed. Opening the Forum, Dr. Annita John, President IAMA (IL), thanked the attendees and explained the importance of staying fit, more importantly, after the age of 50. As 75% of the health care costs in America is related to preventable conditions, she emphasized the importance of lifestyle modification for the health and also the quality of life for everyone in the community. The moderator of the event, Dr. Alka Kale, Chairperson IAMA (IL) Health Awareness […]

Skokie, IL: on November 6, 2011 The Hindu /Jain/Sikh Seniors residents, of the Grove North nursing home of Skokie (GNH), along with their friends and family celebrated Diwali , a festival of lights with great enthusiasm and traditional zeal . For Indians, Diwali is a festival filled with spiritualism and religious activities, such as worship of Goddess Lakshmi, worship of Lord Ganesha, worship of Ma Kali, worship of Lord Chitragupta and worship of Govardhan. Parvat. More than 72 participated in song, dance, and joined together for a special meal. The celebration was organized in the main Dining hallway converted in to the gathering place and dance floor for this special occasion. The premise was decorated with diwas, electric bulbs and other decorative electric lighting fixtures, around the portraits of Laxmi, Ganesh, Sarswati and Shrinathji to make their surroundings filled with colorful light and to make it bright and beautiful. Administrative staff and the employees of GNH did everything to keep every person entertained, happy and make life enjoyable. GNH gave them a platform so that they can stay full of life and as energetic as possible. Explaining principal reason behind the ‘in home’ celebration, Minaben Kansara explained that “almost all […]

Chicago IL: Over 400 people gathered to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 142st birthday on Sunday, November 6, 2011 with an outstanding performance of talent by youth at the Hindu temple of greater Chicago (Lemont Temple), 10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL. The event was organized by the Association of Indians in America (Illinois Chapter). The talent show consisted of performances by children and youth ranging from elementary school children from 8 to 28 years of age. Over 100 talented artists participated in this event. Each performance was grand and took weeks for these performers to prepare for this event. There were total 10 dance schools participated and most of the group performances had over 10 participants. More than 30 youth were involved from University of Illinois, DePaul University and UIC – Champaign Urbana. These type of dance need a lot of co-ordination and they were all superb performances with colorful modern and traditional costume. The performance consisted of Gujarati Garbo, Odyssey Nritya, Bharat Natyam, Bollywood dances and fusion dances. Every performance was absolutely astonishing. The youths performed almost like professionals. The program started with the American national anthem followed by the Indian national anthem. Mr. Salil Mishra, the chairperson of the event […]

Chicago IL: “The Tri-StateTelugu Association celebrated 75th anniversary Dasara-Deepavali cultural function at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in Lemont, IL on the 5th of November, 2011. The auditorium was abuzz with tiny toddlers in bright, shiny and colorful costumes. The evening started off with sumptuous dinner followed by a fun filled night of cultural performances from children of all ages and their parents. The host for the evening was the extremely talented & versatile singer, mridangam artist and budding music composer – Angara Sai Ramana Rao. He engaged the audience of over 400 people with his wit and knowledge. The performances started off with little children dancing to the melodious “Vinnaava Yashodamma” item from the eternal classic “Maya Bazaar”. A mixture of classical and folk performances from students of Lopa Banerjee, Swetha Vijayaraghvan and Lavanya Jonnagadda kept the audience glued to their seats. Graceful Mohiniyattam presentation of Gopalaka Pahimaam by Janaki Anandavalli and her students captured the hearts of all. The wonderfully choreographed presentation of Bo Sambho and Ganesha Vandadam in Kuchipudi and Bharatanayam dance styles by the students of Sobha Tammana and Vanitha Veeravalli respectively was a joy to behold. The students of Lasyam School of Kuchipudi Dance […]

Chicago, IL : On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, Six Gam Patidar Samaj (SGPS) hosted a splendid Diwali Dinner Celebration with SGPS Families, Friends, and Relatives. The event was held at the Holiday Inn Express on 3477 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. The evening was full of exciting short speeches, delicious traditional Diwali chow, and entertainment with noted musical entertainment by Bollywood Dhamka, Mr. Amit Ganguly and Ms. Bejoya Ganguly. Social hour began at 5:30 PM with appetizer and refreshments. Mr. Naren Patel (of Medstar Laboratories), Dr. Bharat Barai (Prominent leader and chairman of Manav Seva Mandir, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Mitchell Mossman (State Representative from the 56th District) and Mr. Dilip Patel (President of SGPS) started the night with the ceremonial lamp lighting. Naren Patel was a primary sponsor of this event and he is the president and CEO of Medstar Laboratories and is an avid member and philanthropist of the Indian American community. He is serving as the current President of the Association of Indians in America Illinois Chapter (AIA) and participates in various other community initiatives. He has also served as a President of the Six Gam Patidar Samaj. Event’s Master of ceremony was conducted by pair of […]

Carol Stream, IL: Manav Sadhna USA Presented “Maa Baap Ne Bhulsho Nahi” on Friday, November 4, 2011 at Glenbard North High School, 990 Kuhn Road, Carol Stream, IL. Kathiavadi Dinner was served from 5:00 to 6:55 pm and actual program will start at sharp 7:00 pm. Tickets ranged from $25, $35, and $50. All proceeds are to go to the poor and orphan children in India. Over 900 people came to the show making it the 5th consecutive sold out program organized by Manav Sadhna. The story theme was created, directed and written by Ashwin Joshi. Live music was played by Jayantibhai, Narendrabhai & Pankaj Barot. The cast included Nirav Ashwin Joshi & Pragnaben Shah (singer). The dialect of the story was in Gujarati. The National Promoter for the show is Manpasand (Bhavna Modi) Production was by Mahendra Shah of Art Studio Production. “Maa Baap Ne Bhulsho Nahi” is nothing but an emotional mini version of epic drama. Mr. Ashwinbhai Joshi’s work into creating this story telling diaro is very unique in the sense that though it is presented to the audience as a diaro, in reality it is epical presentation to rouse the feelings and emotions of the society […]

Chicago IL: On Sunday, October 30th, the Indian National Overseas Congress Organization hosted its Annual Banquet at the India House Banquets located at 1551 Schaumburg Rd, Schaumburg, IL. The paramount objective of the event was to announce the Michigan sub chapter of Indian National Overseas Congress and to honor; Ms. Alka Lamba, senior leader of AICC (All India Congress Committee). Doors opened at 6:00pm with meet and greet session for V.I.P’s with the dignitaries beginning at 6:00pm for one hour. The dignitaries and the V.I.P’s were then escorted to the main hall where 600 plus people were waiting to welcome them. The event commenced with appetizers and cocktails. Lovedeep Singh Dulat, Executive Secretary and the Banquet chair made it a well organized event. Anju Katiyal, Arvind Sidhu and Hardev Sahu, all board members since the launch of the organization were seen busy taking care of all the guests and making sure that the event went smoothly. Avind Gakhal was very instrumental in planning the whole event. The Chief Guest of the evening was Alka Lamba who is a senior leader of Congress, AL Larson, Mayor of Schaumburg and Raja Krishnamoorthi an aspirant to contest for Congressman were Guest of Honors. […]

Chicago IL: Midwest Asian American Center or MAAC celebrated its Annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, October 29th, 2011 at India House Banquet Hall, 1521 W. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, Illinois,60194. A delicious buffet dinner with non-vegetarian and vegetarian options allowed for a palate of delicious food. There was a cash bar that was open at 6:30 P.M. and the program started at 8:00 P.M. The MAAC board of directors invited the people to support MAAC on its educational, cultural and social work by attending and sponsoring its fundraising dinner and cultural evening. Entertainment was provided by the Jesse White Tumblers and R K Dance Academy. There were 250 plus people who attended to celebrate the event. The event began with a Welcome speech given by Vandana Dalal (Executive Director), who was the coordinator and organizer of this event along with her MAAC team. Vandana said, “I do the event every other year, but this time I am doing this event two consecutive years in a row. The state cut funding; therefore I am happy that we could do this event this year. We do everything with education, which helps us to move our cause forward, to help provide classes, services, and […]

Chicago, IL: Vishwa Gujarati Samaj USA (VGS USA) Board of Directors & President Naren Patel Celebrated Diwali on Friday October 28, 2011 at the Waterford Banquet located on 922 Riverside Road, Elmhurst IL. The event was also attended by VGS members, [the event was complementary to the paid members] invited guests, friends and family. The extravagant celebration began at 7 pm. Vishwa Gujarati Samaj Global President Krishnakant Vakharia and Kusum Kaul Vyas the Joint General Secretary travelled from India to join the celebration. Mr. Hitesh Master and his orchestra conducted music for Garba, Bhajan, melodious Bollywood and Gujarati Lokgeet. The event kicked off with the Deep Lighting Ceremony with the chief guest VGS Worldwide President, Mr. Krishnakant Vakharia. Joining Mr. Vakharia was VGS USA President, Mr. Naren Patel, Hiren Patel [NRB Bank]Mafat Patel, Neal & Raj Patel from Medstar Laboratory, Inc., Dinesh Gandhi, Beena Patel, Sonal Shukla, Tushar Chotalia, Vinod Parikh, Kishore Chugh and Dr. Yash Amin. They wished all guests Happy Diwali and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Nishal Patel, the grandson of Naren Patel came up on stage to enlighten the audience what Diwali truly represents. Next, the VGS, USA Secretary Beena Patel was acknowledged for her […]

Chicago IL: Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna (Padma Vibhushan ) and Pt. Ronu Majumdar (Grammy Nominee), along with accompanying artists, rendered a soul stirring concert to a ‘sold out’ audience of close to 700 people on Sunday, October 23, 2011. The concert was organized to commemorate the 18th sthapana anniversary of Lord Badrinarayana Murti in the shrine at Chinmaya Mission Chicago’s Badri center located in Willowbrook, IL. The Grand Concert, held at the Sama Rathi auditorium in HTGC, was a tribute and celebration of the community oriented service that Chinmaya Mission Chicago has been providing to the Chicagoland area families for the past 30 years. Mission is dedicated to educating our children, adults and families as a whole, fostering self-development through right understanding of our religious principles and practice of value-based living. Mission continues to offer weekly classes, lectures and discourses, including periodic camps and retreats to support and strengthen our families. With 2 vibrant centers, Badri (in Willowbrook, IL) and Yamunotri (in Grayslake, IL) over a1000 children and hundreds of families are involved in the Mission classes held each week. You can get details about all the Mission activities by visiting www.chinmaya-chicago.org or contacting Mrs. Rajul Bhalala at 847-302- 2383 (or) […]

Bolingbrook, IL: On Saturday, October 23rd, the Vaishnav Samaj of Midwest (VSM) presented Rass/Garba by Bollywood celebrity and Playback singer Vinod Rathod for the benefit of Shreeji Dwar Haveli. Vinod rocked the auditorium with his orchestra of 10 performers. This was the second time such an event was held by the Vaishnav Samaj of Midwest in Chicago metropolitan area that attracted thousands of participants at the Bolingbrook High School, 365 Raider Way, Bolingbrook, IL. Indulged by mesmerizing voice and music by Vinod Rathod and his orchestra, the program started by Garba performed by thousands of participants wearing colorful dazzling clothes doing whirling dances with clapping hands. Dandiya Raas were performed with equal enthusiasm by distinct rhythmic synchronized sound of wooden sticks struck together, toe tapping music marked the Navratri celebration. Navratri is worship and celebration of Durga Mata to mark by her victory of good over evil. The Navratri celebration also marks a festival of nine nights during which Hindus worship other equally significant goddesses namely Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, the goddesses of health, prosperity and knowledge respectively. Nine days of Navratri and 10th day of Dussehra are celebrated by all Hindus with some regional variations, the most famous elaborate […]

Schaumburg, IL: Gujarati Samaj Chicago organized a Diwali gala dinner and musical evening Friday, October 21 2011, at India House restaurant located in Schaumburg, Illinois. The evening was attended by about 612 guests. The evening started with social hour with many choices of delicious tasteful appetizers and soft drinks to neutralize sting of spicy dishes. MC for the occasion was the ever green Bharti Desai, who kept the crowd fluid, attentive, and involved for total length of the program. Deeva lighting ceremony was performed by President Suryakant Patel and his wife, Urvashi. Addressing the gathering, current President Suryakant Patel wished everyone a Happy Diwali and Happy New Year! He said, “Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana and to rejoice conquering of evil Ravan by Lord Ram. Let us thank, pray, and celebrate for all the blessing by supreme Bhagavan.” He outlined objectives of the Samaj that “We are glad to be serving the Chicago Metropolitan area for many years. Our goals are to encourage people to explore and learn about rich Gujarati culture. Together let us keep this light lit for life and joy for many years to come.” Suryakant Patel told Mr. Suresh Bodiwala and Dr. Chandrakant […]