Category: Newspaper Links

Chicago IL: Sita Rama Kalyanamahotsavam was held at Chinmaya Mission Chicago, Yamunotri Center on Saturday April 7, 2012 located at 30877, N. Fairfield Rd., Grayslake, IL. The event was presided by Swami Sharadananda (resident Acharya) and Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony was performed by priest Srihari Samudrala and supported by local devotees. Bala Vihar children performed a beautiful Dance/Drama “Sampoorna Ramayana”. Over 400 people attended this event. The program started on time at 8-30 am with Shree Sita Rama Kalyanamahotsava Puja- Celestial Wedding Ceremony of Lord Rama and Sita Devi. Thereafter procession of Sita Rama was taken out in grand manner. Resident Acharya Swami Sharadananda delivered a short yet meaningful sermon. Cultural Program by the Balvihar Children depicting important episodes from Ramayana was beautifully presented. The program ended with sumptuous yet simple Lunch. Significance of Sita Rama Kalyanam In the Hindu religion, Lord Rama and Mother Sita are known to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi. The divine couple were born on Earth to expunge frightful enemies that cannot otherwise be overcome. The Kalyanamahotsavam of Lord Sri Rama with his consort Mother Sita is celebrated on the holy occasion of Sriramnavami which falls on ‘Chaitra Shuddha Navami ‘ the […]

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Chicago IL: More than 1500 community members, 28 programs, over 175 participants, program coordinators and volunteers of all ages from Metropolitan Chicago Area and surrounding States packed Copernicus Theater (Formerly known as Gateway Theater) Auditorium, 5216 West Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL to celebrate “Rangla Punjab 2012” Vaisakhi festival at 7 PM, Saturday April 7, 2012. Deafening music beats and rocking performances built the mood at the most awaited evening in Chicago. An amalgamation of myriad colors of youthful spirit and breathtaking performance by participants marked ‘Rangla Punjab 2012’, the welcome celebration for Vaisakhi (Spring) festival. Other highlights of the evening were stalls showcasing Indian chic designer collection and accessories. The variety show titled “Rangla Punjab” is the flagship event of Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS). Rangla Punjab program has been in existence in Chicago since the early eighties. Its purpose is to impart Punjabi Indian culture into the next generation born and brought up here in America. It is also to unite the community living here through a common culture and celebrate it together. It is designed to teach and promote Punjabi performing arts such as Bhangra, Gidha, songs, drama and music to the next generation of the local […]

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Chicago IL: CNN Hero 2010, Narayanan Krishnan attended a Fund- raising program on 4:00PM, Sunday, April 1, 2012 at The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 Lemont Rd Lemont, IL and it was a grand success. There were more than 700 attendees for this fund-raiser, which involved fantastic Cultural programs, Light music and Fashion show. The Chicagoans were very generous and they donated over $40,000. Mr. Krishnan’s inspiring speech moved everyone and everyone was generous and made this program a grand success. Mr. Krishnan was overwhelmed with the support, donation and he was in tears when he finished his presentation. He said that he did not expect such a huge support. Mr. Krishnan informed the audience about the project that he is currently doing- Building 24,000 Sq.foot rehabilitation center for destitute and homeless people. He came to U.S.A with a goal of $90,000 to finish the project. Chicago donated $40,000 for this cause and he was surprised with the love and donation shown by the chicagoans. The volunteers have done a wonderful job in putting this event together for Akshaya. Ironically, when he came to Chicago last year, the total attendees were in 20’s. Therefore, he came to Chicago with […]

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Chicago IL: An annual health fair was organized at Shree Jalaram Mandir located at located at 425, Illinois Blvd , Hoffman Estates , IL , on Sunday, April, 15, 2012. More than 325 patients availed the free services provided at this health fairs. The health fair is a community service program mainly for the benefit of devotees and all those without medical insurance, visitors and others in need of medical checkups. Shree Jalaram Mandir volunteers have been working hard to help the society through several beneficial programs in addition to the religious activities and events. The social and humanitarian activities include blood donation drive, bone marrow drive, yoga classes, dance classes, music and instrument classes, youth activities and educational classes. One significant program organized by the temple is the annual health fair. This event marked the 3rd year of the health fair. Long lines of participants arrived early in the morning to take advantage of the medical services at this event. The main coordinator of this event was Mr. Bakulbhai Thakkar. This healthfair started at 8.00 AM and concluded at 1.00 PM. Mr. Chirayu Parikh, President of Shree Jalaram Mandir was overjoyed to see such a large turnout. He stated […]

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Chicago IL: More than 1500 community members, 28 programs, over 175 participants, program coordinators and volunteers of all ages from Metropolitan Chicago Area and surrounding States packed Copernicus Theater (Formerly known as Gateway Theater) Auditorium, 5216 West Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL to celebrate “Rangla Punjab 2012” Vaisakhi festival at 7 PM, Saturday April 7, 2012. Deafening music beats and rocking performances built the mood at the most awaited evening in Chicago. An amalgamation of myriad colors of youthful spirit and breathtaking performance by participants marked ‘Rangla Punjab 2012’, the welcome celebration for Vaisakhi (Spring) festival. Other highlights of the evening were stalls showcasing Indian chic designer collection and accessories. The variety show titled “Rangla Punjab” is the flagship event of Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS). Rangla Punjab program has been in existence in Chicago since the early eighties. Its purpose is to impart Punjabi Indian culture into the next generation born and brought up here in America. It is also to unite the community living here through a common culture and celebrate it together. It is designed to teach and promote Punjabi performing arts such as Bhangra, Gidha, songs, drama and music to the next generation of the local […]

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Manikant Patel, of Omkar Production with the Blessings of Late Gurudev Shri Bimal Mangalia proudly presented a comedy Drama, ‘Var Maro Lagne Lagne Kuvaro’ under the banner of Khelrangara at Midwest Swaminarayan Temple, 8:00 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012 at 21W710, Irving Park Road, Itasca, IL. The program was arranged for Fund Raising for the benefit of the free Medical & Eye Clinic service provided by Itasca Swaminarayan temple. A tasteful Kathiawadi Dinner was served to all the attendees. The excellent food was prepared by the volunteers of the temple. Under the Blessings and guidance of Acharya Shri Kaushalyendra Prasadji Maharaj, this Temple is conducting various activities for the benefit of the Society. These activities include: Youth Camps of Two –Three Days, Gujarati classes, Yoga classes, Kids Shibirs, Cultural Programs, Workshops, AARP driving classes for seniors, annual health fair and monthly medical clinic for needy patients and recently started eye clinic to offer free eye check up and providing free glasses to the needy. The Medical and Eye clinics are run by community support from Donors and Free Service from Doctors, Pharmacies, Nurses, Technicians and Volunteers. Every year mandir organizes fund raising dinner for supporting this very useful service […]

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Bartlett, IL : Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC) celebrated one of the holiest festival of Jainism – Paryushan Maha Parva and Das Laxana Maha Parva from August 25, 2011 to September 11, 2011 at Jain Temple , 435 N Rt. 59, Bartlett , IL. More than 3500 people attended the festivities of Mahavir Janma Vanchan, Paryushan Parva’s most celebrated event. Some highlights of the celebration included Gautam Swami Aaradhana , Swapna Darshan, Navkaar Vandnavali & Jaap, Laghu Siddhachakra Aaradhana, 18 Paap Sthanak Samvedana, Samvatsari Pratikraman, Tapasvi Parna, Alochana & Shrimad Bhakti, Nightly Bhavana, andcultural programs. The eight days long festival, popularly known as “Paryushan Maha Parva” is a festival of Dharma Aradhana. During these eight days Jains follow total non-violence, love, and compassion through fasting. The festival ordains the Jains to observe the ten universal supreme virtues in daily practical life. The non-Jains also express high reverence for this Jain festival. On this occasion, JSMC had invited a respected and learned scholar and Vidhikar Shri Narendrabhai Nandu, Mumbai, Gujarat, India, for Pravachan and rituals. During Das Laxana Maha Parva, well known and taught scholar Swami Shri Srutpragyaiji of Peace of Mind institution or Rajkot, Gujarat, India delivered lecture series […]

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Chicago, IL: The Association of Indian Pharmacists in America (AIPHA) organized an exciting Annual Diwali Party on Saturday, December 3, 2011 in the renowned India House Restaurant, 1521 W. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL to celebrate Diwali and the holiday season with members and their families. AIPHA also took the opportunity to discuss the progress and outlook of the pivotal group to the over 572 guests in attendance. Gita Patel, Pharmacist stated, “This organization has been around over 25 years. This is the largest crowd that I have ever seen for this organization. It is a cause for everyone to get together to learn what is going in the pharmaceutical industry and to have fun.” Also, first time attendee pharmacy student from Chicago State University, Aarti Shah said, “This is a great event and we, the students are very happy to be invited to help celebrate Diwali and contribute to AIPHA.” The evening started with the Masters of Ceremonies, Jalpa Thakkar and Mayur Shah welcoming everyone to the annual Diwali dinner party. Mayur and Jalpa talked about the significance of Diwali. They spoke about how the Hindu holiday celebrates the triumph of good over evil, about leading us from darkness to […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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