Category: Newspaper Links

CM Modi emphasizes the Need to rebuild the confidence of people and win their trust Chicago: Indian Gujarati Samuday of North America Celebrated Gujarat Day with Honorable Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Of Gujarat,Via Satellite at 7:30 PM, on Sunday, May 12, 2013 at The Meadows Club, 2950, W Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL. On the morning of 13th May 2013, Shri Narendra Modi addressed NRIs across 20 cities of USA to commemorate 53rdGujarat Day celebrations.

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.

Chicago IL: The Indian American Medical Association Charitable Foundation of Chicago (IAMACF) hosted its annual charity gala, themed “Basic Healthcare for the Uninsured,” on Sunday, April 28, 2013, at the Waterford Banquet Hall, 933 S. Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, Illinois. The event was well attended by physicians, politicians, Chicago’s prominent businessman, community leaders and general public. Despite the country’s challenging economy, more than four hundred members participated in the event and generously pledged donations totaling $100,000 which will benefit uninsured, low-income population who receive services from IAMACF’s clinic.

Chicago IL: Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) held its Tenth Annual Breaking Barriers Awards fundraising reception on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at downtown Sunda New Asian Restaurant (110 W. Illinois Street). The CFW Asian American Leadership Council (AALC) honored pioneering Asian and Asian American women in the metropolitan Chicago area, who have made an outstanding and lasting impact in their respective fields. Honorees this year were women across a variety of disciplines and professions, who have been “the first” or among the earliest to have achieved a level of leadership and visibility that has paved the way for others. They were Shradha Agarwal, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, ContextMedia, Inc.; Libby Chiu, retired Chief of Staff, Illinois Arts Council; Madhuvanti Ghose, Alsdorf Assoc. Curator of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, Art Institute of Chicago; Ngoan Le, Vice President of Program, Chicago Community Trust; Tuyet Le, Executive Director, Asian American Advancing Justice-Chicago; Josina Morita, Director, United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations; Prem Sharma, Founder, Apna Ghar; Joanna Su, Manager of Community Systems and Capacity Building, Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development; Liz Thomson, Asst. Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center, University of Illinois at Chicago; and Lisa […]

Chicago IL: In response to the recent wave of violence across the USA, the Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) has launched an ambitious movement, Non-Violence: No Higher Calling (NonVio) that was kicked off personally from Chicago by AOLF founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont the evening of Thursday, March 28, 2013. Significant participation of local grassroots civic organizations grappling with this pandemic, having Chicago as its epicenter, was capped by vocal endorsements from Illinois politicians and bureaucrats. Present were US Representatives Jan Schakowsky (9th District) and Danny Davis (7th), Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar. Governor Pat Quinn’s resolution making March 28 “Non-Violence: No Higher Calling” Day across Illinois was introduced by AOLF teacher for the past 20 years Debra Poneman and read out by the Governor’s representative Teresa Marr, who presented a plaque to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in attestation. This NonVio campaign calls for individual pledges to acts of nonviolence to counter the growing violence epidemic (www.nonvio.org). The goal is to accumulate one billion pledges, which is100 pledges for every one act of violence recorded in the US each year. For Ravi Shankar, the […]

Chicago IL: Chicago community came in large numbers to support a very worthy cause of humanitarian work in Pakistan. The Human Development Foundation (HDF) held its 16th Annual Community Awareness & Fundraising Dinner on Saturday, April 13th 2013 at Rosemont Convention Center, 9301 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL. This successful event was sold out, with over 400 attendees joining to support HDF’s mission in fighting poverty through its Holistic Model of Development in the program region of Rahim Yar Khan. During social hour, attendees mingled, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, and browsed through a selection of unique vendors. There was a book signing by Rashid Osmani, debut author of “Word Posse.” A full silent auction table boasted a customized private chef dinner; gift certificates; exquisite jewelry; and designer outfits. Master of Ceremonies was conducted by Ash-har Quraishi, Emmy Award-winning television journalist, writer, photographer, and film maker. The Chicago community was welcomed by Humaira Abbasi, HDF’s Chicago Chapter Chair. She thanked all the volunteers, supporters, and event host committee members who made the event a grand success. HDF’s Executive Director, Fakhia Rashid highlighted HDF’s incredible milestones and achievements. She also gave updates on 2 projects funded by the generous Chicago Community last year. […]

Chicago IL: The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) in Lemont, Ill., celebrated the Holi festival with an afternoon dance program, followed by the traditional and indispensable throwing of colors at each other, and culminated in the burning of Holika as darkness fell. The crowd eventually numbered well over a thousand with even the planned remote parking facility filled to capacity. The cultural program was emceed by Om Dhingra, Chairman of HTGC Cultural Committee, and dance teacher Vidya Pandikaran, who performed recently at the temple for Shivaratri. A ten-minute animation of Prahlada’s devotion to God against his egoistic demon-father’s will was shown at the beginning. It explained how malicious Holika, after whom the festival is named, drew her devout nephew into the fire on her lap but ended up burnt to ashes instead of him. Welcoming the audience, HTGC President Tilak Marwaha observed that attendance has been increasing every year with even non-Desi parents bringing their children to enjoy the festive spirit. Quite a few were there at the start of the dance program. He later told Asian Media USA that many came out of curiosity after seeing images of Holi from previous years on Facebook. Most of the dance […]

Chicago, IL: The Vibrant Media Group, HC along with Studio Elite, Ravani & Mohindra, Attorneys at Law and Amedcoa Dental brings a weekend of music, fashion, and culture in celebration of 100 Years of Indian Cinema. The weekend will recognize and celebrate 100 Years of excellence in Hindi Cinema from August 31- September 1, 2013, in Hoffman Estates, IL. The launch of the event was hosted by Ms. Yukta Mookhey. Yukta was crowned Miss World 1999 and is an Indian model and actress. She has featured in several Bollywood movies and engages herself in social and charitable causes. The launch also saw playback singer Mr. Krishna Beura in attendance extending his support for the event. Mr. Beura is a playback singer known for his hit songs “Maula Mere” from Chak De India, “Soniyo” from Raaz-2 and “Rabba” from Musafir among others. Monty Sayed said “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and along with a musical concert and performances, it is truly an honor to recognize icons from the Indian film fraternity that have contributed to making the industry what it is today. We are very happy to host the 1st ever event exclusively celebrating 100 Years of Bollywood!” […]

Chicago IL: A gathering of over 85 people celebrated old and new Bollywood songs on Saturday April 6th, 2013 at Masala Grill restaurant, 2948 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL. This sold out event started at 7PM and went on till 12:30AM with non-stop Bollywood songs being sang by 20 singers. Both amateurs and professional singers pleased the crowd for hours. Masti-Entertainment was started by Mr. Mujeeb Ahmed on June 15th 2012. It went from a handful of members to over 125 members currently and continues to grow. Over the past 10 months, Masti entertainment has supported or organized 19 meet-ups. Masti-Entertainment organizes karaoke night called “Chicago Ki Awaaz” every 6-8 weeks, at venues all over Chicago land. This night is for music lovers to get together and sing their favorite songs or just enjoy listening to other singers. Chicago Ki Awaaz provides a platform for singers to express themselves through music and welcomes artists of any age, religion and culture. Its mission is to bring out hidden talents within the Desi community and support singers who have God given talent to realize their potential. Being an integral part of the group will provide the singers opportunity to perform at local […]

Chicago IL: Chicago community came in large numbers to support a very worthy cause- The Gift of Education” for the underprivileged Children of rural and tribal villages of India. Swar Sanjeevani 2013 was held on Saturday, April 06, at Glenbard North High School, 990 Kuhn Rd, Carol Stream, IL 60188. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation Chicago Chapter organized this charity fundraiser event to provide free education to Rural & Tribal villages of India . Ekal Vidylaya- Peoples movement Started by Ordinary People. Ekal’s philosophy is to take a holistic approach to social and economic development and eradication of illiteracy from remote and tribal villages of India .The Ekal movement is the largest, grassroots, non-governmental education movement in India, operating in over 46,966 villages and educating over 1,335,078 children in rural India. Goal is to reach 100,000 villages by year 2015 . This year, 2013, marks 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the revered ‘spiritual master of modern age’, who more than a century ago, initiated the concept of ‘oneness’ of global humanity. Noting the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy in India, Swamiji had emphasized, “If the poor child cannot go to Education, then the Education must go to the child”. Chicago […]

Chicago IL: Adnan Sami staged a live concert on Saturday, March 30, 2013 at Sears Center, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, Ill. The multi-talented pianist, singer, composer, actor, and musician, also reputed to be the world’s fastest keyboardist, was back in Chicago after eight years with a spectacular new show presented by Combined Oil Company, Live 2U, and Desi Bazaar. Sami mesmerized an enthusiastic crowd of more than 3800 listeners for about 3 hours. British-born 39-year old Sami is of Pakistani origin, currently holds Canadian citizenship, and lives in Mumbai, India. His style merges Asian and Western music styles and instrumentation and ranges from classical to jazz to modern pop-rock. The first person to play Indian Classical music on the electric piano, Sami is featured in a documentary recently commissioned by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office amongst the ten most famous names from India and Pakistan, who have influenced Asian culture in the UK over the last fifty years. He is committed to experimenting with new styles and forms rather than be taken hostage by past successes. Sami started by singing “Allahu Akbar” and showing his virtuosity on the keyboard. He went on to sing the following songs: […]

Bartlett, IL: Committed to the progress and growth of women worldwide, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha celebrated its sixth annual Midwest Women’s Conference held in Bartlett, Illinois on March 30, 2013. Over 450 women of all ages were in attendance at the conference which focused on this year’s theme of “Timeless Traditions: Celebrating the Past, Cultivating the Future”. The conference focused on understanding the glory of Hindu traditions, communicating them with ease, and nurturing future generations by preserving a priceless culture and traditions. The conference started with a traditional Hindu prayer for peace and candle lightening ceremony. A group, which included a mother and daughter, from the Kalapadma Dance Academy performed a traditional dance on stage, while a daughter and her mother shared hosting duties; it was evident that our youth is committed to maintaining their timeless traditions and family values. Dr. Aditi Sheth, a Psychiatrist at Cleveland Clinic, stated “At the end of the day —While it “takes a village” to raise a child, it is a parent’s responsibility, especially a mothers’ responsibility. It starts with us….. It starts in our homes –our values like touching feet of our elders, our choice of language…,our food, clothes …all of it”. In 1996, […]

Chicago IL: HTGC (Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago) in Lemont hosted its semi-annual fund raising dinner of 2013 on Saturday, March 16. This event had a different format from the previous fund raisers in so many ways. As the intent of the program was to bring in as many people into the auditorium as possible, the guests were treated to a nice dinner in buffet style before the start of the main event in the Gupta dining hall instead of the usual banquet style dinner during the event in the Rathi Auditorium. Also, this one provided a platform for as many as eight local singers and other accompanying artists who were able to show their musical talents during the program in all four southern languages in addition to Hindi. A capacity crowd of more than 400 people enjoyed the event that lasted over four hours and was co-sponsored by Ram Raghuraman of RR International. The program was off to a good start at 7:30 pm with an invocation prayer from temple priests Sri Saikrishna and Sri Vengatesan followed by brief welcoming addresses by Finance Committee chair Dr. Rohini Udupa and the president Mr. Tilak Marwaha. Both exhorted the audiences for […]

Chicago IL: The students from the Indian Students Association (ISA) India Night Flame Fair Awards 2013 on Friday, March 8, 2013 at University of Illinois Forum, 725 w Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL. A sold out, dynamic Cultural Show that showcased dance styles prevailing all across India and featured other talents as well such as singing and verity of cultural dance mix with Bollywood renowned songs. This year, the show’s theme was Tribute to renowned Bollywood legend filmmaker late Shree Yash Chopra. Along with Bollywood Music, the show was fused with mainstream hits by American artists that helped to define this growing generation of Indian students. The attendance was house full. The Indian Student Association at UIC welcomes audiences to India Night 2013! This event showcases traditional and modern dance numbers, entertaining musical pieces, and comedy skits! India Night helps preserve, promote, and celebrate South Asian culture on the UIC campus. India Night was dedicated to the late Yash Raj Chopra, who showed us the true meaning of passion. Audience included multiethnic things included Family and friends of performers packed the UIC Forum on campus for the show. The auditorium was hustling with excited Parents and Friends of the performers and […]

Chicago IL: World Federation of Tamil Youth (WFTY) conferred the Selvi J. Jayalalithaa Award of Excellence 2013 on TV Asia Midwest Bureau chief Vandna Jhingan, while well-known vocalist Padma Mehta, introduced as “the nightingale of Chicagoland,” received the “International Woman of the Year 2013 Award.” Jhingan was recognized for her selfless devotion to community service and Mehta for her dedicated promotion of Indian music and heritage in the United States. Congressman Danny Davis presented the awards on Sunday, March 10, 2013, at the Holiday Inn, Rolling Meadows. The ceremony marked the 65th birthday celebrations of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister after whom the Jayalalithaa Award is named. WFTY President Vijay Prabhakar recounted the history of this Jayalalithaa Award. This is the 20th consecutive year that WFTY has been honoring outstanding individuals. Previous awardees were Raja Krishnamoorthi (2012), Congressman Danny Davis (2011), Mother Teresa (1996), Illinois state senator Howard Carroll (1998), Wisconsin state senator Rodney C Moen (1999), and in 2004 US Congressman Ray LaHood, who is now U.S. Transportation Secretary. This time around, the celebration was timed to coincide with International Women’sDay. Jhingan, who was being recognized for her community services over the last 15 years, described her work with […]

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 […]

Chicago IL: Air India (AI) Midwest held its annual awards program for about 150 attendees on Friday, March 1, 2013 at Meadows Club, Rolling Meadows, IL. Guests were seated at tables allocated by their Indian city of origin. Regional manager for the Americas Riwo Norbu had flown in from New York to join Air India Midwest Manager Rishikant Singh in presenting plaques to travel agents, who had generated the most revenue for the airline for fiscal year 2011–2012. Guests were treated to a quiz, a game, photography sessions, and dinner, followed by dancing on the floor. Rishikant Singh, who has 25 years of experience with AI, clarified that such recognition is an incentive to business partners to do even better and introduced Norbu, who quipped that he “expects a better performance next year.” Singh then introduced the rest of the Chicago AI team. A rapid slideshow on the past achievements into the 81st year of service and current operations of India’s national carrier followed starting with the course charted out by JRD Tata’s vision and his maiden flight in 1932. Centered in Delhi and Mumbai, AI and its partners service more than fifty destinations with 101 operational aircraft including the […]

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 […]