Category: Newspaper Links

  Naperville, IL. For the fourth year Naperville had a huge Indian gathering at the City Hall on Aug 18th, to celebrate the India Independence day hosted by the Alliance of Midwest India Associations, Chairman Mr. Prem Lalvani, Directors Mr. M. Bhaskaran, Krishan Sant, Dave Vasudevan, Suresh Khattar, Prasad Gharkhedkar, Sangeeta Wadwani, Archana Ochani, Nadja Lalvani greeted and welcomed the dignitaries and the guests. Mayor George A. Pradel, Mayor Dr. Lalmalani (Oakbrook), Mayor Dr. Trivedi (Lockport), Illnois State Representative Darleen Senger addressed the gathering. Tri-Colored India flag was gently hoisted as the enthusiastic crowd chanted Bharat Mata Ki jai and Vande Matharam. Mayor Pradel offered a brilliant speech that cheered the entire audience. Gautham Khanna was the emcee for the event. American National Anthem was recited by Megha Verma, followed by raising of the India flag, then the India National anthem recited by Priyana Khanna & Shreya Dudeja. Cultural programs were followed by the speeches of the dignitaries. Bollywood Rhythms had three of their colorful dance teams. Dances were very well choreographed by the artistic Director Mrs. Bhagya Nagesh. Pathakas: performed by Sarah Parikh, Rhea Singh, Rishelle Manda, Rishika Molugu, Neil Gupta, Abhinav Gupta, Srikar Gutta, Dhruv Nagesh. Glamdolls performed […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: Federation of Indian Associations [FIA] Chicago held a Grand Gala Banquet in commemoration of India Independence Day on Friday, August 17, 2012 that attracted overflowing guest attendance filled to the capacity at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, Illinois with showcased in great measure the spirit of festive celebrations and patriotic ardor. This evening gala of celebrations and awards presentations were hosted in conjunction with Drishti Arts. The banquet saw the convergence of community’s elite and the eminent at this sold-out evening gala celebrations heightened by music, dance, fine food and celebratory revelry. The banquet brought great musical ensemble with their extravaganza “Aye Mere Waton Ke Logo” a special live-audio/visual musical tribute to Mother India. The evening belted out some melodious patriotic theme musicals of yesteryears which was followed by ‘SAREGAMA’ youthful musical pop and fusion music and songs presented by the cream of young talent from India. Ajai Agnihotri, FIA President welcoming the guests said the evening’s gala provides an outstanding opportunity to showcase our ideals of patriotism and indianness while affording us a collective chance to celebrate India’s great milestone event. Ajai Agnihotri further said “I am honored to have been bestowed with the […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago, IL: Kanan Cruises, Chicago’s newest and largest private Charter Vessel Boat was the venue for a very special program on August 12, 2012. Over 250 devotees boarded on Kanan Cruise at Navy Pier Lakefront to participate in Amrit Varsha a discourse by Shri Sudhanshuji Ji Maharaj. It was rarest of the rare opportunity to feel soothing effect in this course that was given on Sunday Aug.12, 2012 in sailing voyage in Lake Michigan. Amrit Varsha-a discourse by Shri Sudhanshu Ji, which was followed by Maha Prasad (Dinner). All devotees were inspired motivated and uplifted among the calm water & stunning Chicago Sky Scrapers. The festivity was eventful as boarding started at 5;00 p.m. at Navy Pier. All devotees boarded first & then his Holiness Sudhanshu Ji Maharaj entered the ship. The Program started at 6.15 p.m. by humble devotee MC Anju Lal. Her pious voice captured the devotees right away. The entire voyage discourse comprised of devotional Bhajans by renowned artists Narendra Vashishtha, Anju Lal, Neha Rathi, Mr. Kohli and Tarikhbhai Parikh Ji. It was accompanied by Puran Yyas JI on Tabla, Anilbhai on Manjira and Narendra Ji on Harmonium & Surinder Ji on dholak. Narendraji started […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Iselin NJ – On a beautiful Sunday, the sun shined as over 27,000 celebrated India’s Independence Day. The annual parade, hosted by the Indian Business Association, a non-profit organization, is now in its 8th year. “Thanks to all our sponsors, volunteers, and over 100 organizations that participated, we delivered a great parade to our community” said Kapil Shah, President of the IBA. Commencing at Wood Avenue, on Oak Tree Road, the parade featured a marching band, over 15 floats, dozens of marching groups, and even a horse carriage, the latter courtesy of Wells Fargo. Leading the parade was Grand Marshal and Bollywood actress Prachi Desai and Special Guest Aadesh Shrivastava, a noted singer and music director. Thousands dressed in traditional Indian attire, a tribute to India’s freedom fighters. India became free of British rule on August 15, 1947. Several prominent elected officials attended today’s event, including Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick, Congressman Frank Pallone, State Senator Sam Thompson, Freeholders Polos and Rios and members of the Woodbridge Council. “The Indo-American Community should be proud, this is an amazing event” said Congressman Pallone. The parade route was decorated with American and Indian flags. “The theme of this year’s parade was […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: On Sunday, August 5, a lone gunman and home grown terrorist Wade Michael Page, 40 who was neo-Nazi allegedly shot six Worshiper at a Gurudwara in south of Milwaukee. Page’s downward spiral ended when he shot himself after a shoot-out with police. Dead were five men and one woman, Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; Prakash Singh, 39; Paramjit Kaur, 41; Suveg Singh,84; and Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, the temple’s president. This massacre happened just after about three weeks following killing of scores of victims by another lone gunman in a movie theater in Colorado. In this killing spree victim included a 6 yrs. old girl. Somber, tearful mourners, most wearing scarves on their heads in the Sikh tradition, greeted victims’ family members with tears and hugs at the Oak Creek High School gymnasium. Family members stood near the six wooden caskets that were each draped with a white cloth. The caskets were lined up under the gym’s basketball net, below a huge screen that flashed images of the victims whose stories were told in this interactive vedio Behind each casket was a large portrait of the victim adorned with flowers. About 5000 mourners attended the […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: Punjabi American Organization organized a very entertaining event “Teeyan Da Mela Family Style” on Sunday, August 05, 2012 at India House, 1521, Schaumburg Rd. IL 60194. More than 500 families attended this event from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. The event hall was packed with family members, Gents, Ladies and Children dressed in colorful Indian clothes. This was their 8th ‘Teeyan Da Mela”. Punjabi Americans Organization aims to promote unity and progress of all Punjabi Indian-Americans. To promote cultural and religious values to their children and make the mainstream aware of their rich cultural heritage, to serve the community through seminars, discussions, forums and to address various issues faced by the different generations collectively. Main purpose of organizing this type of event is to expose women by bringing them out to the outside world from their routine house hold work, offer an opportunity to meet with the community and pass time with amusement and joy, wearing dresses of their choices. It is a great festival in the Punjabi Culture that exists for the young married woman who go to their maiden homes and go on the swings, buy new clothes and go to the festival. Families from […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Maywood IL: On Saturday, July 29, 2012, the Midwest Punjabi Sports Club held its 10th International Kabaddi Cup and Volleyball Tournament at Busse Woods Forest Preserve, Elk Grove Village, IL. More than 1600 individuals attended the engaging day of sports, food, and live entertainment. Punjab Sports Club, Midwest is ”the first sports club of the Midwest area that promotes Kabaddi and various other Punjabi games to the Punjabi community and Culture in Midwest of USA. Participants were male and ranged from the ages 18-40 and were from various parts of North America. Teams came from East Canada, West Canada, New York, Cincinnati, Sacramento, Indianapolis, and Chicago. Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team’s court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964. Though Kabaddi is primarily an Indian game, not much is known about the origin of this game. There is, however, concrete evidence, that the game is 4,000 year old. It is a team sport, which requires both skill and power, and […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: Award-winning Punjabi music icon and actor Gurdas Maan, considered one of the most notable figures in the world of Punjabi music, performed in Chicago on 21st July 2012, Saturday at Copernicus Center 5216 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60630. ‘Live2u’ presented the concert. Gurdas Maan, known to be the legend of Punjabi Folk music and Bhangra wooed the audience with his versatility. His rendition ranging from the foot tapping Bhangra to the serenading Punjab folk songs was indeed a musical delight for Chicago audiences. Live2u is an Entertainment Power house Specializing and Conceptualizing Live Shows, Concerts and Plays in USA and Canada featuring the most sought after Celebrities in the Indian and Pakistani Entertainment Circuit. A group of Young Enthusiastic personalities came together with over a decade of experience in providing World Class Quality Entertainment to Community comprising of Karl Karla and his team. With international hits like Dil Da Mamala and Apna Punjab Hove, and numerous successful albums to date, there is no question that Gurdas Maan is one of the most-respected and talented Punjabi music icons of all time. Having toured the globe and entertained audiences with his lively performances, Gurdas has taken Bhangra […]

Chicago IL: Indian Senior of Chicago Enjoys MahaRudra Abhishek with 121 Pandits in Maharishi Vedic City, IA. The atmosphere was surcharged with bliss and silence on Sunday, July 22 as 96 members of the Indian Senior Group of Chicago witnessed a MahaRudra Abhishek with 121 pandits in Maharishi Vedic City, IA. The pandits are among the 1000 pandits in Maharishi Vedic City who have been specially trained for the purpose of creating invincibility for the US and India. The historic visit was organized by CV Desai, (Treas. of Seniors Group), under the guidance of New Paradigm Tour Steering Committee Chairman Bhailal Patel, along with Narsibhai Patel (Pres.), Rasik Shah (VP) and Hirabhai Patel (Secy). Everyone enjoyed a most joyful event. Yash Desai commented, ““I was closing my eyes through the Maha Rudra Abhishek. I had the feeling of the Lord shining inside me and was crying with tears of joy.” Hema Shastri said, ““The MahaRudra Abhishek was excellent. It was my first time seeing 121 pandits. Even though I am a Brahmin, it was new and wonderful to me.” Usha R. Vakharia, MD remarked, “Yagya was very nice experience, especially here in USA, to hear so many pandits recite so […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: Manav Seva Mandir located at 101 S. Church Road, Bensenville , IL celebrated Saptadev Katha and Gyan Yagya with devotees on July 21 to July 27, 2012 also 19th Patotsav was celebrated on Saturday, July 28, 2012 and Sunday July 29, 2012 at Mahalaxmi Hall. Saptdev Katha and Gyan Yagya were organized under guidance of Pujya Giriraj Shastriji . Patotsav is a ritual which celebrates the anniversary of the tithi when the murtis were first consecrated. Over 5000 devotees witnessed the special evening of Saptadev Katha and Patotsav. Mandirs and Murtis form the basic element of the Hindu Dharma. A traditional sacred ritual celebrating the anniversaries of Murti-Consecration (Prana Pratishtha) of Mandirs known as Patotsav, the word is a compound of Paat and Utsav, meaning festival. Paat is derived from Patti, a strip of garment tied on the head of a murti. From this evolved Paat. In essence, Patotsav is a Re-Consecration Ceremony, Re-Invoking Paramatma. This stems from the belief that during the whole year, the Murtis lose some Divinity from two possible factors: 1) Any Laxity by the Pujari in offering Devotional Worship. 2) The sheer volume of burden heaped at the Lotus-Feet of the […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: The quest for spiritual happiness is a practical necessity, not a lofty ideal, says a Swami Mukundananda Ji who finished a seven-day residence Saturday, July 14 – at the Meadows Club, Rolling Meadows, IL Swami Mukundananda Ji is a spiritual leader whose lectures apply the ancient Vedas, or Hindu scriptures, to the challenges of 21st-century existence. He teaches audiences how to manage stress through yoga and meditation. “Spirituality is not removed from our mundane practical life,” he says. “If practiced for some time on a daily basis, it helps us in doing all the other activities throughout the day as well and provides us a true Path to Happiness. His program “Path to Happiness” ran from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 6 to 9 p.m. July 8 through 14. The series was a free and open to the public, but registration was required. Attended by at least 1500+ devotees through the 7 days, the program was a real treat for Body, Mind and Soul. Mr. Madan Kulkarni, chairman of the Meadows Club, says “I was so impressed with Swami ji, the way he communicated, the way he taught Vedic knowledge in practical […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL : Yeh Cheez Entertainment & Music Melody Entertainment presented, ‘Desi Summer Bash 2012 on Saturday, July 14th, from 7-00 pm onwards at The Meadows Club, 2950 W. Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL. The Night that was full of Fashion Shows, Dances, Music, Special Guests, Food and Fun!! An astounding evening was created to entertain the audience with an evening full of variety shows, singing, dancing and beautiful Fashion Shows Noman Khan, Shawn Khan & Tariqe Khan were Directors. Nishma, Annie, Purvin, Asra, Farah, Hiba Khan & Mr. Afghanistan World were Coordinators. Taj Sari Palace & Chandni Exclusive were instrumental in supplying dresses for Fashion Shows. Models were from Yeh Cheez group and Miss India Teen Illinois 1st. Runner-up, Miss India Illinois 2012, Miss India Teen, Miss United America, Miss Teen Canada International 2012. Makeup was by New Moon, Eve Beauty Salon & Tamim Pahilvan. Fahion Shows were by Chandni Exclusive and many more. The Meadows Club Convention and Banquets, Taaza2u.com-Barkat Food Company, Comcast, Hiba Khan-Makeup and Hair were leading Sponsors. Grand Sponsors were Mrs. & Mr. Chaudhary Munir Akhtar, Dr. Siraj ahmed & maharaja Restaurant (Happy Singh) over and above other sponsors include- Bombay grill(Masood Sheikh), […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: Hari Om Mandir organized their annual “Raunak Mela-2012” at Hari Om Mandir, 6N020 Medinah Road, Medinah, IL 60157 on Sunday, July 8th, 2012 from 11:00 am. to 5:00 pm where members, friends, and well-wishers participated in large attendance. There were lots of fun activities for all age groups. For kids games like X-Box, WII & PS2 were setup. For younger kids there was moonwalk. There were food & merchandise stalls, music, Antakshari competition, Health Fair and much more. The food items included hot Chana Bhatura prepared onsite by Singhla family. Fried Rice and Manchurian from Desi Chilli restaurant in Westmont, IL. Then there were also sort of snack items like Papdi chat, Pani puri, Noodles, Samosa/ Tikki chat, Sindhi Pakora, Bhelpuri etc. For healthy eating there were sprouts. All the food were prepared and donated by the members of Hindu Society. Star food provided Samosas and Pakoras. Sindhi Pakora were prepared by Mohan Karamchandani and family. Meenu Agarwal and family provided Panipuri. Sneh Chowdhary provided sprouts. Vipan and Sangeeta Wadhera setup the Corn stall which was managed by Giri Dassani. Various volunteers manned the stalls. For dessert there was Mango and Pista Kulfi. The drinks included […]

  Chicago IL: Zohra Shahzad Presented Desi Dulhania Expo on July 8, at Meadows Club, 2950 W Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL. It was a colorful array of beautiful clothes, jewelry, henna, and people! The organizer, Ms. Zohra Shahzad has been arranging very respectable shows and bazaars all around Chicago, Canada, and Dubai for the last 40 years without fail, giving communities a chance to see the latest styles and fashions. The coordinator, Komal Mirza has been modeling in the Chicago land area since the age of 3 for various agencies and had volunteered to take charge of the fashion show presented during the bazaar. Hair and makeup for the models was done by Hiba Khan, owner of Eve Beauty Salon, located in Schaumburg. Eve Beauty Salon has been serving Chicago land since over 15 years! They are a full service salon. Eve has recently started airbrush makeup that makes the beautiful models look flawless. We had the pleasure of getting a couple words from Hiba Khan, herself. “Doing shows amongst the community is a great feeling! When all the work is done and you see the beautiful models walking the runway, you know for sure that all of your […]

  The South Asian Community Outreach organization First time in the history kicked off the July 4th American Independence Day Celebration at the sprawling Edison Municipal Park, aka Lake Papaianni Park near Edison Municipal Complex in Edison, NJ. Approximately 15, 000 Plus people attended this exciting and entertaining event. The event was held on July 4th, 2012 between 4:00 PM and 9:30 PM. “This celebration is very significant as it is a loud expression in the form of this celebration by the South Asian community, whose members have contributed a great deal in sustaining the economy of New Jersey”, said State Senator Thompson. The event was sponsored by TV Asia, JFK Health Care Systems and Edison Lions Visionary Club. There were plenty of food booths, kids rides, cultural programs from Indian, Chinese, Jewish and American performers. The event concluded with a grand spectacular of firework display. The event was televised live by the grand sponsor TV Asia exclusively. South Asian Community Outreach (SACO) is a non-profit organization and Sam Khan is the founder and Chairman. The mission of South Asian Community Outreach “Unity in Diversity” has been widely supported by the local community. The objective of SACO is to build […]

  Chicago, IL: ‘Kriya Vendanta Gurukulam-Temple Of Harmony’, a nonprofit organization located in Joliet, IL and dedicated to spiritual growth and service to humanity, organized its 2nd Annual Interfaith Conference on Saturday, June 30th in the midst verdant campus grounds and its tranquil chapel. Despite of very hot temperature outside the event attracted over 115 citizens from various local and neighboring communities. Surely the topic of the conference says it all for this successful gathering of serene hearts and minds. The theme of this year dialogue was “Sustaining Our Faith In Everyday Life.” This unique concept of interfaith dialogue is the inspiration from the current beloved spiritual leader of Kriya Yoga International, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, who couldn’t attend in person but under his guidance various panelist were invited to participate and encourage keen spiritual curiosity in a peaceful abode. Center stage at this event was an extraordinary panel of eight spiritual and religious leaders from diverse faiths – Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The event was kicked-off by standing oblation of universal prayer. The panel was eloquently introduced to the audience and elegantly moderated by Swami Atmavidyananda Giri, the Director of Kriya Vedanta Gurukulam, who also introduced and explained […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL : Gujarati Samaj Chicago’s (GSC) organized a Family Picnic From 11:30 to 7:00 pm on Sunday June 24th, 2012 at Cook County Forest Preserve, Northwest Busse Grove# 18 (Located on Higgins Road, Less than 1/2 mile East of 290, East of Route 53) Member Entrance Charges were $7 per persons and advance purchase charges were $6 per persons. For Non Members the charges were $10 per person-advance purchase $8 per person. Kids 5 years and below were free. Close to 350 members, friends, and well-wishers participated. Gujarati Samaj is organizing every year picnics in summer. President Suryakant Patel, and his team of Executives and volunteers as always were model of sincerity and enthusiasm running towards every nook and corner of the place to see that nobody get any difficulty and on toes to maintain trouble free environment for all participants. The food team was ready with Gota, Tea, Sandwich, Papdi, Chatni, Chips & Salsa, Nachos & Cheese, popsicle, Ice Cream and served during Lunch between 11-30 and 1-30 and between 5-45 to 6-30 pm. Dinner was served with Chhole, Puri, Pulao, Kadhi and Mango Pulp. To compensate heat, water Melon also was being served. The temperature […]

DOWNLOAD PICTURES Chicago IL: The Holiday Inn Gurnee located at 6161 West Grand Avenue, Gurnee , IL. purchased by Ravinder Singh of New Crown Holdings, LLC and managed by Expotel Hospitality, had been closed for over a year while a full scale multi million dollar renovation had been under way with a scheduled opening of June 2012. The Holiday Inn Gurnee will be one of the premiere full service facilities in the Gurnee market with 210 newly appointed guest rooms and will feature a state of the art conference and banquet facility featuring over 10,000 square feet of space. June 22, 2012 Friday 6:00 PM the celebration was under way for the official Grand Opening Ceremony starting with a ribbon cutting attended by over two hundred guests and officials from The Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Lake County Chamber, as well as Mayor Kristina Korvarik, who proudly facilitated the ribbon cutting commemoration. Later in the evening, guests in attendance were lavished with “Food From Around The World” which was the theme of the evening. Live jazz music filled the lobby as attendees were presented Champagne upon arrival and escorted around the hotel for viewing of Lake County’s newest […]

  Chicago IL: June 15, 2012 Suresh Bodiwala Chairman of Asian Media had an opportunity to interview Bollywood Play back singer Poonam Bhatia regarding “Her passion of music, journey in Bollywood, experience with AR Rehman and fans in USA. Please tell us about your journey in Bollywood? I started my singing career as a playback singer in the Mumbai film industry , which is now called Bollywood. From my childhood I had this secret dream to become a playback singer! Even my folks didn’t know about it! My mom is a trained classical singer. But she only sang on Delhi Radio. Singing on stage was a taboo! Forget about the films! But Lata Mangeshkar is what I wanted to be! Without realizing the hardship I’d need to endure and the amount of hard work that goes into it. I seriously started doing my riaz and taking my music lessons very seriously. We hear stories about people struggling to get a break in Bollywood. So when did you get your first break? I had gone with my friend to meet Anu Malik in a studio. He was recording for a movie called Diljale. They were recording the song “mera mulk mera […]

YAMUNOTRI CAMP – June 18-24, 2012 Theme: Mahabharata stories, Values from Srimad Bhagavad Geeta and Gratitude is the Attitude BADRI CAMP- July 16-22, 2012 Theme: Mahabharata stories, Values from Srimad Bhagavad Geeta and “Serve, Love, Know” For the past 30 years, Chinmaya Mission Chicago has been conducting Vedic Heritage Youth camps for the benefit of children in grade KG through High School. Each weeklong camp focuses on Value-based learning while having age appropriate fun throughout the day. This year, the camps were held from June 18-24 at Yamunotri center in Grayslake, IL and from July 16-22 at Badri center in Willow brook, IL. Both camps concluded with everyone feeling inspired to live a noble value-based life with a higher purpose. During a typical day, children learnt values through stories, games and interactive classes in the morning, participated in sports and games, made theme related crafts and learnt bhajans and stotrams in the afternoon. The vegetarian snacks/juice and meals were lovingly made and served by volunteers throughout the day. Under the guidance of Swami Sharananada, acharyas (teachers) from local centers and other Mission centers in the US came for the week specially to teach the camp material. This year’s theme was […]