Category: Press releases

Chicago IL: Smt. Jayasudha a reigning south-Indian movie actress and a prominent A.P. state legislator [MLA] captivated the Chicago audience with her profoundly soul-stirring testimony of her personal faith at packed pews of the Grace Lutheran Church in Westchester, Illinois on May 22, 2013. This community event of significance hosted under the aegis of United Telugu Christians of Chicago [UTCC] drew a great host of fans, guests, lay leaders and pastors to hear her awe-inspiring story that changed her life. “I want to be like Mother Teresa and I want to serve the Lord” solemnly declared Smt. Jayasudha in her testimony narrative amidst resonating applause and pledged that she would like to embark on a journey of altruism to help the poor and the neediest with her Shine Development Trust charitable organization (India). Articulating her personal story of faith, identity and spiritual triumph, Smt. Jayasudha gave an overview and described how her life slowly evolved into a new-found Christian faith that stirred the depths of her mind and spirit. Recalling the frightful incident of March 1985 that changed her life forever, Jayasudha narrated that while she was honeymooning in Thailand she and her newly married husband went on a water […]

Chicago IL: Chicago celebrated its 14th Annual Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month (AAHM) on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 with an awards ceremony and token cultural program at noon at Richard J. Daley Center downtown. The reception was hosted jointly by Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (CCCC), and the 14-year old Asian American Employees Social Club (AAESC). After Beena Patel, Asian Committee Chair and Associate Clerk of First Municipal Bureau, had welcomed the guests, Portia Young sang the national anthem. MC Susanna Song from CBS-2 Chicago introduced the Circuit Court led by Brown. The latter individually thanked all the AAESC members and event sponsors, especially awards sponsor Naren Patel and his sons Neil and Raj Patel. She recognized by name foreign diplomatic personnel, media representatives, community leaders present, and her own support staff. She recounted how AAHM was instituted on Oct. 23, 1992 to celebrate contributions of Asian-Pacific communities. Her office participates in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese programs, and the Indian and Pakistani Independence Day ceremonies. MC Song introduced each of the eight awardees: Muhammad Aslam, Suresh Bodiwala, Lynne Kawamoto, Santosh Kumar, Jin Lee, Hetal Patel, Estefan G. Roy, and Rishikant Singh. The owner of Serena Restaurant on […]

Chicago IL: Chicago Indian Icon (CII) has emerged a landmark platform for the Chicago’s youth to come up, perform, compete, and shine. It is a Karaoke Competition for Bollywood songs. Launched by the Chicago-based company Indian Event Management Inc. (IEM), the CII held its first of the three auditions at the prestigious Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove on May 19th 2013. Participants aged 7 to 71 regaled the jam-packed audience all through the 8-hour long organized audition with their no-knot performances. Young Sutikshna Veeravalli attracted repeated standing ovations not only from the audience, but also from the judges. Equally favorites were 7-year old Senria Nath from Wisconsin and Abhijeet Joshi. An overwhelming response was witnessed with singers registering non-stop, online as well as in-person at the front-desk. Participants competed in Solo, Duet or Group Song categories. The audition was being streamed live as hundreds queued up to participate in the audition. More than 2000 people watched CII-2013 1st Audition live over internet, which was way above expectation. Brij Sharma, the president of The Indian Event Management introduced a four member executive committee, the founders – Sharan Walia as the director of management and Planning, Pratibha Jairath as the Vice President, […]

Chicago IL: Padmabhushan KJ Yesudas was here again at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) on June 1, 2013, after exactly a year, to deliver a riveting three-hour Carnatic vocal concert that energized an audience of about 650 connoisseurs (rasika). He was accompanied by Jayashankar Balan on the violin, TS Nandakumar mridangam and Santosh Chandru ghatam. The evening, which stretched on due to insistent audience requests, left a delightfully indelible impression in the minds of critics, connoisseurs, and ordinary listeners alike. After Vedic chants by HTGC temple priests Krishnaraj Bhat and Venkateshan Kurukkal, followed by Temple Board President Tilak Marwaha’s welcome address, the proceedings were well-handled by Fine Arts Committee Chair Usha Pariti and her team. The concert was conducted under the auspices of HTGC and Geetha Krishnan in honor of her mother Kalyani Krishnan. After the deep customary “Om” chant, Yesudas sang the set composition (varnam) “Vanajaakshi” in ragam Kalyani. After a brisk yet lilting purely melodic exploration (alapanam) of ragam Hamsadhwani that effortlessly traversed all three octaves, he sang Muthuswami Dikishitar’s all-time favorite Vatapi Ganapathim. Yesudas fans are sure to own his Vatapi Ganapathim album that unfailingly transports the listener to a different world. This evening was […]

Chicago IL: Thursday, May 23, Indian doctors from all over the country converged on downtown Chicago’s Sheraton Hotel & Towers for the 31st annual convention of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), arguably the largest diaspora organization in the world. The first four days of the gala that continued into Monday, May 27 celebrated the leadership and displayed the achievements of outgoing AAPI President Narendra Kumar, culminating on Sunday night in handing over of the gavel and torch to young Jayesh Shah. Mornings were filled with well-attended continuous medical education (CME) while evening banquets provided relaxation with varied entertainment. The lunches and dinners took on the air of mini-summits, for the panels featured distinguished politicians and executives representing Indo-US convergence. Senator (D) Dick Durbin, American Medical Association (AMA) President Jeremy Lazarus MD, and GM’s VP for Corporate Diversity Eric Peterson spoke at Friday lunch, while Senator (D) Harry Reid, Rep. (D) Tulsi Gabbard, and Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) VP Jack Boulet spoke the next day. Saturday dinner banquet featured Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao and Rep. (R) Peter Roskam; Sunday’s dinner was graced with speeches by Illinois Governor (D) Patrick Quinn, […]

Chicago IL: The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago and Utkalaa Dance Academy jointly presented Orissa Dance Academy’s “Gatha Odissi – a journey from the temple to the stage” featuring brilliant performances by artists from the state of Orissa on Saturday, May 18 at the Sama Rathi Auditorium of the temple. A capacity filled crowd of more than 300 people enjoyed watching the vibrant dances, specially designed lighting effects and the audio with melodic songs. The evening began with a prayer by priest Murali Kidambi and was followed by Usha Pariti, the Fine Arts chair and the temple’s vice president Mr. Bhima Reddy, who both welcomed the audiences to the evening’s program. Later, Madhavi Adivi and Ipsita Mahapatra introduced all the artists to the audience. It was Ipsita Mahapatra of Utkalaa Dance Academy, Chicago who was instrumental in bringing this amazing program to the temple. The ballet program started with Kanch Pallavi, a dance composition by Aruna Mohanty, that depicted the chariot festival of Lord Jagannath (Rath Yathtra) in the traditional Odissi style. Aruna Mohanty explained that most of the traditions in Odisha (Orissa) are connected with the temple and the Lord Jagannath and that the basic dances that were offered […]

Chicago IL: Delegates representing the National Indian American Public Policy Institute (NIAPPI) joined the DuPage County chapter of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly (RNHA) in hosting a reception for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Monday, May 13, 2013, at Oak Brook Marriott Hotel. The Senator briefly addressed the group of about 50 and thanked the roomful of Indian and Hispanic Republicans, led by Illinois RNHA Chairman Steve Orlando and Dupage County RNHA Chairwoman, Evelyn Pacino Sanguinetti, for being so involved before taking time to meet and pose for photos. Present at the reception were State Senators Kirk Dillard and Bill Brady. Cruz then delivered the keynote address at the DuPage Lincoln Day Dinner, sponsored by the DuPage County Republican Central Committee where over 600 Republicans were assembled. Shalabh (Shalli) Kumar, who led the NIAPPI delegation, also addressed the assembly and sought to underline the unique Indian American demographics and the growing importance of their vote. Presenting himself under the banner of Ronal Reagan as Chairman of Indian Americans for Freedom, Kumar emphasized his organization’s commitment to individual liberty, self-reliance, fiscal discipline, free enterprise, and strong national defense. He insisted on a strategy to convert the one million Indian American voters […]

Naperville, IL: Bollywood Rhythms celebrated their 5th Annual Recital with students and their families, friends and prominent leaders of our community on Sunday, May 12, 2013 at Metea High School. Students of Bollywood Rhythms, ranging in ages from 3 to 50 yrs, adorned in colorful costumes, dazzled the audience of about 400 – 500 art lovers of Naperville area. It was 3.5 hours of pure entertainment that consisted of Bollywood/ Folk as well as Semi Classical dances which were presented by close to 200 students. The theme of this year’s show was ” An Evening in Bollywood”, Bollywood Rhythms very creatively narrated simple stories through their dance routines . Our show was dedicated to all the mothers and the evening could not have been any better than watching their kids entertain them on that special day.The event marked the sheer celebration of Indian heritage, culture, dance and music. The students, the Artistic Director, Bhagya Nagesh, and all those who were involved in the presentation of the show deserve esteem. Bollywood Rhythms students dressed in colorful costumes and gorgeous make up presented a beautiful medley of about 22 dances. The program opened with “ Ganesh Vandana” and soon picked up the […]

Chicago IL: Padmashree Sudha Ragunathan thrilled both connoisseurs of Carnatic music and those keen on experimental fusion by leading an ensemble that took liberties with traditional compositions. Singing at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) in Lemont, Ill., on Sunday, May 5, 2013, Ragunathan was accompanied by Amit Heri (lead guitar), B. Raghavendra Rao (violin), Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan (mridangam), Guruprasad (ghatam), Arun Kumar (drums), and Keith Peters. Heri, who holds a scholarship from Berklee College of Music in Boston, has performed in many international festivals, including WOMAD, London, Montreux, and Berlin Jazz Festivals, Rome World Music Festival, and World Social Forum. Having received Carnatic percussion training under S. V. Giridhar, Kumar advanced under Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma, and now learns jazz drumming under Ranjit Barot. Guruprasad studied from an early age with ghatam maestro T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, then with V. Suresh from whom he learned Kodhandarama Iyer’s fingering technique, and finally under Madurai T. Srinivasan. Chennai-based Keith Peters continues to work as A.R. Rahman’s ever-dependable bass guitarist, arguably the best in India. Initiated into music at age five by his father, Rao is disciple of violin maestro T.N. Krishnan. Vaidyanathan, who hails from a family of percussionists, runs an ensemble band […]

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

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

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

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

Chicago IL: Padma Vibhushan Dr. Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna (BMK), who began singing at the age of six, was conferred a lifetime achievement award at the ripe age of 82 by the Sri Annamacharya Project of North America (SAPNA) at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) in Lemont, Ill., on Sunday, April 28, 2013. Having inaugurated SAPNA’s first year, he was here now to celebrate its 25th anniversary. His full-house concert was the culmination of the Fifth annual three-day Veena festival, and was also the occasion for SAPNA to honor several media personalities. Consul General of India Mukta Dutta Tomar joined in personally conferring the awards. Tomar and BMK joined SAPNA founders Sriram Sonty and Saradapurna Sonty in lighting the auspicious lamp before the veena-wielding goddess of music, Saraswathi. Balamurali, who typically signs off his own compositions with the name of the “flute-playing child” (bala-murali) Krishna, received honors worthy of a god. Not only was the stage scattered with petals to soften his tread, he received full-length prostrations while seated regally listening to the Sanskrit panegyric composed in his honor and recited at the podium by Prof. Vedala Srinivasacharyulu. Music is divine, and Balamurali had become one with his music! […]

Chicago IL: The youth group of Hari Om mandir celebrated Mothers Day on Sunday, May 12, 2013 at the temple. Mandir’s priest Shastri Yogesh Pandya and Pt. Dinesh kumar did a havan and puja for the well being of all mothers. Tushar Sharma president of the youth group started the program by saying “A mother is the greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If we only comprehend a 10th of what our mothers do for us, and how they would literally die for us if needed, we would realize that one day is not sufficient. This relationship is sacred let us honor our mothers. A mother who always cares, a mother who’s always there, a mother who always prays, a mother who always stays, when things get rough, when life gets tough.” Followed with a dhun ‘Jai Ambe Maa Sherawalee’ played on keyboard and vocals by Babu Sarkar and Divya Maheshwari. Ansh and Anoushka Salwan recited a few chaupaies of Hanuman Chalissa. Hari Om Mandir’s Balvikas kids (Manav, Navansh, Vanshika and others) sang the prayer, ‘Daya kar Dan bhakti ka humey parmatma dena.”. Divya Maheshwari recited a poem on mother. Chaitanya Kharat played keyboard and sang the […]

Chicago IL: Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago organized its annual Health Fair on May 5 and May 12, 2013. On May 5, many people benefited from free services offered by JSMC with help from Doctors, Specialists, Microbiologist, Phlebotomists, Lab Technicians, and Nurses. Blood tests included blood count, blood sugar, cholesterol, vitamin D check, and PSA Summary. In addition to Blood tests, EKG, Carotid, Doppler, Echocardiogram, and Bone Density tests were offered to all the participants at no cost. Total of 270 registration were received through online application form. 216 people received all the above tests/screenings. Lab work was conducted by Medstar Laboratories at much discounted rate. Overall management provided an excellent experience to all the participants. EKG, Echocardiogram, Carotid tests were conducted in closed curtain booth to maintain the privacy of the patient. Delicious breakfast with freshly squeezed orange Juice was setup for all the participants, volunteers, Doctors, and Lab Technicians. Two large screen projectors were showing constant updates, instructions as well as recognizing sponsors, Doctors, and all volunteers. On May 12, the health fair started at 9 am. All the participants from Day one( May 5th), along with few others (walk-ins) took benefit of free consultation services from top […]

Chicago IL: Lasyam School of Kuchipudi Dance celebrated its 13th Anniversary showcase performances at Balaji temple auditorium in Aurora on Saturday, May 11th, 2013. This year’s theme was “Bhajagovindam”- a devotional prayer to Adi Shankara in the melodious tune of MS Subbalakshmi. Senior disciples of Lasyam, Divya Jasthi, Supriya Bhuvanagiri and Srinidhi Angara with guest artist Pranav Perepa as Adi Shankara have mesmerized the audience. Dance director Smt. Hema Yaddanapudi unveiled for the first time in Chicagoland the choreography of in Kuchipudi style. The highlight of the evening was Tarangam by ManoLasya Perepa. She held the audience spellbound with her unparalleled expression, grace and perfection of pure dance. She rendered “Jatis” while dancing on the edges of a brass plate with consummate skill and divine charm. The evening showcased fifteen items introducing an array of 35 extremely talented disciples of Lasyam School. Young artists aged 6-8 performed slokas, mudras, jatis and steps to the chanting of their Guru – a year’s worth of their learnings that brought an aura of pure joy and awe to the audience. The event paid rich tribute through Sri Annamacharya Keerthanas with scintillating performance to the tunes of Adivo Alladivo, Bramha Kadigina Padamu and Narayanathe […]

Chicago IL: 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. The program was organized by Indian/Gujarati Samuday. In a comprehensive speech, Shri Narendra Modi spoke about the development in Gujarat during the last ten years. He said that the credit for the success of Gujarat does not go to an individual but the collective efforts of the 6 crore people of Gujarat. Talking about the state of affairs in the nation, Shri Modi said that the greatest crisis the country is facing today is that of a trust deficit and that it is the need of the hour to rebuild this confidence of the people. “This break of trust is due to the actions of some people occupying high office…trust is a very big thing. The development in Gujarat is possible because people have trust in each other. Let us recall the values of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel […]

Chicago IL: Chitravina maestro Sri N Ravikiran delivered a two-hour concert hosted by the Sri Annamacharya Project of North America (SAPNA) at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) on Friday, April 26, 2013. He was accompanied by Prof. Trichy Shankaran on the mridangam, Akkarai Shubhalakshmi on the violin, and KV Gopalakrishnan on the kanjira. After rendering Carnatic (South Indian classical) compositions, including of his own creation and in the traditional style, Ravikiran embarked on an innovative excursion into fusion music with local artistes. An apt inauguration to SAPNA’s Fifth three-day Veena festival, for SAPNA’s mission is not only to recover and conserve this ancient musical heritage, here in the new diaspora context, but also demonstrate its global reach and relevance. In his usual inimitable understated yet scholarly style, Ravikiran’s concert displayed consummate artistry, tasteful aesthetics, and rare sparkling sancharas (melodic phrases that serve to establish the identity of the raga) reflecting technical virtuosity and mastery over the ragas. Ravikiran set the pace with his own composition Adi Vinayakam, a varnam in ragam Reetigowla, followed by Annamacharya’s Paramapurusha rendered gracefully in ragam Shanmukhapriya. Nenendu Vedakudura, Thyagaraja’s composition in Karnataka Behag, was portrayed in all its grandeur – the intricate flourishes […]

Chicago IL: Mother’s Day was celebrated on Wednesday afternoon, May 08, 2013, with a cultural program and food at the Hari Om Mandir, 6N020 Medinah Road, Medinah, IL. On a working day more than 150 mothers had gathered to celebrate the event. Mother’s Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Anna Jarvis celebrated mother’s day first time in 1908, then campaigned to make it an official holiday. Previous attempts at establishing Mother’s Day in the United States sought to promote peace by means of honoring mothers who had lost or were at risk of losing their sons to war. Mother’s Day is celebrated to honor all mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing up children. The resolution for having a dedicated Mother’s Day was signed by US President Woodrow Wilson on May 8, 1914. Since then people across the world have been celebrating Mother’s Day with joy and devotion. Ms. Nirmal Bagga the coordinator of the program started the event by a speech welcoming all the ladies to celebrate this eventful day. “Everyone gathered here today has shown the unity and great dedication of volunteerism either in […]