Category: Press releases

Rolling Meadows, IL: A command performance by playback singer and illustrious son of a legendary father, Nitin Mukesh had a capacity crowd in raptures for over four and half hours on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at The Meadows Club, 2950 W Golf Rd Rolling Meadows, IL. The concert titled Remembering Mukesh and presented by Dhrishti at the Meadows Club here was a tribute to the legendary Indian playback singer Mukesh. Nitin Mukesh is his son and an accomplished playback singer himself having sung several very popular numbers in different languages. He was accompanied by singers Manasi Paranjape, Namrata Seth and young second generation local singer Sajni Ganger. The program began with an introduction by host Shebani Kulkarni, the co-founder of Dhrishti and The Meadows Club in a beautifully lit and done up grand ballroom with soft lighting and multiple screens for the benefit of the viewers. She spoke about the legend of Mukesh and his journey for over five decades in the industry. She then introduced Nitin Mukesh and his band and the fireworks started immediately. Nitin Mukesh, a persona of great charm and immense skill started with a shloka and commenced what can only be termed as a command […]

Chicago IL: On April 13, 2013, Telugu Association of Greater Chicago (TAGC) celebrated Ugadhi and Sri Rama Navami at Elgin High School, Elgin. The program kicked off with Siva Pasumarthi welcoming the audience on behalf of TAGC cultural committee followed by Annamacharya Keertana coordinated by Padamaja Krishna, and choreographed by Shruthi Das. President of TAGC, Ramesh Garapaty spoke to the audience during Presidents message and has thanked all the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make the event a grand success. He released the new Telugu calendar designed by Srinivas Pedamallu with several of the famous Indian women featuring on the cover page of each month in commemoration of TAGC’s celebration of first-ever women’s day. Sri.Tammareddy Bharadwaj President of AP film chamber of commerce, movie director, producer joined as a chief guest for the evening along with Sri.ShantiSwarup who was the anchor for Doordarshan a few years ago. ATA president Sri.Karunakar Madhavaram, Narendra Chemarla, Satya Kadimalla, Srinivas Pedamallu and Kalyan Anandula joined the event to felicitate Sri.Tammareddy Bharadwaj and Sri.Shanti Swarup. On behalf of TAGC, Sri.Tammareddy honored Mimicry Ramesh Jallarapu with Dhwanyanukarana Tapasvi in recognition of his over six thousand performances across the world. Mimicry Ramesh received standing ovation for […]

Chicago IL: Winter was mild in Chicago this year as we were hit by only a couple of heavy snow storms. To welcome spring this year by enjoying a few crispy sunny days, we took our family spring break in sunny California and Nevada area. After landing at the Los Angeles airport, overnight stay at Rancho Cucamonga was relaxing. The three-hour drive across the desert to reach Las Vegas is rewarded with great views of the scenic Angels forest, mountains, and typical desert trees. Fabulous Las Vegas—the gambling and entertainment capital of the world—welcomes millions of visitors yearly to its various attractions. Every hotel resort in this Neon City is unique in its own way. We stayed at Circus-Circus, where the kids enjoyed Adventure Dome and the famous Midway arcade with its bunch of rides and fun games. With their varied restaurants, shops, entertainment shows, and of course gambling, the resorts have something for everyone. Shows like “Mac King”, a fabulous family show, win you over with fun, laughter, and magic thrills. About three hours of driving towards west from Las Vegas takes you to the “Grand Canyon West Rim.” After just 30 miles on US 93, we stopped over […]

Chicago IL: Tri-State Telugu Association celebrated its Ugadi and Sri Ramanavami festivities with much pomp and show on April 6th 2013 at the HTGC (Rama Temple) in Lemont, Illinois. The theme for the event was “New Beginnings” and covered Chaitramu, Ugadi, Vasanta Navaatrulu, Sri Ramanavami and Sri Sita Ramula Charitra. Sri. Raghu Angara, the Cultural Coordinator for this gala event, organized 38 creative, innovative and many unique programs in which approximately 330 kids and adults participated. The auditorium was packed with approximately 700 people. The audience was enthralled with a variety of programs ranging from skits, dances, songs and dance-dramas. The program started in the authentic Telugu cultural norm of Panchanga Sravanam by the Rama temple priest followed by the Ganesha invocation dance “Muddakaratha Modakam” choreographed by Smt. Asha Acharya Adiga. Sri. Raghu Angara always endeavors to teach the new generation kids, Indian values and the great Indian Mythology. Continuing the spirit of the evening Smt. Jayashree Tatavarti directed a skit “Mana Illu – Mana Adarshalu” which focussed on values regarding respect for parents, gurus, and guests – all of whom are equal to God. Other programs which were very well executed were Jo Jo Rama, Bhadrasaila Ramamandira, choreographed by […]

Chicago IL: Hari Om Mandir in Medinah, Ill., celebrated Baisakhi from noon on Sunday, April 14, 2013, with bhajans. Also known as Vaisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vasakhi, the festival is celebrated across the Indian subcontinent. For Hindus, it is the start of the solar New Year, and is observed with requisite bathing, partying, and worshipping. Hindus plant poles (wrapped in flags of gold-embroidered silk) in front of their homes, and hang pots of brass, copper or silver on top. For an auspicious start to the New Year, some devotees had arrived early to have their prized possessions specially blessed with prayers performed by the temple priests. One family could be seen outside in the car park performing puja together on the bonnet of their sparkling new Lexus. Another priest was returning brand new clothes after blessings to women devotees. Tulsidas, Meera, and other classical and film bhajans were being sung continuously already from forenoon. Monica Sharma and Meghna Sharma, who had danced Bhangra just two days earlier at Asian American Awards Gala at Northeastern Illinois University, sang Bhajans at the beginning. Temple President Brij Sharma praised the two devoted sisters for being so exemplary in their contributions to Indian dance and […]

Chicago IL: The Chicago chapter of the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN) held its inaugural event around dinner on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at Reza’s Restaurant, 432 West Ontario St., Chicago. There were 55-60 community leaders, business executives, potential investors, and governmental officials present, including Consul General of Pakistan Zaheer Pervaiz Khan and Alexander “Sandy” Weissent, Head of the CEO Roundtable. Highlights were a talk on “Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Pakistan” by Jehan Ara, President of the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA), and the OPEN Chicago presentations. CEO of Razor Hedge Navaid Abidi welcomed the guests and invited Rafiq Mohemmadi, Chair of the board of charter members, to introduce OPEN. The latter focused on mentoring students, fostering activity that translates into philanthropic activities, and this re-launch of the organization. OPEN VP Rehan Zaid then added his own observations and comments. Jehan Ara’s wide-ranging talk on “Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Pakistan” was backed by both long hands-on involvement and solid statistics. With 29 years of experience in marketing, communications, and interactive new media in Hong Kong, Far East, UAE, and Pakistan, Ara has been largely responsible for developing the P@SHA brand and for creating […]

Chicago IL: The Asian American Heritage Committee (AAHC) of Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) hosted its third annual Asian American Heritage Awards Gala under the banner “Sharing Traditions, Celebrating Excellence” on Friday, April 12, 2013, at Alumni Hall in its main campus (North Park). Seven awards were conferred followed by Asian music and dance performances. MC for the evening was Yasmin A. Ranney, Director of NEIU Asian and Global Resource Center at the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs. NEIU students Ana Ren and Xiaoxuan Wu kept guests entertained on piano and guitar respectively during the reception. AAHC members Rohit Joshi and Saba Ayman-Nolley co-chaired the invocation ceremony. Provost and VP Richard Helldobler, joined them in lighting the auspicious lamp, and underlined NEIU’s status as the most diverse campus in the Midwest. NEIU Board of Trustees member Jin Lee followed with his own remarks. Laura Kina, Vincent de Paul Professor at DePaul University Department of Art, Media, & Design, delivered the keynote speech that defined the origin and necessity of the term “Asian American.” She urged those present to recognize and value their ancestral legacy and ensure transmission of these traditions to the next generation. Given the often invisible […]

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: 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: 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: 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: An annual health fair was organized at Shree Jalaram Mandir located at located at 425, Illinois Blvd , Hoffman Estates , IL , on Sunday, April, 7, 2013. About 275 individuals availed the free services provided at this health fairs. The health fair was it is annual community service event open to any needy individual without consideration of race, religion, ethnicity or age People taking advantage were many devotees and all those needy without medical insurance, visitors and others in need of medical check-up. More than 100 enthusiastic health care volunteers of Jalaram Mandir participate in organizing this community service event. These volunteers are also accountable for such community beneficial programs in addition to the religious activities. The social and humanitarian activities include blood donation drive, bone marrow drive, yoga classes, classical dance classes, music and instrument classes, youth activities didactic classes etc. One of such large scale significant program organized by the temple volunteers is the annual health fair. This event marked the 4th year of the health fair. Long lines of participants arriving early in the morning to take advantage of the medical services. The main coordinator of this event was Mr. Bakulbhai Thakkar. This healthcare […]

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: Hand in Hand USA (HiH) held its 11th annual fundraiser the evening of Saturday, April 6, 2013 at the Holiday Inn, 3405 W Algonquin Rd., Rolling Meadows, Ill. Over $120K was raised during the event after a generous donor offered to match all other contributions dollar for dollar. There was also a cultural program of dances and songs by local performers. Mayors of three neighboring cities, chief guest Al Larson of Schaumburg, Bill McLeod of Hoffman Estates, and Rodney Craig of Hanover Park graced the occasion. Larson made a brief speech urging the community to vote for his colleague Bill McLeod in the upcoming municipal elections for Village President. MC for the evening was Elizabeth Munnich Dash, daughter-in-law of longtime active HiH volunteers Mihir and Usha Dash. A documentary on HiH philanthropic activities kept playing before the event began. HiH President Durga Chinduri acknowledged the presence of the Mayors, welcomed the guests, and emphasized that 95% of funds received go directly to the projects, with hardly any overhead costs, for everyone here is a volunteer with no paid staff. Munnich Dash quoted C.S Lewis that “the proper aim of giving is to put the recipients in a state […]

School after school, Church after church, Temple after temple, Shrine after shrine, there were thousands of shoes/sandals outside the doors. Wow! Why? Many of the children ran around in the remote rural villages without shoes perhaps because they didn’t have footwear but because the ground was sacred. Where the animals sojourned is sacred ground. Where the people plowed the fields for beautiful sun flowers was sacred. Where the mother milked the water buffalo for sustenance was sacred. Where the children were born and lived in humble two room houses was sacred. Where the blood of martyrs fertilized the land like Gandhi and Thomas the Apostle became sacred ground. And so I was prepared when I finally entered the sacred shrine of St. Thomas the Apostle tomb, the “shoe caretaker” stopped me at the entrance and pointed to my shoes. I immediately knew to remove them for I am AGAIN on sacred ground. Thus, I descended into the tomb chapel of St. Thomas Apostle in my bare feet, vested for holy mass and for the first time presided at mass in my bare feet over the tomb of St. Thomas. Wow! I will never again be afraid to take off my […]

New Delhi, 2nd April 2013: President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee expressing his worry on increasing incidents of crime on women and female foeticide said that social organizations should work to stop such incidents. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was releasing the first copy of new edition of books written by Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni ‘The Unborn Curse’ and ‘Terrorism the Global Challenge’. On the occasion State Minister for Coal Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal was also present. Mr. Mukerjee said that crime on women and female foeticide cannot be stopped just by law, for this people have to change their thinking for females. Female foeticide will lead to increase in crime, chaos and moral degradation in the society. Appreciating both the socially relevant books written by Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni he said that these books will help in changing the thinking of people. He further said that this is not the problem related to any cast, creed or religion; this problem is faced by the whole society. The whole society together has to worry about this problem and change will come when everyone will make efforts to solve it. President Mr. Mukherjee said war, violence and terrorism cannot solve any problem. Remembering incidents from his […]

India Ahmedabad: For over 40 years, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), has travelled throughout the world, from villages in rural India to metropolitan cities in America. He has visited the homes of thousands of devotees, providing solace and guidance in both spiritual and personal matters. For the past few months, however, his advancing age has prevented him from travelling and imparting such personal guidance as before. On March 6, Pramukh Swami Maharaj announced through a letter that all sadhus and devotees should now consult Pujya Mahant Swami (Keshavjivan Swami) for guidance on their day-to-day affairs and issues. The letter was read out in a public assembly by Pujya Doctor Swami (Swayamprakash Swami) in Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s presence in Ahmedabad. Senior swamis of BAPS explained, “Pramukh Swami Maharaj continues to be the spiritual head and guru of the organization. However, as he is 92 years old now, and naturally due to health-related limitations, he is no longer able to travel to villages and cities to reach out to the followers as he did before, when he often met hundreds of people daily to give spiritual guidance.” Pujya Keshavjivan Swami, also known as Pujya […]

Chicago IL: Traditional Bharatnatyam repertoire is called Margam or journey. The dancers of Bharatam Academy of Dance took the audience on this delightful journey with a dazzling display of Bharatnatyam dances ranging from beginner to those of the highest professional calibre. The occasion was “Bharatam Dance Showcase 2013” at the Oswego East High School auditorium on March 23rd, 2013. In her introductory remarks, Guru Vanitha reiterated that art of Bharatnatyam is a rich continuum and living tradition of South India. It was apparent to any spectator that more than the students going through the art, the art had gone through the students, who graced the stage with poise and delight, displaying these rich traditions here in the USA. This was a testimony to Guru Vanitha, whose commitment to the art of Bharatnatyam is a testimony that for her, dance is a way of life. The emcee for the evening, Ranjani Rajan, welcomed the audience and introduced each of the dances with a brief description of the dance along with classical notations for the song that accompanied the dance. The program began with Nritta Anjali, a prayer and offering with pure classical dance elements, set to Adi Talam. After that, dancers […]

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 […]

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, […]