Category: Press releases

Robbinsville, NJ: Sixteen-year-old Chetna Patel hurried across the parking lot shielding herself from the brisk autumn morning with a plain white sweater covering her vibrant ochre-colored sari. When asked why she was in a rush, she responded saying, “I don’t want to miss a single second of today’s festivities. I have been waiting for this festival for the last four years.” Chetna was not alone. Well-wishers, devotees, and community members from across the region thronged to celebrate the opening of the Satsang Activity Center (SAC), a new home for cultural, social, and religious activities for the Hindu American community in Central Jersey. This once vacant and hardly noticeable plot of land in Robbinsville, NJ has come to life within the last few years. According to one of the Township County Officials, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha’s conceptualization and creation of the Hindu American Religious Center (HARC) has changed the social and cultural landscape of the entire community. The opening of the first phase of the center, the Satsang Activity Center, was celebrated over three days of ceremonies and rituals. The new assembly hall will provide a location for many spiritual, cultural, educational, and recreational activities for children, families, and community members. Several […]

Chicago IL: The quest for spiritual happiness is a practical necessity, not a lofty ideal, says a Swami Mukundananda Ji who finished a one day Retreat on Saturday, October 20, 2012 – at the Holiday Inn, Rolling Meadows, IL. It was a special day Special day of spiritual rejuvenation and frolicking fun. Devotees spent quality time in the inspiring company of Swamiji, nourishing their body, mind, and soul. The program was packed with Bhajans, Leela Descriptions, Discourses, Bhajan Competition, Meditation and on top of it Excellent presentation by Chicago Bal Mukund Center – which runs its Character Building Program for kids in ages 4-16 based on our Vedic Scriptures in Palatine, IL. A new Back to Community program was kick started by J K Yog in Conjunction with Chicago Food Depository on Oct 20, 2012 – where J K Yog is planning to help raise meals for Chicago Community. An excellent way of giving back to Community. J K Yog has been doing back to community programs around the World for decades now. 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 […]

Chicago IL: IDF Project Goodness 2012 and Launching of IDF USA was arranged by IDF India at 6.30pm, on 19th October 2012, at India House Banquet, 1521 West Schaumburg Road. Schaumburg, IL. The Trustees of IDF USA cordially invited elite group of Chicago with family to grace IDF Project Goodness 2012, in spite of short notice and lots of engagements due to Navratri and other reasons, many graced the event. There were number of Photographs Exhibited near the stage depicting various achievements and meetings of IDF with Prominent Personalities of India including Past President APJ Abdul Kalam, Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mother Terrasa, Sam Pitroda and many Sports and Bollywood Personalities and their various Projects. Up to 6-30 pm Fellowship and Introduction with individuals prevailed with munching. Mrs. Sunita Latamba- MC of the evening invited all to take their seats and invited Dr. ARK Pillai, Dr. Narayan B. Iyer, Congrssman Joe Walsh, Bhailalbhai Patel on the stage to perform traditional Lamp Lighting. Which was made pious by reciting Mantras by Rohit Joshi and prayer by Mr. Glenn Josepph. Before proceeding starts, National Anthems by USA and India were recited. Welcome and Introduction about IDF was […]

Chicago IL: Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC) presented Raas Garba Ramzat on Friday, October 19, 2012 at Jain Center, 435 N. Route 59, Bartlett, IL. JSMC organized Raas Garba Ramzat for the third consecutive year. Purpose and goal for organizing the event was dual, Community Service and Fund Raising. The whirling dancers, clapping hands, distinct sound of wooden sticks struck together, toe tapping music and people wearing colorful clothes marked the Navratri celebration at the Garba & Dandiya Raas. Ticket were $10 (in advance), At the Door – 12, Children under 6 years free Event started at 8:00pm on October 19th with Garba time with Non-stop music provided by Raj & Smruti Pandya group from KY. This followed by Break at 10:00 PM. During Break, various food stalls were available to purchase food at minimal cost. Lamp Lighting Ceremony by Sponsors of the event was organized after Break when Platinum Sponsors and Golden Sponsors were present. After Lamp Lighting Ceremony winner of Garba and Best dress in Groups of 18 years and below and above were declared and Sponsors and Musicians were honored with presentation of Plaques. After that all participated in Garba with clapping. There after Raas time […]

Chicago, IL: On Saturday, October 13, 2012 the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services held its 20th Annual Gala at the Donald E. Stephens Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. It was a celebration of 20 years at with special guest, Khaleel the comedian as the Master of Ceremony. Evening highlights included a high couture Cultural and royal fashion show produced by Sahil and featuring the Royal Bride Collection by Umang Hutheesing, wonderful, live music with Singer Amanat Ali, and an extremely entertaining live auction presented by Michael Espe of Zaffarano Auctioneers. Theme fashion show was of Jaipur, Rajasthan. 750+ people from the South Asian and American Community attended the program. Featuring Musical Guest Amanat Ali was a Pakistani singer who was one of the finalists on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. He placed third in the competition and garnered 34,314,257 votes in the final two weeks. Choreographer Farah Khan and Indian ghazal singer Jagjit Singh heralded him as a “great discovery”. Amanat once performed with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who paid him five hundred rupees for his performance. Amanat is the son of singer Nazakat Ali. Amanat sand the “Khabar Nahi” song for the 2008 film […]

Chicago IL: Manpasand(Bhavna Modi), Saffron Chat, Mita’s beauty Salon and Payal Shah presented ‘Raas Garba – Master Rana & Group on Friday October 12, 2012 at 8:00 PM at Forestview Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Rd, Arlington Hts, IL. There were attraction of Door Prizes, Best Dress, Best Dancer and Best Group Dancers, (Win Prizes TV, Diamond Pendant, Gift Certificates) and many more. Navratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of a Hindu deity Shakti. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The 10th day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or “Dussehra.” The Navarathri Festival or ‘Nine Nights Festival’ becomes ‘Ten Days’ Festival’ with the addition of the last day, Vijayadashami which is its culmination. Gujarat’s Navratri Festival, is “a circle of ecstasy” that throbs Non-stop for nine nights with millions of fantastically costumed devotees swaying in a fusion of dance and devotion. Although this festival is celebrated throughout India, nowhere is it performed with more panache and fervor than in Gujarat. The festival is enjoyed by all communities, all age groups and in all cities in Gujarat. People all over the world come to Gujarat especially to enjoy this traditional and […]

Chicago IL: Hari Om Mandir celebrated their 25th Annual Fund Raising Dinner with great fan and fare on Saturday, 13th October, 2012 at India House Banquet Hall, Schaumburg, IL. The program started with chanting of Shloka, ‘Karpur Gaurav Karunavtaram’ by Mrs. Sneh Chaudhary. Thereafter she introduced the MC’s for the evening Mrs. Indu Wadhwa who in turn called Gaurav, RJ from Desi Junction, as her co-host for the evening. Priests performed the Ganpati pooja and BOT Chairman Ayodhia Salwan, along with Rajeev Bharel, President Executive Board and Brij Sharma, Chairman Fund Raising, lighted the lamp. Govind Dhingra sang a Bhajan ‘Aaja Aaja Aajare Tu Gita ke Bhagwan tu Apna Vachan Nibhajare’. After this Brij Sharma and Rajeev Bharel gave welcoming speeches. Brij Sharma spoke about Temple and their importance for immigrants. Rajeev Bharel highlighted the contribution of all senior members who have worked day and night to generate the funds for setting up this temple. He also thanked the members of Fund Raising Committee and the members of both the Board who worked tirelessly to make this event a great success. This was followed by a speech by the Board of Trustees Chairman, Ayodhia Salwan. He apprised every one about […]

Chicago, IL: On Saturday, October 13, 2012 the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services held its 20th Annual Gala at the Donald E. Stephens Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. They celebrated 20 years of humanitarian service with Khaleel the comedian, as the Master of Ceremony. Highlights included a haute couture royal fashion show produced by Sahil featuring the Royal Bride Collection by Umang Hutheesing, enchanting live music by Singer Amanat Ali, and an extremely entertaining live auction presented by Michael Espe of Zaffarano Auctioneers. Historically, India has been globally acknowledged as a country for its rich textile heritage, intricate designs and elegant styles. Theme: “Mogul Royalty” For 200 years a single family dominated India and astonished the world. A family known in history as The Great Moghuls. On Saturday, October 13, 2012 Sahil Exclusive presented two unique collections; a 2013 collection designed exclusively for Sahil by Shefali Hedge and feature collection by Umang Hutheesing. The fashions captured the amazing craftsmanship of both designers and provided a great visual treat to the audience. The models dressed in traditional Moghul Style clothing walked the ramp with elegance and poise. Sahil CEO: Bhavesh Patel; Designer: Umang Hutheesing; Designer: Shefali Hegde, Runway […]

Chicago, IL: On Saturday, October 13, 2012 the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services held its 20th Annual Gala at the Donald E. Stephens Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. It was a celebration of 20 years at with special guest, Khaleel the comedian as the Master of Ceremony. Evening highlights included a high couture Cultural and royal fashion show produced by Sahil and featuring the Royal Bride Collection by Umang Hutheesing, wonderful, live music with Singer Amanat Ali, and an extremely entertaining live auction presented by Michael Espe of Zaffarano Auctioneers Theme fashion show was of Jaipur, Rajasthan so audience encouraged to dress up. 975 people from the South Asian and American Community attended the program. Over $275,000 was raised for good cause. Beside all Business and professional people, Prominent community leaders there were dignitaries included Bosnian Consul General Elden Kajevic and Pakistani Consul General Zaheer Pervaiz Khan who attended this event. The target was to raised $200,000 however Hamdard Center raised $275,000 of which will go towards their seven programs including the domestic violence division, transitional housing, senior services, youth services, primary and mental health services, and case management. Master of Ceremony: Khaleel the comedian. Khaleel Farooqie […]

Chicago IL: Masti Group Charitable Organization had organized ‘Raas- Garba Ramzaat’ on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at Streamwood Community Center, 777 S. Bartlett Road, Streamwood, IL 60107. Event started at 7pm with the live singing and music from Gayatri Patel and her group. The event ended with a successful roar from everyone at 11pm every one enjoyed Live Singing by our own Fabulous Singer, Gayatri Patel and her Band. According to Masti Group Charitable Organization’s speaker Kunal Mehta, “Proceeds from this fundraising event will go to Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago. A Huge Success ! We raised more than $ 3000 from this fun event which will go to Children’s Memorial Hospital.” We MGCO committee 2012,thank each and every one who came to our event to make it a blast !! Wouldn’t have been possible without your supports. United we stand and divided we fall says masti group…Our goal for this year is to raise awareness and money for the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Masti Group Charitable Organization does this by hosting various fun events throughout the year. One of our annual event, regardless of what organization we are doing the charity for, is the Raas-Garba Ramzaat. We try to […]

Chicago IL: Pratham Chicago held its 2012 Gala at Meadows Club on October 7th to raise over $100,000 donation for the education programs being conducted by Pratham in India. Emcee Kamal Hans and Pratham Co-Founder Yogi Patel did excellent job. The gala featured a talk by two University of Chicago students, Christian Norton and Carolina Garayzar, who spent 11 weeks in Pratham Delhi evaluating 17 Urban Learning Centers. Dr. Raj Rajaram, President of Pratham Chicago welcomed the guests, and subsequently Yogi Patel delivered the Keynote touching speech. The speech highlighted progress Pratham has made in India over the last 18 years. The highlight of the gala was a live telepresence event conducted by Cisco. 13 Pratham Pune students and their teacher showed the audience the excitement of learning of the students in the class. A senior teacher from Pratham Pune moderated the class presentation, and the students performed fabulous song and dance in English, a math class and English and reading. The students answered questions from the audience. The evening entertainment provided by DJ Harpal Singh (Banti) was enjoyed by young and old, and the dance floor was crammed with a lot of Pratham donors. It was the most successful […]

Chicago IL: Metropolitan Asian Family Services, a pioneer in the field of Senior Care in Chicago Metropolitan area celebrated its 20th anniversary on Sept 22nd, at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows IL. The evening was graced by elected officials, dignitaries visiting from India, Indian community leaders, seniors and their families. Metropolitan Asian Family Services, a not-for-profit agency provides comprehensive and integrated social services to the immigrant population of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middle East and European Countries. Our services include adult day care services, home care services, hot meal program, health education and screening, citizenship and immigration assistance, public benefits assistance, job training, computer training and ESL class, interpretation and translation services, support services for caregivers, medical clinic and health promotion programs. They currently have 7 offices serving 11 counties in the Greater Chicago area. The festivities started with lamp lighting and invocation prayer. The MC of this event was MASALA -T, who is the costar of the worldwide talk show HOTCHAAT. Currently, he is acting in two hollywood movies and working towards being the biggest Bollywood hollywood dual star ever. He had an amazing stage presence and handled the announcements with ease. He invited all the guests of honor […]

Chicago IL: October 2nd, 2012, Des Plaines – Chicago. It was yet another evening of excitement, as the cast and crew walked the Red Carpet in the Des Plaines theater in Chicago. Pyar Mein Kyun had its 2nd premiere on Sunday September 30th in Chicago, after its much talked about Gala Red Carpet Premiere held in New York city at the beginning of the week. Pyar Mein Kyun is a full-length Bollywood feature film made entirely in the United States, shot primarily in New York and New Jersey. Presented by RKNet Studios and Aary Films and starring Namaste America host Obaid Kadwani and newcomer Khatera Hakimi, Pyar Mein Kyun is a romantic thriller about love between a teenage girl and a 35-year fashion photographer. But all is not so simple in love as the two discover the truth about one another as the story line unravels. The crowd at the premiere got restless in anticipation of meeting the leading actors. As soon as they saw the beautiful Khatera, they screamed in pleasure and rushed to meet her and talk to her. Khatera obliged by shaking hands with them and posing for pictures with them on the Red Carpet. Khatera looked […]

Chicago IL: Sounding more like a Raja-risi (saint-politician) rather than politician per se, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan impressed the audience at an reception organized in his honor by Friends of India Society International (FISI) and Overseas Friends of BJP at the India Palace Restaurant auditorium in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago with his talks on his governance of Madhya Pradesh interspersed with quotes from scriptures and works from intellectual giants like Shri Sankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda. Despite a short notice, over 350 attended crowded the banquet hall. The Chief Minister was on an eight-day tour of the U.S., especially to meet with the World Bank officials and other organizations. . The function commenced by honoring the Chief Minister and his wife, Mrs. Sadhana Chauhan with presentation of floral bouquets by Usha Kumaria and Asha Chandak respectively. The attendees were welcome by Shrinarayan Chandak. He recognized Amar Upadhya, of BJP chapter President and Shridhar Damle, FISI chapter President. He then turned the program over to Vandana Jhingan as the Master of Ceremony. She recognized the sponsors of the event: Amrit Mittal, Naren Patel, Harendra Mangrola, Asha and Anil Oraskar, Chhotulal Patel and Dr. Bharat Barai. Amrit Mittal introduced the […]

Chicago, IL: Hindi Lovers Club proudly celebrated ‘Hindi Divas’ on Sunday, October 7, 2012 at the Indo American Center, 6328, W. Devon Ave., Chicago, IL. The program included Musical Welcome by VNS Arts Group. Attendees were served snacks and dinner during the event. Prominent Community members who attended this event were Naren Patel, CEO, Medstar Lab, Santosh Kumar, Executive Director Metropolitan Asian Family Services, Dr. Subhash Pandey from UIC, Vandana Jhingan-TV Asia, Iftekhar Shareef, Chairman FIA, V. K. Kohli Managing Director VNS Arts Group, Sher Mohammad Rajput, Founding Trustee of Indo-American Center, Bina Patel, Dr. Munish Raizada, Jodhsingh Rawat, Ranjana Bhargav, Apna Ghar, Prafull Rami and others. Vinita Gulabani, served as Master of ceremony for the evening and welcomed everyone with her delightful Hindi speech and couplets. Invited guests and advisory board members were called upon for the lamp lighting ceremony, when Mantra was recited by a young kid Lakshya, while Rohit Joshi, chief priest of Northeastern Illinois University chanted holy mantras which was followed by the rendition of National Anthem of both the countries by Shanu Sinha and Kids of Balodyan and the audience present. Vinita Gulabani, gave an introduction of all the dignitaries, starting with Naren Patel, who […]

Chicago IL: Vogue Celebrations & Modi Creations Presented Dandiya Dhamal 2012 on Saturday, October 6th 2012 at Renaissance Convention Center, 1551 N. Thoreau Dr. Schaumburg, Illinois. This event was a unique combustion of Garba and Bollywood Celebrities. General audiences can play Dandiya with famous Bollywood Celebrities Tina Dutta (Parineeta & Uttaran Fame). Tina Dutta was on her first U.S. and Chicago trip It attracted more than1,000 attendees. The whirling dancers, clapping hands, distinct sound of wooden sticks struck together, toe tapping music and people wearing colorful clothes marked the Navratri celebration at the Garba & Dandiya Raas dances held over Chicago. Musical Orchestra a rare combination of Music, Masti and songs that is the specialty of Bollywood Group which provided nostalgic music which made whole audience spellbound. Bollywood Group is headed by Minesh Patel who is a leader and singer himself and encompasses efficient people like Shailesh Bhatiya on Drum, Jayesh Solanki on Pad, Kanchan Solanki on Dholak, Hasoo Khatri on Key Board, Vijay Telang as Male Singer beside Minesh Patel and Jyoti Verma, Shilpa and Manisha as Female Singers. Minesh Patel, one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry today, and his orchestra gave a spellbound music of […]

Chicago, IL: Bollywood USA 2013 officially announced a Press Conference today to introduce the Bollywood Film Awards taking place in Illinois in 2013. The Press Conference was on Monday, October 1st at 7:30 PM at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at 11 East Walton Street Chicago, IL 60611 Moving to the purpose of this evening, this press event and reception has been funded entirely through private donations and sponsorships. I won’t name them all but you can see them listed on the back screen as well as on your programs. These people have come together to help announce the 2013 Global Indian Film Awards, which will be the first major Bollywood awards to be hosted in the United States, The awards are slated to take place on June 22, 2013 and will be proceeded by a weeklong schedule of events and festivities. With an expected attendance of up to 20,000 we are excited that the GIFA awards will allow us the highlight the social cohesion and collaboration that strongly ties the entire South Asian diaspora both here and across the United States. It will be a multi-ethnic, multigenerational extravaganza that will highlight our diversity and our unity. Venue and world-wide television […]