Category: Press releases

From creating a Hindu ‘angel investor’ group, to writing in ‘cool’ language for contemporary youth, the 3-day conference in Chicago featured high-profile attendees and outlined several global initiatives Some 2,500 Hindus from 60 countries, including high profile political leaders, gathered in Chicago Sept. 7-9, for the second World Hindu Congress 2018, coinciding with Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 address to the World Parliament of Religions. “Think collectively, Achieve Valiantly” was the theme of the conference which began with the traditional resounding sound of conchs with a backdrop of a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda at the Westin Lombard York Town Center in Chicago. Organized around daily plenary meetings and 7 concurrent conferences that included the economy, women, youth, education, media, politics, and Hindu organization, the conference ended with several recommendations on how to protect rights of Hindus around the world and highlight their achievements. Among numerous high profile speakers and attendees as well as participants, were India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu; Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Mohan Rao Bhagwat; U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois; Ohio Republican State Rep. Niraj Antani; former Iowa State Senator Swati Dandekar; Connecticut State Rep. Dr. Prasad Srinivasan; and Bollywood actor Anupam Kher. “There was so much networking going […]

Chicago IL: The World Hindu Congress held from Sept. 7-9, 2018 in Chicago reaffirmed Swami’s Vivekananda’s message of universal love, peace, acceptance and service to humanity. In this context, it recognized and honored the substantial contributions of four organizations whose selfless volunteers have dedicated their lives in spreading these teachings of Hindu Dharma and preserving its unparalleled culture around the world. The four organizations that were honored were ISKCON, BAPS Swaminarayan, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur and Chinmaya Mission. ISKCON ISKCON was honored for its work in spreading the philosophy of the Bhagvad Geeta to the remotest corners of the world and sparking an interest in Hindu traditions. Its translations of this sacred text into 70 languages has resulted in diverse ethnicities embracing its message and timeless teachings and incorporating it in everyday life. Today ISKCON has a strong presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australia and runs over 850 temples, community centers, schools, restaurants (including feeding the needy) and charitable institutions across the world to serve humanity. International Director of Communications Anuttama Das attributed ISKCON’s success to the profound knowledge with which “we all have been blessed.” He also stated that had Srila Prabhupada, Founder of ISKCON, been with us […]

Chicago IL: The United States Hindu Alliance (USHA), a national Hindu advocacy organization, announces a one year 100 city celebration of the 125th anniversary of the historic speech by Swami Vivekananda on September 11, 1893 at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. The parliament was a landmark event in the history of religions. More than 7,000 religious leaders representing various religions, faiths and Dharma traditions from all over the world took part in the event, including the young Swami Vivekananda from India who represented Hindu Dharma. By virtue of his message, that advanced ideas of tolerance, acceptance, harmony and co-existence, he became an instant celebrity within and outside the parliament. According to the Smithsonian Institute, he is one of the 25 most influential leaders who have ever visited the United States. The launch event took place on September 11, 2018 at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, the first Hindu temple of Chicago. Among the eminent personalities who addressed the audience included 4 senior leaders of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, the apex body of all the Heads of Hindu monastic orders (Sanyasi Paramparas) of India, representing more than 1.7 million Hindu monks. Poojya Swami Paramatmananda Saraswatiji, General Secretary […]

Chicago IL: The two days colorful Indian classical dance festival, Nritya Samarpana 2018 concluded on Sept 15-16, 2018 at Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple, 1145 Sullivan Rd, Aurora, IL. It was a breathing two days festival which featured top artists from different states of USA and India. There were total 9 featured performers along with performances by the veteran teachers of the Chicagoland area like Gauri Jog, Sobha Tamanna, Ipsita Satpathy and Asha Adiga with their respective students. It was a glorious two days of vivid showcase of extremely talented artists. The fest showcased artists from classical Indian dances including Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Odissi and so on. Each year, this dance festival is organized by Balaji cultural committee at the Veluchamy Auditorium of Sri Venkateswara Balaji temple in Aurora Illinois and admired by art lovers. This illustrious dance festival attracts innumerable viewers and art connoisseurs across states. Balaji temple has been in the forefront of preserving Indian cultural arts and celebrates the various art forms. Robust Indian classical dance programs like Nritya Samarpana festival is a great platform for nurturing such traditional arts which are face of our Indian heritage. Anindita Neogy is an International Kathak danseuse who featured […]

Chicago IL: The Chicago City Council adopted a resolution on March 28,2018 designating March 30 as the “Chicago Medical Society Day”. This day is also observed as the “National Doctor’s Day”. Dr. Vemuri S. Murthy is the current President of Chicago Medical Society and a past President of the Indian American Medical Association, Illinois. This proclamation is an important milestone in the annals of one of the largest County Medical Societies in the USA founded in 1850, currently representing 17,000 Cook County Physicians serving 5 million patients. As part of this special recognition, the proclamation “applauds the proud history and contributions of the Chicago Medical Society” in diverse areas of public health, patient care, medical education, physician advocacy and community Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training with ongoing commitment of service to the local communities. This recognition is one more way the Chicago Medical Society is working to educate legislators, citizens, and groups about the important work of our local physicians and their representative organization. Chicago Medical Society conducts the community CPR programs (Project SMILE, “Saving More Illinois Lives through Education”) in Chicago communities partnering with organizations such as the Indian American Medical Association, Illinois. US Congressmen, Illinois Legislators and Members of Chicago Consular Corps […]

Chicago IL: “There is only one thing more precious than our time & that is who we spend it on “it was truly a time well spent in the company of wonderful friends and acquaintances celebrating the international women’s day 2018 on the evening of March 17th organized by PENN ( Penn in Indian language Tamil meaning woman), a group of extremely talented women belonging to the Indian community in the Chicago land area who had come together to present us with an outstanding program that evening. The air was festive with the organizers ,guest speakers and most of the audience members attired in the most spectacular array of colors in series, the traditional wear of India. The event started with the guest speaker Mrs. Rajeshwari Chandrasekaran, a consul with Indian embassy who set the tone and mood for the entire evening, which was a very happy one with her witty down to earth speech.  The next speaker was Dr. Mallika Rajendran (Gynecologist) who addressed various women’s health issues from puberty to adulthood and beyond, followed Dr. Viji Susarla, a clinical Psychologist who covered the topic very dear to every parent, our “Children” and our concerns particularly when they go through […]

Chicago IL: Chicago land’s much awaited dream came true when musical maestro, Ilaiyaraaja, performed live with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra from Hungary and Indian Classical Musicians on Saturday March 24 at the Naperville Yard Center. The 55 musicians, 10 singers and 1 legend gave a spectacular performance that rocks music lovers in Midwest.A name synonymous with the Indian Music IndustryRaaja is an incomparable genius who totally transformed the perception of people towards film music.Cloud9 events proudly presented the much awaited concert that enthralled an audience of 4000 plus who were left mesmerized by his memorable musical compositions. The live concert was performed by singers Chithra, Mano, Haricharan and Rahul Nambiar. They were accompanied by a talented orchestra of 50 musicians. They performed a total of 39 songs in both Tamil and Telugu languages. Ilaiyaraaja’s acumen and knowledge of the aesthetics of music and cinema is what sets him apart from the rest. He is a multifaceted artist and has composed over 6000 songs and worked for 1000movies. Raaja, as he is popularly known and affectionately called, comes from a family of musicians has won five Indian National Film Awards; three for Best Music Direction and two for Best Background Score.   In 2010 he […]

Chicago, IL: Where words fail, music speaks. This saying was truly highlighted on International Singers Day on March 9th at Ashton Place, in Willowbrook, Illinois. Organized by Desi Talent, Urdu Samaj of Chicago and AB entertainment, the event attracted about 300 fans, including social dignitaries of Illinois. From concept to the curtain dropping, recognizing and selecting the local singing talents to arranging proper award for them, Ali Khan, Founder of Singer’s Day Chicago /and President of Urdu Samaj of Chicago, played a pivotal role and he was ably assisted by his equally talented partner Altaf Bukhari of AB Entertainment. “It was my dream to recognize local talents at a mega level because they make us happy every week and yet, they stay in the background,” said elated Khan on the success of his dream project. The keynote speaker was Neeta Bhushan, Consul General of India, based in Chicago. Anil Loomba, CEO of Home Mortgage Solutions, was pleased with the community’s response to the event. The emcee of the gala event, Shabana Rahman, and the event coordinator, Prachi Jaitley, received applause for their outstanding performance. International Singers Day (ISD) Award winners included Mahijit Virdi, Sameer Saini, ParwazEkram, Bhupendra Singh, Manmeet Kaur, MuzaffarQureshi, […]

Chicago IL: Consulate General of India Chicago, in collaboration with TiE Chicago organized a Seminar and Panel discussion on “India’s new initiatives, Budget 2018, Business opportunity in Indian States, Upcoming Business& Cultural Initiatives” on March 7, 2018 from 05:00 PM – 09:00 PM at Meadows Club. The speakers included Ms. Neeta Bhushan, Consul General, Mr. O.P.Meena, Consul[PCV], Mr. Raju Chinthala, Founder & President, Indiana India Business Council, Mr. Bala Palamadai, President, TiE Midwest, Mr. Wilson A., Head International HR, L&T Technology Services Limited and Mr. D.B. Bhati, Consul[HOC]. The panel comprised of Consul General, Prof. Sampath Ramesh, Adjunct Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Dr. Ajit Pant, President, US India Chamber of Commerce-Midwest, Ms. MaliniVaidhyanathan, Manager Midwest, Air India, and Mr. SrinivasPulikam, US CEO, AxisCades. At the beginning, Consul General Ms. Neeta Bhushan welcomed the guests and highlighted the contribution of State Governments of India playing significant role in India’s economic diplomacy and external engagements. The program started with a presentation on States by Mr. O.P. Meena, Consul [PCV] who informed the audience about the creation of a separate States Division in 2014 in the Ministry of External Affairs to recognize the emerging trends of the State Governments of India. The Division […]

Chicago IL: Ms. Neeta Bhushan, Consul General of India in Chicago hosted an impressive reception on the occasion of the visit of her husband, Sri Anurag Bhushan, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India to Chicago at her residence on March 11th, 2018 (Sunday) at 6: 00 PM. The reception was graced by leading community and business leaders from different walks of life. All the guests were bowled over by the strong academic credentials of Sri Anurag Bhushan, which, inter alia, include a graduate degree in engineering and a Post Graduate Degree in Management from such highly accredited and prestigious educational institutions as Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management, respectively. During the course of the informal deliberations that followed, Sri Anurag Bhushan paid rich tributes to the contribution of Indian Diaspora to enriching the socio-economic and educational fabric of the countries he served during his long career spanning about two-and-a-half decades. His rich diplomatic experience across the globe proved to be not only an icing on the cake but also made the interactions a great platform of learning for the guests. The love between the Bhushans, despite long spells of separations on account of their respective postings […]

Chicago, IL: Kalapadma Dance Academy Chicago celebrated their 24th Annual day Event with students and their families, friends and prominent leaders of our community on Saturday, March 10,2018 at the North Eastern University auditorium, 5500 St Louis Ave, Chicago, IL 60625. Students of Kalapadma, ranging in ages from 6 to 60 years, adorned in colorful costumes, dazzled the audience of about 600 art lovers of Greater Chicago land area. It was 3 hours of pure entertainment that consisted of Indian classical as well as folk, Gujarati and Hindi Bhajans, Bollywood, tribal and fusion dances which were presented by more than 80 students. Such a grand show was made available to the audience at no cost. The chief guest Mr. Sunil Shah, president, FIA. Many other dignitaries and VIPs who graced the show were Mr. Ravi Raju, Dr. Jayshree Raju and many other community leaders and business leaders. The event marked the sheer celebration of Indian heritage, culture, dance and music. The students, the Artistic Director, Ruth Varghese, the President, Santosh Varghese, and all those who were involved in the presentation of the show deserve esteem. Sunil Shah along with Mr. Ravi Raju, Dr. Jayshree Raju and the students who performed their […]

Chicago IL: Consulate General of India Chicago, in collaboration with TiE Chicago organized a Seminar and Panel discussion on “India’s new initiatives, Budget 2018, Business opportunity in Indian States, Upcoming Business& Cultural Initiatives” on March 7, 2018 from 05:00 PM – 09:00 PM at Meadows Club. The speakers included Ms. Neeta Bhushan, Consul General, Mr. O.P.Meena, Consul[PCV], Mr. Raju Chinthala, Founder & President, Indiana India Business Council, Mr. Bala Palamadai, President, TiE Midwest, Mr. Wilson A., Head International HR, L&T Technology Services Limited and Mr. D.B. Bhati, Consul[HOC]. The panel comprised of Consul General, Prof. Sampath Ramesh, Adjunct Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Dr. Ajit Pant, President, US India Chamber of Commerce-Midwest, Ms. MaliniVaidhyanathan, Manager Midwest, Air India, and Mr. SrinivasPulikam, US CEO, AxisCades. At the beginning, Consul General Ms. Neeta Bhushan welcomed the guests and highlighted the contribution of State Governments of India playing significant role in India’s economic diplomacy and external engagements. The program started with a presentation on States by Mr. O.P. Meena, Consul [PCV] who informed the audience about the creation of a separate States Division in 2014 in the Ministry of External Affairs to recognize the emerging trends of the State Governments of India. The Division […]

Chicago IL: Umiya Mataji Sanstha Chicago Midwest (UMSCM) Celebrated colorful legendary Festival of  Holi, symbolizing victory of God over Evil by Hindu’s all over the word, by sprinkling  colors with Dancing & Chanting,. This occurred on Saturday – March 03, 2018. It is unusual for any event to be held outdoors in Chicago is this time of year in month of March due to the unpredictable freezing cold weather. Believers in trust faith and miracle of the Mataji ignored the standard and against the odds of snowy weather, held the celebration outdoor at Umiya Mataji Temple Chicago, 1800 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185. Over 500 community members braved the weather and showed up in big turnout including prominent community leaders, sponsors, committee members, volunteers, friends, and well-wishers, participating in half day event. Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring. Known widely as the Festival of Color, it takes place over two days, and is a celebration of fertility, color, and love, as well as the triumph of good versus evil. Holi split into two events: Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi. Holika Dahan takes place the night before Rangwali Holi. Wood and dung-cakes are burned in a symbolic pyre […]

Chicago IL: When planning a wedding, the cultural traditions have to be handled perfectly and this requires a significant amount of effort, creativity and planning. It includes preparation, managing timelines and checklists, coordinating wedding day activities and putting them all together can be quite an overwhelming process especially when you intend for it to be a major occasion with different number of elements and thousands of minute details. There are many aspects and facets that need to be considered to accomplish a Wedding. It includes renting a hall of appropriate size with required amenities, designing decorations centered around the theme of the wedding, coordinating flowers arrangements, Mandap decorations, table cloth, chair and napkin design/color, finding a DJ, selecting the entertainment, jewellery, clothes, selection of food menu for different wedding events, preparing the guest list, their local accommodation, organizing transportation for guests etc. With a view to get an amicable solution and make life easier for anxious and apprehensive parents of bride and groom, 3rd South Asian Wedding Expowas organized by Pearl Banquetson Sunday, February 25, 2018, between 12-00pm to 5-00 pm at Pearl Banquets, 1490 West Lake Street, Roselle, IL. It was planned and co-ordinated to accommodate every aspect of […]

Chicago IL: Sivic Inc. has secured $350,000 at 26% equity from Seftech India Pvt. Ltd. at the pre-seed stage to develop its Alpha version due for soft-launch in fall 2018. Sivic is a ‘post function’ app that addresses civic engagement. The technology allows people to instantaneously address issues or policies that matter to them with the relevant influencers- that consist of politicians and organizations. Over the years it has become prominent that the incumbent social media platforms have not been able to address civic engagement despite having the social reach. Instead, petition sites have risen with an attempt to resolve civic engagement but offer a complicated & lengthy process to complete. It also does not provide any insight onto directly communicating with their influencers. People are still finding it hard to contact their local US representatives and senators. Hence, the biggest obstacle for a common person to use a petition site is the lengthy plan required, from writing the description of your reasons, to then researching the appropriate influencers and lastly that it will not take effect until a threshold for a certain number of endorsements are reached. Sivic is designed to solve this problem by providing a quick and effective alternative. It offers an intuitive web app where you simply […]

Chicago IL: Prarthna Sabha was held in Memories of Shree Anilbhai T Patel on Sunday February 18, 2018 between 3 to 6:00pm at Umiya Mataji Temple Chicago, 1800 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL. Despite snowy cold February Chicago weather, throngs of his admirers paid tribute for this departed great soul. Event was organized by Umiya Mataji Sanstha Chicago Midwest (UMSCM) under umbrella of Kadava Patidar Samaj. Event attended by Kadva Patidar Samaj of Chicago in which overwhelming members from all walks of life, old, young, professionals; community members,dozens of prominent community leaders, UMSCMDevotees generous sponsors, committee members, super donors and volunteersat large were present. Event started with Bhajan and ended with Umiya Mataji Aarti and Mahaprasad. Speaker at the Memorial event wasBabubhai (Marsha) Patel,Kishan Patel, Jayantibhai Patel, Narendrabhai Patel, Khodabhai (Ken) Patel, D. S. Patel, Devendra Patel, Dr Kamal Patel, Narsinhbhai M Patel, Sitaram Patel and Dr. Chittranjan Patel. Everyone in their homage reflected lifelong message of Anilbhai, urging all members, followers and affiliate of Umbrella organization of Kadava Patidar Samaj to stay United and be strong robust and resilient.This will be ultimate tribute to the life of beloved Anilbhai. Anil Tribhovandas Patel, called Anilbhai, was born at Lanvaat out skirt […]

Chicago IL: On Tuesday, the 13th of Feb, 2018 devotees celebrated the festival of Maha Shivaratri, in the Hari Om Mandir, with great joy and enthusiasm. As per the Hindu tradition, devotees bathe the Shiva Lingam with Holy Water, Milk, Honey and offer Chandan, Bel Patra amidst chanting of prayers, mantras and the resonating sound of Om Nama Shivaya….called the “Rudra Abhishek”. Living up to the tradition, hundreds of devotees came to the Hari Om Mandir to perform the rituals and sing the glory of Lord Shiva. Due to renovation in progress at the Hari Om Mandir, the regular ‘SHIV DURBAR” was not ready for the Pooja this year, so the Mandir Management had made special arrangements and set up a temporary Durbar for the Devotees to perform the Pooja & Shiv Abhishek. The marble statues of Shiva & Parvati were seated on a high pedestal, with the Shiv Ling below, so that people could offer Milk, Water, Honey etc and do the Abhishek. The whole ambience of this set up reminded people of the Heavenly Abode of Shiva on the Kailash Parbat!!! The Snakes, the Rudraksh mala, the half Chandrama, the Ganga on Shiva’s forehead, the Trishul, the Damrus…all added […]

Chicago IL: When Chandrakant M. Modi was growing up in India, his father suggested a career in medicine because it would enable him to earn a decent living while also helping the needy. Modi is glad he listened to his father’s advice. Dr. Modi settled in the Chicago area after medical school in India and residency in the Chicago area in Pathology and Internal Medicine. He pursued a successful career in the U.S. that has included pathology and emergency medicine. Despite his professional success, what has given him the greatest sense of fulfillment is that in the last 20 years Dr. Modi has helped people in distant lands. He has been on numerous missions with Flying Doctors of America, a division of Medical Mercy Missions, Inc. Under the banner of Flying Doctors, volunteer medical professionals fly to remote villages in countries including Haiti, Madagascar, Amazon, Panama, Jordan and the borders between India and Tibet. There is no cost to the patient for the expert medical attention these doctors offer, and for the physicians, the heartfelt appreciation of the patients is beyond material value. “The trips to provide medical care have been very rewarding,” said Dr. Modi, now an energetic septuagenarian […]

Chicago IL: The first ever launch of Ashley’s Music Foundation (also known as AMF) took place at the Tall Grass Clubhouse in Naperville, IL. Ashley’s Music Foundation, is a non-profit organization that was created by a very talented 16-year teenage singer Ashley Singh from Naperville to promote music programs in underprivileged schools in Chicago land area. Ashley Singh is a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, IL and has been a prominent member of the Waubonsie music program for the past 3 years. She is incredibly passionate about music, as she started training in Indian classical music at the age of 4. After learning various styles of singing for 12 years, she grew very fondly of music. She is fully convinced about the importance of music learning for young minds such as integration of left and right brain, concentration, self-confidence and self-identity. She herself is the beneficiary of leaning music and changes she has experienced in her life. She believes that music education should be an integral part of every child’s learning curriculum. Nothing pains her the most when she hears that school districts cut back on music programs due to lack of funding and resources. To make a difference in the lives of children in those school districts who are struggling with their own […]