Category: Community

A library in New York has apologized to an Indian American woman after an employee of the public library asked her to stop breast-feeding her daughter in public. “We will be giving our staff additional coaching to remind them about the proper practice for maintaining a welcoming environment,” CBS New York online cited a library statement as saying Sept. 22.

Sherry Singh, a regular visitor at the Forest Hills Library, was told last weekend to stop feeding her child in the library and to breast-feed her four-month-old daughter in the restroom.

“Me and my other daughter were playing with puppets, when this little one started crying. I started nursing her,” Singh was quoted as saying.

“An employee came over and told me not to breast-feed my daughter there,” Singh said.

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the law allows breast-feeding in public. It has been the law for quite a while. It is every woman’s right to breast-feed in public,” Lieberman said. Singh has accepted the library’s apology and is not taking any legal action, but she wants the story to go out to educate others.

American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin (ASEI) – Michigan Chapter hosted the 30th Annual ASEI Convention focusing on Disruptive Innovations & Technologies (DIT 2015).  This convention was held on September 19th at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

The objective of this convention was to promote and share advancements related to disruptive innovations and technologies. In addition to ASEI members from various chapters, DIT 2015 was attended by over 200 professionals including scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders across USA. This convention featured multiple interactive sessions with prominent business owners, technologists, media personalities, educators, and policy makers. It was a unique opportunity to celebrate success from positive contribution of engineers of Indian origin residing in US.

“ASEI Engineers are always front runners of disruption, innovations and next generation Technologies as well as prospers on wealth and job Creation in America, and these Technologies will help improve the quality of life here in USA and the whole world,” said ASEI National Board Chairman Subba Gopavarapu.

“ASEI’s engineering convention is where dreams are initiated, invented and socialized and engineers turn dreams into realism” said Convention Chairman Rakesh Patel.

This convention was supported by Gold (General Motors), Silver (The Boeing Company, FutureNet Group, and Ramp Group), Bronze (Siemens, PNC Bank, DTE Energy, and Sistar Mortgage) and many other sponsors and supporters.

Overall, DIT 2015 convention was a huge success. This would not have been possible without the support from technical speakers and guest speakers. Attendees enjoyed excellent food during lunch and banquet. The Youth Technology Exhibition by middle and high school kids was awesome!! The Bollywood Music Night with Live Orchestra by Sammvad was amazing. It was really great to see large number of attendees both during morning / afternoon technical sessions. All tables for Banquet were also filled. The participation from attendees was a big factor behind this successful convention.

“All accomplishments and achievements of the convention were only possible because we have a solid team of dedicated, talented and hardworking individuals” said Jwalant Lakhia, President – ASEI Michigan chapter.

Morning Session

The morning session of the convention was inaugurated by Isaiah McKinnon, Deputy Mayor of Detroit. He delivered an inspiring and motivational speech about how Detroit is turning around while creating opportunities for businesses and residents to excel. There were several technical sessions on various topics. Rashmi Rao, Director of Advanced Engineering –

Harman International presented on “Convergence of Consumers and Cars”. K Venkatesh Prasad, Senior Technical Leader – Ford Motor Company lead a session on “Connected Car”. Nagesh Nidamuluri, Vice President – Tech Mahindra talked about “Digital Manufacturing 4.0 / Factories of Future”. Kameshwar Eranki, Founder & CEO – Vajrasoft, Inc. presented on “Internet of Things”.

ASEI Student Scholarships were awarded during lunch session. The ASEI Chairman Student Award was given to Kaval Shah from University of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The ASEI Undergraduate Student Scholarship was given to Ravi Patel from Wayne State University. The ASEI Graduate Student Scholarships were given to Anuj Nimkar and Krishnesh Pujari from University of Mayland – College Park.

Yogesh Dalal and Hemanth Vadlamudi from Western Michigan University also received the ASEI Graduate Student Scholarship. There were two guest speakers during Lunch Session. Dr. Prabhakar Patil, CEO – LG Chem talked about global trends in “Li ion Batteries and Vehicle Electrification”. Professor Ken Cook, Chair Engineering Technology – Lawrence Technological University made a presentation on “Student Entrepreneurship from Innovative Ideas”. Professor Cook also performed few magic tricks with audience.

Technical Sessions continued in the afternoon. Alex Shikany, Director of Market Analysis – Association of Advancing Automation presented on “Innovations in Automation: Robotics, Vision, and Motion Control”. Dr Amar Basu, Associate Professor – Wayne State University talked about “Advancement in Biomedical Engineering”. Jitesh Agrawal, Senior Director – Siemens PLM Solutions lead a discussion on “Revolutionizing Product Life Cycle Management”.

Dr. Shreekant Agrawal, Engineering Manager – Northrop Grumman presented on “Trends and Drivers in Aerospace”. Deval Desai, Executive Director – Magna International talked about “Trends in Automotive Technologies”. Dr. Thomas Abraham, Founder President of GOPIO International and Executive Trustee of GOPIO Foundation moderated a session on “Indian American Engineering Groups – How Effectively We Can Work Together”. Panelists included officials of ASEI, SIAEA (Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects) and PAN-IIT. There was a panel discussion held on “Disruptive and Innovative Technologies: Technical & Business Opportunities”. The panel consisted of two prominent guest speakers, Dr. Rajiv Shah – Founder & Program Director, Systems Engineering & Management Program, University of Texas – Dallas and Dr. Sasi Pillay – CIO, University of Wisconsin.

This convention also featured a “Youth Technology Exhibition” (YTE) by middle and high school students demonstrating their work based on Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology. There were eight teams part of YTE with exhibits on “Sprinkler Pressure and Water Conservation”, “Lego Robotics”, “Trends in Visual Effects”, “Earthquake Proof Skyscrapers”, “Reviving the Glory Days of Go-Karts”, “Automated Plant Watering System”, “Water Rocket Technology”, and “First Robotics – Lego League”. This Youth Technology Exhibition was sponsored by Vijay and Sue Mahida who are life members of ASEI.

The evening banquet featured three guest speakers. US Senator Gary Peters, addressed the attendees with acknowledgement and appreciation of contribution from Indian American technical professionals and entrepreneurs to US economy and society. Senator Peters also talked about some of the initiatives he has taken to bring innovations and new technologies in various fields to the State of Michigan.

Dr Virinder Modugil, President & CEO of Lawrence Technological University was the keynote speaker for the evening banquet. Dr Moudgil provided an excellent presentation on contribution from past Lawrence Technology University alumni in many applications based on disruptive and innovative ideas.

Bill Coughlin, President & CEO – Ford Global Technologies talked about enablers for developing disruptive and innovative technologies.  He emphasized importance of Intellectual Property rights while focusing on culture, environment, and principles required for innovation. Mr. D B Bhati represented the office of Consul General of India – Chicago during the evening banquet.

There were six ASEI Awards presented during the evening banquet. ASEI Engineer of the Year award was given to K. Venkatesh Prasad, Senior Technical Leader – Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI. ASEI Award for Service Excellence was given to Tim Madhanagopal, Plant manager with Orange County Utilities, Florida. ASEI Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Jagannadham Kottha, Past ASEI Chairman from Cleveland, Ohio. ASEI Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award was given to Bob Bawa, owner and president of LA Gauge Company, Sun Valley, California and the Entrepreneur of the Year to Dr. Nauna Singh, Chairman & CEO of RGBSI, Troy, MI. ASEI Founder’s Award was given to Kupp Sridhar, Associate Technical Fellow/Manager, Boeing Company and Chairman, 29th ASEI Convention. Both Boeing Company and FutureNet Group participated in ASEI Corporate Excellence Recognition Program. Boeing presented Engineering Excellence award to Rajiv Patel. FutureNet Group presented Engineering Excellence award to Jay Mehta.

“Indian American engineers are making substantial contribution to the technology sphere of America and among them we have selected some of the best for this recognition,” said Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the ASEI Awards committee. ASEI Michigan Chapter recognized Sanjay Patel and Sue Mahida for their dedicated service and support. ASEI National Board Chairman Subba Gopavarapu congratulated and thanked ASEI Michigan chapter leadership team for hosting 30th National Convention. For more information, visit: https://aseiusa.org/

September 25, 2015 (New York, NY) – Sikh community leaders from across the United States joined the Sikh Coalition’s Sapreet Kaur and Simran Jeet Singh in celebrating the recognition of the Sikh faith during Pope Francis’ 9/11 Memorial interfaith service today.

University at Buffalo professor, Dr. Satpal Singh, shared a Sikh prayer with Pope Francis, while his daughter, Dr. Gunisha Kaur, delivered the English translation for the hundreds in attendance and for the millions watching around the world. Dr. Singh and Dr. Kaur were two of just eleven interfaith community members who were invited to be on stage for the service.

Click here for photos from the event.

The Sikh Coalition worked with Dr. Singh and the Sikh Council for Interfaith Relations to coordinate Sikh community attendance at the service. The Sikh Coalition then worked to publicize the Sikh story through U.S. and international news channels.

“We were honored when Dr. Singh and the Sikh Council for Interfaith Relations reached out to the Sikh Coalition for our support in coordinating Sikh attendance for the service today,” said the Sikh Coalition’s Executive Director, Sapreet Kaur. “It’s not every day that the Sikh faith is so prominently featured at such a high profile international event. This once again highlights the continued progress being made on multiple fronts to ensure that our presence and participation as a community is heard around the world.”

Since the beginning of September the Sikh Coalition has worked with Dr. Singh and Dr. Kaur to secure news coverage in several news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Religion News Service, Buffalo News, NBC News, India Today, the Metro, and the Huffington Post.  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges Sikhs everywhere to continue to practice their faith fearlessly.

Chicago IL: September 20, 2015 was one of the most auspicious days at Chinmaya Mission Chicago! May 8, 2015-May 8, 2016 marks the birth centenary year of Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanada. While celebrating the life of the spiritual master who spearheaded a global Hindu spiritual and cultural renaissance, “Jyoti Yatra” is a traveling unbroken flow of light in the form of an oil lamp. The light is traveling throughout India and one in the United States of America, symbolizing the light of spiritual knowledge that Swami Chinmayananda spread across the world.

The Jyoti arrived at Chinmaya Mission Chicago from Chinmaya Omkara – Northwest Indiana, accompanied by a bus full of devotees. Swami Sharanananda and Acharya Dhiren Khatri from Chinmaya Mission Chicago held the Jyoti as it was led in a procession with reverence and celebration accompanied by Swami Ramakrishnananda from India, Acharyas Jetindra and Swapna Nayar from the Yamunotri Center of CMC and Acharya Sachin from Kitchner, Ontario. Bala Vihar children were lined all along Badri walkway with Om flags. Children and adults performed Lezim dance and Raas Leela while taking the Jyoti into the ashram with chants, bhajans and firecrackers. After crossing the threshold of the ashram the Jyoti was received with Purna Kumbha, a traditional expression of welcome with chanting from the Vedas.

In the shrine the idol of Lord Badri Narayan dressed in finery and fragrance of fresh flowers smiled in anticipated welcome. An elaborate Paduka puja was offered – worship of the feet of the Guru, signifying the worship of the spiritual knowledge on which the Guru stands. During the puja the children led the chanting of 108 names of Pujya Gurudev and offered a beautiful bhajan composed by Swami Tejomayananda and the adults offered an auspicious dance from Kerala. Over 400 children and adults attended the event.

The inspiration and the energy of the day were remarkable; celebrating the Guru who sacrificed everything to spread the message of Bhagawad Geeta and the Upanishads for the wellbeing of humanity. The Jyoti will reside at CMC – Badri through October 30 and will be taken to Chinmaya Mission Minneapolis on October 31, 2015.

Chicago, IL Apna Ghar, a Chicago-based  not-for-profit organization, celebrated  its 25th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 6:00 pm at Hilton Chicago located at 720 South Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605, with Muhammad Yunus, Noble Laureate and Founder of Grameen Bank as the Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker.

“Empowering women in general and those who belong to poorer sections of society in particular, by diversifying and enriching their income generation potential, holds the key to break the vicious circle of poverty”, said Yunus in his keynote address.

“They should be encouraged to come out with viable business ideas, provide them with loans to ground their proposed ventures, and help them out by creating a requisite support system in order to make them job providers rather than allowing them to stagnate as mere job seekers”, said Yunus. He added that the resultant culture of self-employment and entrepreneurship among women will generate additional income which will bring multiple beneficial outcomes for households and for society at large.

Yunus said that he made a humble beginning in Bangladesh by extending financial support to poor women, from out of his own pocket, to enable them to set up their own business units. “They proved him right in his trust in them by not only setting up their businesses but also making them commercially successful”, he added.

“The success of the initial lot of entrepreneurs led to the historical establishment of Grameen Bank, committed to cater to the needs of self-employment and entrepreneurship among poor people in general and their women counterparts in particular, which proved to be a win-win proposition for all the parties involved in this exercise”, said Yunus with a sense of accomplishment.

Yunus said that exposure of women to the emerging Information and Communication Technology will equip them not only to come out of the shadows of poverty but also to keep pace with the developments taking place around them.

“The first-generation women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, belonging to poorer sections of society, used their mobile phones not only for enhancing their social awareness but also for a number of other innovative purposes, including taking ECGs, eye-scanning, etc.”, Yunus stated and added that IT- literacy has become a sine qua non for one’s survival in the contemporary fast changing world of work.

Yunus said that poor people are neither deficient in their intelligence nor in their potential; the environment, which is hostile to the optimum use of human resources, gives rise to poverty. “If supportive mechanism is created, poor people will respond positively to it by tapping their full potential, which will lead to a transformation in their economic profile”, he added.

Yunus congratulated Apna Ghar for serving the victims of gender violence for a long period of 25 years. “It is a great achievement for a voluntary organization in its own right, which deserves to be emulated, on a larger scale, by similar organizations in the US and beyond”, he added.

Earlier, Saiyed Rabbani, President, Board of Directors welcomed Muhammed Yunus, eminent guests from different walks of life, functionaries of Apna Ghar, and others to the celebration of the milestone year in the history of Apna Ghar. He said that Apna Ghar is one of the first agencies in the US which has been serving the victims of gender violence in South Asian and other immigrant communities across the Chicago metro area, through 24-hour crisis line, a roof over survivors’ heads with emergency shelter, healing though group and individual counseling, support to navigate the legal system, and access to attorneys for legal cases, etc. Alderman James Cappleman, 46th Ward, Chicago spoke about his personal motivation for public service in general and support to Apna Ghar in particular.

Awards were presented to Ramzan & Parvin Dhanji Family Foundation, Ashima Mehta, and to Shakuntala Chhabria for their generous support to Apna Ghar in fulfilling its mission and vision and also to Surinder Nand and Danial Noorani in appreciation of their dedication and services to Apna Ghar.

The event included an informative video and slideshow presentation highlighting the history of Apna Ghar and a mesmerizing performance by modern guitar virtuoso, Fareed Haque and his band MathGames.  The event brought together more than 350 guests, who are deeply committed to the vision of Apna Ghar.

Ravi Baichwal, Anchor the ABC 7 Weekened News, was the Master of the Ceremonies. He stole the hearts of the audience by conducting the proceedings of the function in a professional fashion, laced with his wit and sense of humor. Apna Ghar was founded by five Asian American women activists in 1989.

The Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas (I-SERVE) on Thursday last week launched the ‘Unique Exhibition on Cultural Continuity from Rigveda to Robotics’ at the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. A unique exhibition going on at the Lalit Kala Akademi provides “astronomical references and scientific evidences” which dismiss the Aryan invasion theory and argue that the Mahabharata and Ramayana are historical texts, not mythological epics.

The Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas (I-SERVE) on Thursday launched the ‘Unique Exhibition on Cultural Continuity from Rigveda to Robotics’ at the Akademi, in the presence of Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal and classical dancer Sonal Mansingh, who were the chief guests.

The show “Cultural Continuity from Rigveda to Robotics,” at the Lalit Kala Akademi uses different fields of study like astronomy, archeology, paleo-botany and oceanography among other science disciplines in an attempt to establish a synergy between ancient Hindu scriptures and modern sciences.

Some of the other issues explored in the exhibition are the “earliest evidence of dentistry at Mehrgarh in 7000 BC”, astronomical charts displaying the lunar eclipse at the time when “Hanumanji met Sitaji in Ashok Vatika” in 5067 BC, a solar eclipse of 3153 BC when the “Pandavas left for 13 years of exile after losing everything in a game of dice” and the identification of “63 predecessors and 59 successors of Ram”.

To be more specific on dating, When was Ram born? January 10, 12.05 hours, 5114 BC. When did the war in Mahabharata start? October 13, 3139 BC. And when did Hanuman meet Sita in Ashok Vatika? September 12, 5076 BC.

What historians, here and abroad, say is impossible to establish, has been accomplished by one Institute of Scientific Research — or so the institute claims in its ongoing Exhibition on ‘Rig Veda to Robotics’. And India’s culture minister, Mahesh Sharma, says his ministry will take cognisance of this information and has sought a report.

How was this dating done? “Considerable research” and a software procured for around Rs 7,000 from the US were the keys apparently. “Planetary information” from the Rig Veda, Ramayana and Mahabharata was used to find the exact dates, said Saroj Bala, director of the institute, I-SERVE, Delhi Chapter. As per report, the institute has been submitted its ‘findings’ to the Union culture ministry. The Union Minister said, “I spent a good one-and-a half hours at the exhibition and there is a lot of material there which merits attention.”

Sonal Mansingh said she got “goosebumps” when she heard about the exhibition. “As a systematic conspiracy, scholars like Wendy Doniger have written about our ancient saints being sex maniacs to belittle us. Yet, we only read the history written by these people”.

Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said it was important to hold such an exhibition, which was based on “scientific facts”. “The next generation may say that somebody wrote Ramayana and Mahabharata sitting in their bedrooms, so it is necessary to collect scientific basis for their historicity,” he said.

Krishna Gopal, the RSS ideologue,  said that “Christian scholars” could not imagine history older than 4,000 years and the idea of continuity from Rig Veda till the present times was unimaginable for many. “Even Max Mueller could not go beyond 5,000 BC,” he said.

“Our history is at least 10,000 years old, much before Muslims and Christians arrived. We found that planetary formations mentioned in Ramayana and Mahabharata corresponded to actual formations at the time. We have also studied genealogy which proves that Aryans were indigenous,” said Saroj Bala, director, Delhi Chapter of I-SERVE.

While most Indians have been known to worship Ganga as a holy river since time immemorial, the ancient Indian text Rigveda has a different story to tell, according to I-SERVE. “We were very surprised that there was no mention of the river Ganga in the first nine mandals of Rigveda. All 22 rivers were mentioned in a geographically correct way with not a single mistake. But the great river Ganga was not mentioned until the tenth mandal of Rigveda,” says Saroj Bala, Director, Delhi chapter I-Serve.

The Rigveda mentions Saraswati, which is often believed to be a mythical river, to be “the most celebrated river.” A poster put up by I-Serve stated that around 6000 BC, efforts by Suryavanshi kings Sagar and Bhagirath helped to facilitate the flow of Bhagirathi waters into Ganga, thus vindicating its description as the holiest river in post Rigvedic literature, while Saraswati becomes non-perennial.

“While Ganga is referred to as a holy river in the Ramayana, in Mahabharata it is said that it remains dry in some places. In this exhibition we have tried to present the entire story,” says Bala. According to organisers, the exhibition aimed to carry out research into the authenticity and historicity of events narrated in ancient books by making use of modern scientific tools.

We wanted to know the truth through the means of pure scientific medium and find out whether these scriptures contain any true events,” says Bala

Through the process of scientific dating, the exhibition also says that indigenous civilisation has been developing in Indian sub-continent for last 10,000 years and that Aryans were originals of India. “There was no Aryan invasion. It is often believed that the Dravidians were pushed down south, but there was nothing like that” says Peeyush Sandhir, Associate director, I-Serve.

Sky views of important events in Ramayana and Mahabharata including determining the date and time of birth of Lord Ram and the infamous game of dice where the Pandavas lose to Kauravas have been showcased.

Besides astronomical evidences, the show also presents archaeological evidences in form of utensils, ornaments, weapons and infrastructure that support dates of references in these scriptures. The exhibition supported by the Culture Ministry is set to continue till September 23.

Naperville, IL: A strong contingent of religious leaders and elected representatives from Naperville and DuPage County along with over 250 community members, representing a diverse set of religious denominations, got together to express solidarity with the Sikh community and the recent hate crime victim, Inderjit Singh Mukker, a Sikh American. The interfaith event, “United We Stand”, hosted by the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association (NILA), along with the Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) was held on Sunday, September 20 th, 2015 at the ICN facility in Naperville, Illinois.

A large number of eminent speakers, including Congressman Bill Foster, State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia and DuPage County Board Member Tony Michelassi were among those who came together to deliberate on the contemporary challenges of hate crime and the ways and means to combat violence based on an individual’s race and ethnicity.

Love Wins; Hate Loses – Congressman Bill Foster, 11th Congressional District, said that the government has been seriously engaged in the effective implementation of a zero-tolerance policy towards hate crimes.

“The US has always been proud of diversity and, in this backdrop, the struggle against all forms of hate against any segment of society must be the great cause of our generations, and all generations”, he opined. “By rallying around Mukker and the Sikh community, we are sending a strong message that the force of hate is tiny when compared to the force of love in our country”, he stated.He congratulated the Sikh community for using this tragedy as an opportunity to spread the message of love and acceptance and to set an inspiring example to be emulated by others.

Linda Chapa LaVia,  State Representative – 83rd Representative District, also underscored the need to demonstrate love and tolerance for all humanity and to believe in one core ethnicity – mankind. Ms. Lavia also referred to the role of media and its responsibility to better handle sensitive topics and those with religious and racial undertones.

“We Are All Americans – No American Should Become a Hate Victim” Mukker’s son, Kanwar Singh, expressed gratitude for the broad based community support extended to his father. “The United States is our country. We are Americans – and no American should become a victim of hate because of his religion, color, race, ethnicity, and sex”, he added.

Rev. Dr. Lynn Pries, President, NILA stressed the importance of empathy and learning to coexist without changing anyone’s religious commitments. He urged people to develop an objective understanding of differences and commonalities among different religions. “We must learn to celebrate our commonalities and respect our differences and thereby further enrich the core of the civilized culture of the US”, added Rev. Dr. Lynn Pries.

Tisleen Kaur Singh, a first-generation American from the National Sikh Campaign said that absence of an open dialog among practitioners of different religions is resulting in the lack of understanding and tolerance for each other. Tisleen also highlighted the need to ensure that mutual dialogues in our educational institutions, homes, and social media are free of hate and bigotry. “This would enable people to acknowledge differences, promote tolerance, live peacefully, uphold justice, and thereby bring peace and progress to all”, she added.

Aadil Farid, President, ICN, after having welcomed the guests, condemned all acts of violence, wherever they erupt, whatever shape they may take, and whoever they are committed against, including the present one against Mukker.   He wholeheartedly applauded the decision of the State Attorney’s office to investigate the attack on Mukker as a hate crime. “The propaganda on TV and movies, built on fear and hate, which is poisoning the minds of youth and tearing apart the fabric of American society, is the root cause of the hate crimes. This menace must be tackled by the government with an iron hand”, said Farid.

“In the end, America, which stands for religious freedom, liberty, and justice for all, will come out in flying colors in its war against the hate crime. We as Americans should come together to create an egalitarian society wherein the country is free of bigotry, hate mongering, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia”, Farid added emphatically.

Sadia Covert, Attorney and Social Activist, put forth staggering statistics from the Dept. of Justice which suggest that approximately 250,000 hate crimes occur each year and that most of them go unreported. She also spoke about the pressing need to reform hate crime laws to lay down clear criteria to prove the motive of crime and to impose increased penalties for those prosecuted for violent hate crimes.  Imam Sk Mir Rizwan Ali (Islamic Center of Naperville), Suggested having an alliance of faith leaders/communities to stand together against all forms of violence and hate crimes.

The speakers that represented a wide range of organizations included Amarjith Singh (Illinois Sikh Community Center, Wheaton), Sharan Kaur Singh (Sikh Coalition), Bernie Newman (Congregation Beth Shalom, Naperville), Rev. Greg Skiba (HOPE United Church of Christ), Prasad Garkhedkar (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Naperville), Rev. Tom Capo (DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church, Naperville),and Tom Cordaro (St. Margaret Mary Parish, Naperville), Sunil Shah, President FIA. The speakers extensively referred to different religious texts which direct people to support and speak on behalf of those who are marginalized, particularly those facing dark times.

Other community leaders who graced the event included Regina Brent – Precinct 44 Committeewoman, Gladson Varghese – President, GOPIO Chicago, Rasheed Ahmed – Executive Director, Islamic Medical Association of North America and President, US India Policy Institute, Saily Joshi – Board Member, Naperville Indian Community Outreach and Gautam Grover – Board Member, Naperville Indian Community Outreach.

The event began with the Flag Ceremony by the Boy Scouts Troop 99 followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by both the Boy Scouts Troop and Girl Scouts Troop 51062– a pledge that inspired speakers to focus attention on the country’s promise for “justice and liberty for all”.

Zayd Baig read out an inspirational verse from the Holy Qur’an highlighting the importance of standing firmly for justice. Shoaib Khadri, Secretary, ICN was the Master of Ceremony and reminded the audience that “whenever the social fabric of a community gets ripped, it is incumbent on all community leaders to not only mend this tear but to work together to stop the next potential mishap.” Closing remarks were made by the event organizer Shafeek Abooubaker of ICN who thanked all the attendees as well as all volunteers who helped make this solidarity event a grand success.

The Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association (NILA), established in 1999 is an organization of religious leaders from a diversity of religious traditions.  The Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) is a non-profit 501 c(3) organization dedicated to providing religious services, youth programs, charitable donations, education and promoting communal harmony through interfaith activities. ICN upholds the values of Tolerance, Justice, Peace, and Prosperity.

NEW YORK, NY (September 18, 2015) —The Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) received the 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CDM will be featured along with 91 other recipients, including Columbia University, in the November 2015 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the second year that CDM has been named as a HEED Award recipient.

“At the College of Dental Medicine, we continue to foster a student body diverse in thought, background, and experience within an inclusive environment,” said Dr. Dennis Mitchell, vice provost for faculty diversity and inclusion at Columbia University, and senior associate dean for student development at CDM. “Accomplishing this requires that diversity be a fundamental academic priority for our University and our school, as exemplified through equity in recruiting, advancement and retention.”

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected the College of Dental Medicine based on our exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, which include embracing a broad definition of diversity on our campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities, members of the LGBT community, and well as all other underrepresented communities.

The CDM admissions policy for diversity affirms the College’s commitment to assuring a “critical mass” of Underrepresented in Dentistry students. Our Predoctoral classes include unprecedented numbers of students underrepresented in the dental profession. CDM ranks first among our peer northeast private dental schools for enrollment of underrepresented minority dental students, and we continue to support 3 half-tuition scholarships for these students.

The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP), funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered with the College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S) Office of Diversity, is one of our most successful pipeline programs. Staff members in the Office of Diversity attend annual conferences targeting promising UID students, including the Hispanic Dental Association Annual Conference, the National Dental Association Conference, the Morehouse College Public Health Awareness Conference, and the SMDEP annual recruitment fair sponsored by the Northeast SMDEP sites.

Student organizations work with the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions to provide recruitment events on campus and participate in our successful hosting program for UID applicants during interview season.

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion. We take a holistic approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across a campus,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, one of the first dental schools in the United States, was founded in 1916 with the mission to train general dentists and dental specialists in a setting that emphasizes comprehensive dental care; to support research to advance the professional knowledge base; and to provide dental care to the underserved communities of Northern Manhattan. Insight Into Diversity is the largest and oldest diversity publication in higher education today and is known for its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only award recognizing colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts across their campuses.

As the largest Hindu religious event of North East America, Ganesh Chathurthi Celebrations attract thousands of devotees everyday to offer prayers to Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati and to participate in various activities every year at the popular Ganesh Temple in Flushing, New York. The nine day-festivities featuring Annadanam (free food donation) is offered to everyone on all nine days. And, the Ganesh Chathurthi Celebrations end with a grand Ratha Yatra which goes around the major streets of Flushing, Queens in New York.

This year the youth played an important part in helping draw people to the Ganesh Chaturthi festival Sept. 11 to 20. The 9-day annual festival drew close to a thousand people daily and more than 5,000 on just the last day for the Rath Yatra according to organizers.

The nine-day Ganesh festival went off extraordinarily well, she said with around 700-800 devotees coming in on weekday evenings, and around 200 during the daytime on work days. Weekends brought extremely large crowds numbering in the thousands. “And the Rath Yatra which carries Lord Ganesh seated in a 16-foot silver chariot brought 5,000 people at the very least,” organizers said, calculating it by the 10,000 packets of food distributed on that day alone.

According to Dr. Uma Mysorekar, president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, the participation of devotees at the celebrations this year was the largest compared to previous years. And as more people come, she wants the temple and its services to grow and get better. The Ganesh Temple has become a magnet for every generation of Hindu devotee including the young who may be born and brought up in the United States. Hindus in the Tristate area and beyond use the temple for family and community functions as well as renew their faith in all manner of ways.

“The temple has to grow, everything has to get better. We must be able to improve our two main – religious and outreach – tasks,” she said. This year, the temple mobilized young volunteers to reach out to the community through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, apart from email, she said.

This Sept 25, Dr. Mysorekar, a physician by training, will be one of 10 faith leaders who will meet Pope Francis at the ‘Multi-religious Meeting for Peace’ inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum. “I will be chanting a Hindu prayer in Sanskrit,” she told Desi Talk, which will be read out in English by another devotee.

“Lord Ganesh was taken in procession every evening by young people and they danced with the Lord,” Mysorekar said. Sivacharya also spent time explaining the rituals taking place at the temple. “The Japam (chanting of mantras) was very energizing and people came morning and evening to participate in it,” she added. The goal was to recite the “Chatur Laksha Moola Mantra” 400,000 times over the 9-day festival. “Every year there’s a difference. Every year has more than last year and depends on what new things we do,” she said.

“The festival draws people from the whole Tristate area and if relatives are visiting, they decide to spend their days in New York at the festival,” Mysorekar noted. “If you’ve seen it once, you want to come back.”

A three-day conference to bring spiritual traditions of the East and the West under one platform and to discuss the role of spirituality in global economic and sustainable development was held in Chicago last week, coinciding with the 122nd anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s famous speech at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. The Sept. 11-13 conference was organized by Integrating Spirituality and Organizational Leadership Board at the Art Institute of Chicago in honor of Vivekananda.

The conference kicked off with the inauguration awards ceremony, announcing release of ten volumes of a compendium of research on ‘Spirituality and Organizational Leadership. ISOL chairman J L Raina presented the annual Trinity Awards honoring individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to spirituality and organizational leadership.

The two primary award recipients were Vivek Kendra Kanyakumari organization and Connie L. Lindsey, executive vice president and head of corporate social responsibility and global diversity and inclusion at Northern Trust, Chicago. The Kanyakumari organization received the award for helping with more than 1,000 educational and medical programs for rural communities across India. The ISOL annual Trinity Ma Sharda Award on Women Leadership presented to women leaders with the highest standards of excellence who integrate the values of compassion, love and wisdom based on moral and spiritual principles went to Lindsey.

The initiative was planned in 2002 at the 1st International Conference on ‘Business and Social Partnership: Beyond Philanthropy’ organized at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Topics of discussion at last week’s conference included spirituality and business governance, remembering the legacy of Swami Vivekananda, his thoughts on management and economic development, women in leadership and economic development, spirituality and sustainability and fast transcendence.

Inspired by Vivekananda, one of the first Indian leaders to promote spiritual values in the West, the event highlighted prominent Chicago and United States-based Indian-American business leaders and community members, including Swami Ishatmananda from the Chicago Vedanta Center, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, a Padma Shri award winner, Ausaf Sayeed, consul general of India in Chicago, representatives from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office and business leaders Niranjan Shah and Santosh Kumar Kulshrestha.

Parikh, who was the chief guest at the event, spoke on the topic of spirituality and leadership, saying he wears many hats daily – being a doctor, a publisher, a businessman, a philanthropist, a husband, a friend, and a father. “I hope to embody the values I am trying to inculcate in my colleagues, my community, my family, and my children. For a leader, spirituality is extremely important as people look to you for answers and look to you as a role model,” Parikh told the audience.

The 150-member audience comprised scientists, economists, business leaders, philanthropists and community groups from India, Nigeria, U.K., Germany, Italy, Zimbabwe, Dubai, and Jordan. “As a Hindu, I believe that there is no one path to spirituality or God and that all paths are correct. In modern times, spirituality can mean religion, but also connection to nature, to community, to family, and even connecting to your own self through yoga and meditation. All of these are correct and true,” he said.

Other speakers included Swami Ishatamanda who talked about the experiences of Vivekananda 122 years ago when he came to visit Chicago. “Swami Vivekananda was fearless in his speech and today has impacted thousands on this very day. Let’s embody his spirit,” he said.

Tony Nader from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Worldwide Transcendental Meditation Movement, talked about the link between the human body and the Vedic texts. Emily Rosenbaum, CEO, Akshaya Patra Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Bengaluru, also spoke at the inauguration.

Among other local honorees was Niranjan Shah, CEO, Globetrotters Group of Companies, USA, who received the Swami Vivekananda Leadership Award. In addition to leading one of Chicago’s earliest large-scale, minority-owned corporations, Shah has also served on the Economic Development Committee for Chicago. Kulshrestha, executive director of Metropolitan Asian Family Services who founded Metropolitan Asian Family Services in 1993 to provide comprehensive and integrated services to immigrant populations from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and East European communities, received the ISOL Social Entrepreneur Award for her contribution to the Chicago land community.

In a huge victory for the Sikh American community, the DuPage County, Ill., State Attorney’s office reversed an earlier decision and announced Sept. 14 that it would charge a young assailant who attacked an elderly Indian American a week earlier with a hate crime.

The assailant – who is not being named as he is a juvenile – is in custody. On the evening of Sept. 8, the 17-year-old white male tailed the car of Indian American businessman Inderjit Singh Mukker, 53, in Darien, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Shortly after the attack, Mukker told India-Westthat the young man tailed his car for several blocks in the right lane. Mukker was in the left lane.

At some point, the juvenile pulled into Mukker’s lane, completely blocking him off. He then got out of his car, according to the victim, and began repeatedly beating Mukker through an open window.

“He started punching me repeatedly like a rubber ball,” Mukker emotionally told India-West. “He kept yelling at me: ‘Bin Laden, why are you driving this Prius? Go back to your own country,’” said the Sikh American.

“I have lived in this country for 28 years. I never expected racism to happen to me,” said Mukker, who manages rental property and drives for Uber. The businessman was treated on the scene and spent a day in the hospital receiving treatment for lacerations and bruises on his face.

The DuPage, Ill., State Attorney’s office initially charged the assailant with five counts of felony aggravated battery, characterizing the attack as a road rage incident. But in a decision released Sept. 14 – after the office met with members of the Sikh Coalition and Mukker – DuPage County State Attorney Robert Berlin announced that the attacker would also be charged with one felony count of a hate crime.

Paul Darrah, a spokesman for the DuPage County State Attorney’s office, told India-West: “We came upon some new information that we were initially unaware of. It is not unusual for that to happen in these types of cases.”

Illinois statutes on hate crimes are broader than most states: race, religion or national origin can be involved in whole or in part for a hate crime to be charged, said Darrah. If convicted of the charge, the assailant could receive a number of punishments at the judge’s discretion, including 200 hours of community service, writing a letter of apology to Mukker and the local Sikh community, or speaking out against hate-motivated crime.

Darrah said the decision was not based on the emotional plea by Mukker nor the meeting with the Sikh Coalition but solely on the additional incriminating evidence that had come to light. No court date has yet been scheduled, he said, noting that the assailant is in the hospital for an illness unrelated to the incident with Mukker.

At a press conference Sept. 15 at the site of the attack, Mukker told reporters and members of the Indian American community that he was viciously attacked. “No American should feel threatened while going for a simple trip to the grocery store.” “He called me ‘Bin Laden’ and told me to go home to my country.”

Narinder Singh, chairman of the board of the Sikh Coalition, said at the press conference: “Identifying this assault properly as a hate crime is not about the potential length of the punishment. In this case the sentence would be no more severe.” Brown said he has been in contact with the Sikh Coalition and the Department of Justice and is looking into training for his officers in regards to the handling of hate crimes against minorities. He characterized Darien as “one of the safest cities in the U.S. with an extremely diverse population,” including many Indian Americans.

Christian lay leader and rights activist John Dayal said he has been threatened online after making comments on a social media network linking an arrested school principal to the country’s ruling political party.

Dayal, who is a member of the National Integration Council of India, said he was threatened after posting online comments on his Twitter account about the arrest of a school principal who had been accused of molesting one of his students in Mumbai.

Dayal wrote that the owners of the school were known to be associated with the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or Indian people’s party. In one response to his tweet, Dayal said he was compared to pedophiles and potential rapists. The writer used the hashtag #ShameOnJohnDayal. In another, he was accused of selling his mother. Dayal said some responses tweeted to him included death threats.

“I feel threatened and coerced but not frightened,” said Dayal, who is also a member of ucanews.com‘s board of directors and an occasional op-ed contributor.  “I mourn the strangulation of dissent in India, the attempt to foist religious nationalism, to relate and equate patriotism with religion,” added Dayal, who is secretary general of the All India Christian Council and a former president of the All India Catholic Union.

In a complaint filed to police in New Delhi, Dayal stated that he has frequently been the subject of online abuse.  “I regularly receive threats to my life and liberty and live under constant fear,” he said in his statement. “Previously I made complaints to the concerned authorities, however, no action has been taken.”

Dayal said this campaign of abuse has been directed at the broader Christian community.  “There appears to be a deliberate and concerted attempt to prejudice religious harmony and hurt the sentiments of the Christian community and other Indians as well,” he said.  A delegation including the spokesman of the Archdiocese of Delhi was scheduled to meet with the Delhi police commissioner Sept. 14.

Chicago IL: Hindi Lovers Club celebrated, in grand style, Hindi Diwas, the birth anniversary of Hindi being declared the national language of India, under the patronage of Consul General of India, on September 13, 2015 at Ashyana Banques in Downers Grove , Illinois . The program commenced with traditional lighting of lamp by OP Meena, Consul in the Consulate General of India and the Board Members of the Club. Vande Mataram was sung by Preetish Chakraborty, Indian National Anthem by Balodyan kids, and American National Anthem by Kiran. In attendance were over 350 guests.

OP Meena, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said that the demand for making Hindi as one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization is gaining momentum, at a fast pace, considering the staggering 457 millions Hindi speakers across the globe, including 337 millions in India.

Meena said that Hindi has been the most popular language among Indian immigrants in different parts of the world while at the same time it has emerged as the acceptable link language in India with 70 to 80 percent of the Indian population speaking or understanding it. He underlined the importance of Hindi in preserving the culture, identity, and unity among Indians, irrespective of the region to which they belong.

Meena laid emphasis on the need for popularizing Hindi among the new generation of Indian-Americans. He also pitched for a unified approach to advance the cause of Hindi in India and abroad.

The other highlight was a proclamation by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. Congratulating the organizers, the Proclamation underlined the importance of the efforts of the Consulate General of India and Hindi Lovers Club in popularizing Hindi in the USA.

Vinita Gulbani, President of the Hindi Lovers Club, said that serious efforts are being made to ensure that Hindi language is available in the class rooms of schools in Illinois.

Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, Club’s Founding President, who also spoke on the occasion, commended the efforts of the Indian-Americans in preserving Hindi language and Indian culture in the USA. Rich tributes were paid to APJ Abdul Kalam, Naren Patel and Prashant Bhargav.

There were quite a few highlights of the program, the foremost being Elocution Competition in Hindi for the second generation children on an interesting and relevant theme – “Hum Hindi Kyon Seekhen” (Why We Should Learn Hindi). The young participants were of the firm view that Hindi has assumed great importance in the worlds of work and education, both in India and across the globe, and, therefore, learning this language has become a functional necessity.

The cultural programs, which were presented by associations representing different regions and communities of India, were eye-catching. Some of the important programs which touched the hearts of the audience included: Ganesh Vandana and Sajda Dance Performance by Sheetal Dhanani , Hindi Bolo Song by Balodyan Kids, Unity in Diversity Dance Performance by Shanu and Group, “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” by Shan and Group, Dance Performances by Suhanee Patel, Neepa Shah, Shalini Dixit and Prachi Jetly , Rajasthani Dance by Madhu Choudhary, Punjabi Dance by Shalini Dixit Group, Bollywood melodies by renowned Chicago Singer, Nipa Shah and Preetish Chakraborty, Saregama Lil’s Champ North America 2015 2nd Runner up, etc. A vote of thanks was proposed by Kamal Gupta. A sumptuous dinner was served and all those who were present enjoyed it thoroughly. Mrs Nipa Shah took over the stage to entertain the audience and they danced on a few Bollywood numbers.

Photographs and Press release by: Asian Media USA

An Indian American teen has created #AfterSeptember11 on the micro-blogging site Twitter to speak up against the racial attacks Indian Americans have been facing in the United States after the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, according to an IANS report.

The hashtag was created by Jessica Talwar, a 19-year-old political science student from Loyola University in Chicago who tweets as @jesstalwar, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

The #AfterSeptember11 began trending since the evening of Sept. 10 — the day it was created — with more than 50,000 victims telling their stories using it. The victims said they were targeted for being Muslim, or often, just for having brown skin.

Many of the victims were children during the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, but their tweets reflect the impact of the racial abuse on their young lives. One said her father shaved his face and stopped wearing a turban after he was assaulted at work.

“America needs to recognize that the trauma and repercussions of these attacks were not confined to the day of Sept. 11, 2001, itself,” Talwar wrote in an e-mail to the Los Angeles Times. “Desis, Arabs and Muslims have felt the impact of this day for 14 years.”

Indian American poet Hari Kondabolu echoed Talwar’s views and wrote his “mother put the U.S. flag on their house, because she feared that people would throw rocks through the window.”

On Sept. 8, an elderly Sikh American man, Inderjit Singh Mukker, was attacked in Chicago and was dubbed a “terrorist” and “bin Laden” by the attacker (I-W Sept. 10, 2015,http://bit.ly/1i1SkdK).

Soon after its creation, the detractors used the hashtag to flood hate messages. They used racial slurs and threatened to kill Muslims. “It was as if there was some rigid dichotomy between American society and the South Asian, Muslim and Arab communities,” Talwar was quoted as saying. “This movement was not intended to belittle the tragic events of Sept. 11 itself,” she said.

According to an AP report, some Americans observed the anniversary in their own ways.

Jyothi Shah read names of victims in memory of her husband, Jayesh Shantitlal Shah, then paused with a message for the public.

Paramjit Singh Ajrawat and Sukhveen Kaur Ajrawat, two Indian American doctors in Maryland who owned and operated a pain management clinic, have been convicted of health care fraud.

A federal jury in Greenbelt Sept. 4 convicted 60-year-old Paramjit Singh Ajrawat and his wife, 57-year-old Sukhveen Kaur Ajrawat, of numerous offenses, including health care and wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and aggravated identity theft.

According to reports, the Ajrawats owned and operated Washington Pain Management Center in Greenbelt. According to evidence presented at trial, they filed claims for procedures that were not performed to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.

According to a Department of Justice press release, specifically, the Ajrawats performed less expensive procedures but falsely billed for procedures that provided higher reimbursement amounts. They also submitted claims indicating that they had met the requirements for reimbursement, when in fact, they had not met those requirements.

For example, said the DOJ, the Ajrawats submitted claims that P. Ajrawat had performed nerve block injections with the use of an imaging guidance machine, when in fact he neither owned nor used such a machine. The government seeks forfeiture of at least $2.5 million, the proceeds of the scheme. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for Feb. 1, 2016.

September 10, 2015 (New York, NY): “On the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, the violent attack on Mr. Mukker is another painful reminder for all Americans that hate remains alive and well in the United States,” said the Sikh Coalition’s Legal Director, Harsimran Kaur. “While we relentlessly work to protect Mr. Mukker’s rights and work hard to ensure that hate crime charges are pursued in this case, we urge all Americans to reach out to their neighbors to build bridges of understanding. It is through recognizing our collective humanity that we can work together to end hate.”

Inderjit Singh Mukker, a Sikh American resident in the Darien suburb of Chicago, Illinois was viciously attacked after an assailant pulled up to his car yelling racial slurs, including, “Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin Laden!” on September 8, 2015.

Mukker, a father of two, was on his way to the grocery store when the verbal taunting was initiated. Mukker turned onto another street, but was repeatedly cut off by the driver. Mr. Mukker pulled over to the side of the road to let him pass, but the driver instead pulled in front of his car and aggressively approached Mukker’s vehicle. The assailant then reached into the car and repeatedly punched Mukker in the face, causing him to lose consciousness, bleed profusely and suffer a fractured cheekbone and a laceration to his cheek. He was rushed to the hospital, where he received six stitches, treatment for lacerations, bruising and swelling.

The suspect is in custody and the Darien Police Department has notified the Sikh Coalition that they are investigating this matter as a hate crime. As Mr. Mukker recovers, the Sikh Coalition invites supporters around the world to express solidarity by clicking here to send a message. Alternatively, you can mail a card to the Sikh Coalition’s office at Inderjit Singh Mukker c/o The Sikh Coaltion, 50 Broad Street, Suite 1537, New York, NY 10004.

Sikh Coalition also urged people to contact local Congressional Representatives. “Send an email to your congressional representative to request that they co-sponsor H-Res. 413, a resolution honoring the victims of post-9/11 hate crimes, including Sikh Americans. This is a critical time for everyone (Sikhs and non-Sikhs) to raise awareness and appreciation about the Sikh American community. Host and/or conduct a Sikh awareness presentation in your school, place of employment, library, police station, town hall, etc. For community and Sikh awareness resources, please click here. Click here to read our FAQs on Hate Crimes and Hate Speech. Please contact the Sikh Coalition at legal@sikhcoalition.org if you would like more information on how to raise awareness on hate crimes and hate crimes law with your sangat. As always, the Sikh Coalition urges Sikhs everywhere to practice their faith fearlessly.”

Harendra Singh, an Indian-American businessman in Long Island, N.Y, has been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and obstruction of justice on September 9^th, 2015. Several charges were unsealed against Harendra Singh, 56, of Syosset, N.Y. in federal court in Central Islip for allegedly paying bribes and kickbacks to an employee of the Town of Oyster Bay in connection with the town’s guarantees of $20 million in loans to Singh.

According to reports, the 13-count indictment accuses Singh of five counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of honest services wire fraud conspiracy, one count of federal program bribery, one count of disaster relief fraud, two counts of conspiring to defraud the United States, one count of impeding the Internal Revenue Service, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of obstruction of justice. Singh was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson, at the United States Courthouse in Central Islip.

If convicted, Singh faces terms up to 20 years in prison for each honest services wire fraud charge and up to 10 years for the federal program bribery charge, both in connection with the Town loan scheme. If convicted of any of those charges, the government will seek to forfeit Singh’s properties which benefited from the alleged fraud.

He also faces terms of imprisonment of up to 30 years for the disaster relief fraud charge and up to five years for conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with his submitted claims for disaster relief; up to 20 years for each of the obstruction charges; up to five years for the charge of conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with his scheme to under-report gross receipts and payroll taxes; and up to three years for the charge of obstructing and impeding the due administration of the Internal Revenue Laws.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Singh owned and operated restaurants and food concessions located mainly in Nassau County, and was awarded agreements with the Town of Oyster Bay, including concession agreements to operate various food concessions within the Town.

The indictment alleges that Singh paid bribes and kickbacks to a Town employee not identified by name in the release, who in exchange helped the businessman get the Town’s guarantee of two loans totaling approximately $20 million that two of Singh’s businesses received from a private corporate financing company. As a result, if Singh’s businesses defaulted on the loans, the Town would be held liable to pay back the hefty loan.

Singh is alleged to have given the co-conspirator numerous $5,000 checks in exchange for each tranche of loan that was cleared. In addition, Singh paid one of the co-conspirator and a relative to travel to Asia a few weeks after the second loan closed, including all transportation and hotel expenses.

In addition, the indictment alleges that Singh under-reported to the IRS the true amount of money some of his businesses earned and the wages he paid his workers, to significantly reduce the amount owned in taxes.

The indictment also alleges that between October 2012 and January 2015, Singh managed to procure federal disaster relief funds by preparing and filing false documents and invoices with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, on grounds that his restaurant, The Water’s Edge, suffered losses from Hurricane Sandy. For that he received approximately $950,000 in disaster relief funds from FEMA, the indictment alleges.

Singh is charged with evidence tampering and obstruction of justice FBI Special Agents came with search warrants for his premises on August 5, 2014.

The family of a first-year Indian American medical resident who died in a fall last year at the Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo, N.Y., has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company, according to a report in The Buffalo News. After attending a concert at the hall, Rajan Verma, 28, decided to climb the second-floor bannister and slide down June 2, 2014. He completed the first leg of the bannister with another concertgoer but lost his balance on the second leg and fell to the ground. Verma succumbed to his injuries the next day.

The family of the deceased Verma subsequently has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the music hall, looking for at least $2.5 million, said the report. In the filing, the family alleges the club attached a sticky substance to the bannister to deter visitors from sliding down it. That sticky substance caused Verma to lose his balance, according to the family.

The lawsuit added that the music hall should anticipate concertgoers attempting to ride the bannister and should have safeguarded the staircase. A native of New Jersey, Verma was a graduate of St. John’s University, where he received a degree in biology, and later the American University of Antigua Medical School. He was in his first year of the University at Buffalo.

Chicago IL: In the presence of 5,000 devotees, dozens of distinguished community leaders, generous sponsors, committee members, super donors, and committed Boards of Trustees and volunteers, Shree Umiya Dham Chicago Midwest (SUDCM) presented a signature event honoring and celebrating Shree Umiya Mataji Garba and Jyoti Rath Swagat (reception) Ceremony on Saturday and Sunday – August 29th and 30th, 2015, at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park Illinois..

Shree Umiya Mataji committee members planned and paid for this 2-day event at their own expense. The event included video highlights of Jyoti Rath Vidai Ceremony in Unjha, Umiya mataji garba, Uchamani (Auction) related to Jyoti Rath and mataji Palakhi, new membership and lifetime trustees, financial commitments, Umiya mataji Rath Sbobha Yatra, Mahapuja and Aarti, delicious food, and meeting the invited dignitaries.

The event started with a dinner, light refreshments, and the display of Jyoti Rath in the South Hall. The program began with Introduction of Master of ceremony Dr Heena Patel & Narendra Patel by each other. Shree Ganesh Struti was performed by Kirit Patel and Dr. Heena Patel. Dr. Heena Patel called all invited guests and dignitaries for Deep Pragatum.

The session started with Dr. Heena Patel introducing Narendra Patel to welcome everyone. Narendra welcomed the guests and thanked them for attending the event. Narendra Patel and Dr. Heena Patel were the masters of ceremony for the two day event.

Narendra Patel then introduced Chhotalal Patel, Chairman of SUDCM, as a person who believes strongly in the importance of the social, religious, and moral values it instills in the youth, giving back to the community and spreading good karma. He is a pillar of strength for our Patidar society in the Midwest region as he is always eager to help any cause, big or small.

Chhotalal welcomed all invited guests and thanked everyone who has helped in organizing this memorable event as this project is very close to his heart. Chhotalal also briefed the audience about the mission of the Shree Umiya Dham. He believes that religious harmony in the name of Umiya Mataji will bring the community together, provide a forum for religious worship and celebration, social as well as cultural development, and most importantly bringing all generations together in the region. He also stressed that the upcoming Shree Umiya Dham project will start with Umiya Mataji Mandir, a large community hall that expands down the road to build a sports complex, and retirement home- all of which should serve the needs of communities for decades to come.

Chhotalal Patel and Narendra Patel introduced chief guest Shree Anilbhai Patel, MP and former minister of State of Gujarat, India, gave wonderful speech about Patel’s history and accomplishment as community. “Our event topped all the celebratory events that have happened in the Chicagoland area this year.” Patel was instrumental in bringing the maximum number of advertisements and sponsorships for the event. In his welcoming speech, SUDCM Chairman, Chhotalal Patel was ebullient on the turnout of the huge crowd. “I am simply speechless to witness the community’s response,” he added.

The large crowd would not have been possible without the extensive support from the Indian news media, mainstream newspapers, and social media. “We created a connecting-all-the-dos plan to develop a publicity package and it was successful,” said Davendra Patel, Board of Trustee, SUDCM.

Jatin and Andy Patel provided details of the Uchamani for Jyoti Rath and Mataji Palakhi. Most Uchamani items settled over $50,000 pledges while the audience cheered and chanted with “Shree Umiya Mataji ki Jai.” Shastriji played a pivotal role for the Uchamani and encouraged members to contribute towards the cause by registering for the different Uchamani categories. Members showed their devotedness towards Shree Umiya Mataji by opening their pockets and making financial pledges.

Displaying similar enthusiasm, Rasikbhai Patel and Macon team enthralled the cheering crowd with their melodious Mataji Garba for several hours. The first day program ended with the Maha Aarti and prasadum around midnight.

On Sunday, August 30, 2015, the event started with fresh breakfast, including tea and freshly brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee till 10:30 AM. Followed by One of the main attractions of the colorful event was a Sbobha Yatra (parade) of Umiya Mataji Rath and Mataji Palakhi with all the available dignitaries, sponsors, Families of SUDCM trustees, Super donors and members led by DJ Arun and Devotee team from Umiya Mataji Temple, Macon, GA. With slogan “Bol Shree Umiya, Jai Jai Umiya” by crowed in their sonorous voice Jyoti Rath and Palakhi were brought back to the expo center and displayed for the public.

Again after brief break starting with Shree Ganesh Struti, sponsors, SUDCM trustees and super donors started Ushamni (Auction) led by Shastriji and generated significant numbers and amount of donations and registered vast number of super donors and trustees. It was time to honor volunteer. Narendra invited Satish Patel to introduce 170+ young mans and women’s in orang T-shirts in groups. Their work was so appreciated that they got standing obsessions from everyone until they left the stage. Also SUDCM team was introduced with their spouses on this great occasion.

Then Mahapuja of the Jyoti Rath performed by Chhotalal Patel, Chairman of SUDCM, and super donors – JP Patel, Mithabhai and Jayantibhai Patel, and Lalbhai Patel along with many others. Followed by Mahapuja Chhotalal Patel Chairman of SUDCM appreciated everyone in words speech from his heart. He could not stop saying Thank You!! Thank You!! Thank You!! He got standing salute from Macon Georgia team with in single voice “We are proud of you”.

To keep the audience’s eyes glued to the main stage, Narendra Patel, Jatin Patel, and Dr. Heena Patel masterfully engaged the audience with their eloquence and oratory. Arun Mody, also known as DJ Arun, showed his professional talent by playing music for the broadcast. The program went one notch up when members started upgrading their membership categories from lifetime trustees to super donors. About a dozen members were recognized on stage for their contribution to the organization.

While everybody was watching the glittering programs, SUDCM committee members, Sam Patel, Andy Patel, Jitu Patel, Dipak Desai, Satish Patel, Vijay Patel, Dilip Patel, Pankaj Patel, Brijesh Patel, Dipal Patel, Sonal Patel, were devoting their energies on coordinating with ticket sales, taking care of all the financial pledges, vendor placements, deliverance of food and beverages, organizing rides for children, placing numerous banners, lining up artists, directing volunteers, welcoming dignitaries, managing parking lot issues and guiding technicians to present a successful display of Shree Umiya Mataji Rath.

SUDCM decided to honor a few guests on this occasion with a special recognition award. Awardees were Shree Umiya Mataji Temple, Macon, GA; Edison, NJ and Boston, MA, before serving dinner, the SUDCM team thanked all members for attending the event. At the end, Suresh Bodiwala gathered everyone for group photos.

The audience was thrilled and fascinated by the event and service from the volunteers, and most importantly the first-hand view of Shree Umiya Mataji Jyoti Rath. This event was attended by community leaders such as Mithabhai, Jayantibhai Patel, Dr.Hinaben Patel, Haribhai Patel, Dahyabhai Prajapati, Babubhai Patel, Khodabhai Patel, Mansukhbhai Patel, Dr. AJ Patel, Ambalal Patel, Narshinh Patel, Shankar Patel, Gordhan Patel, Hasmukh (HK) Patel, Vinod Patel, Kanti Patel, Sitaram Patel, Harshad Desai, Sonal Patel, and all successful businessmen and prominent professionals. SUDCM Working Team: Chhotalal Patel (Chairman), AP Patel, Ashvin (Andy) Patel, Brijesh Patel, Dashrath (DV) Patel, Devendra Patel, Dharmisth Patel, Dilip Patel, Dipak Desai, Dipal Patel, Dr. Hemant Patel, Jayantibhai (JP) Patel, Jatin Patel, Jitu Patel, Lalbhai Patel, Manoj Patel, Narendra Patel, Pankaj Patel, Revabhai Patel, Shailesh (Sam) Patel, and Vijay Patel.

On August 22, 2015, Indo-American Christian Children of Chicago and North America successfully conducted its first ‘Walk and run for Jesus USA’ at Willow Creek Community Church grounds in South Barrington, Illinois. The 2-k marathon was opened with prayer by Archbishop Dr. Jacob Agepog, Metropolitan Division of World Bishops Council and president of Agape International Church of Chicago.

Dr. Paul stated the idea of Bible Trail and Prayer Trail was to test the power of observation and retention of Scriptures and identification Biblical Places. Prayer Stations received many walkers and runners who stop to pray for cancer victims and sick children.

The Walk and Run for Jesus USA was conducted in fun and family style with music, food and quiz.
Dr. Regi Paul, organizer of Walk and Run for Jesus USA thanked all the participants.

A 17-year-old Indian American teenager has been charged with the first-degree murder of a 37-year-old woman after an argument between them turned ugly, police said. Sean Patel allegedly shot Davtara G. Grayson at his home at 1481 Hamlet Avenue in the Clearwater Beach area with a stolen gun, the Tampa Tribune reported.

According to police, an argument between Patel and Grayson broke out sometime around 8 p.m. Sept. 3. The argument took a violent turn, resulting in Grayson being shot. She died at the scene. The gun was stolen from an unlocked vehicle from Madeira Beach, Fla., June 11, police informed.

Police took Patel into custody about an hour after the shooting. Florida authorities are yet to determine whether Patel will be charged as an adult, police said. Patel is currently being held at a juvenile detention facility in Pinellas County.

“That aspect of the case is a reminder that people should always lock their vehicles and properly secure their weapons,” an e-mail from the police department stated. The nature of the relationship between Patel and Grayson is unclear at this time.

Pope Francis on Tuesday, September 8th revolutionized the procedure for Roman Catholics to get marriage annulments, making them faster and simpler and calling on bishops to provide greater help to divorced couples.

The most substantial changes to Catholic marriage annulment procedures in centuries again showed Francis’ desire for the Church to be more merciful to Catholics in difficulty. The 1.2 billion member Church does not recognize divorce.

In a document known as a Motu Proprio, Latin for “by his own initiative”, Francis reaffirmed traditional teaching on the “indissolubility of marriage”, but streamlined procedures that many considered cumbersome, lengthy, outdated and expensive.

He eliminated a previously mandatory review of an annulment decision by a second diocesan tribunal and gave bishops sweeping powers to judge quickly the most clear-cut cases themselves. The title of the document was “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus,” Latin for “The Lord Jesus, the Gentle Judge.”

An annulment, formally known as a “decree of nullity”, is a ruling that a marriage was not valid in the first place according to Church law because certain prerequisites such as free will, psychological maturity and openness to having children were lacking.

Francis, who set up a commission of experts last year to advise him, said he decided the procedures needed to be speeded up so that Catholics who sought annulments should not be “long oppressed by darkness of doubt” over whether they could have their marriages declared null and void.

In a preface to the new law, the pope said he was “not flavoring the nullity of marriages but the speed of the process.” Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, the pope’s chief adviser on the issue, said bishops should aim to conclude simple cases in 45 days. Procedures have lasted for years in the past.

Most annulments are granted at a local level and only the most complicated cases reach a special court at the Vatican, known as the Rota. Francis said the procedures, which can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees, should be free.

Monsignor Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Vatican court that rules on annulments, told a news conference the new rules were the most substantive changes to annulment laws since the papacy of Benedict XIV, who reigned from 1740 to 1758.

“The pope is seeking to respond pastorally to the tens of thousands of couples who are experiencing profound pain and alienation as a result of broken marriages,” said Father James Bretzke, theology professor at Boston College. Francis specified that bishops should show “particular pastoral concern” for divorced and remarried Catholics.

The reform was keenly awaited by many couples around the world who have divorced and remarried outside the Church. Catholics who divorce and remarry in civil ceremonies are considered by the Church to be still married to their first spouse and living in a state of sin. This bars them from receiving sacraments such as communion. Many couples and priests have complained that the complex current procedures discourage even those with legitimate grounds for an annulment from trying to obtain one.

The situation of divorced and remarried Catholics who want to fully participate in the Church is a topic of great debate, particularly in countries such as the United States and Germany. It will be a major topic at a synod of bishops from around the world at the Vatican next month.

This month Francis makes a landmark trip to the United States, where more than 23,000 annulment procedures – nearly half of the world’s cases – were started in 2014, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. The annulment reform comes just a week after Francis made it easier for women who have had an abortion to receive absolution if they are truly contrite and confess it to their local priest during the Church’s upcoming Holy Year of Mercy, which starts in December.

Shaolin Chandam, a 25-year-old Indian national, was shot dead late last month outside his house during an altercation in Virginia, and the police have arrested one person in connection with the murder. Chandam, who is from Manipur, was shot several times Aug. 25 during an argument in LaSalle Gardens in Hampton, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hampton Police Division has arrested 25-year-old Keenan Palmer in connection with the case.

The investigation found that the suspect and victim got into a verbal altercation on Aug. 25, during which the suspect displayed a firearm and shot the victim, police said in a statement. The investigation is on-going, the statement said.

Chandam’s mother, Suniti Devi, who is in Imphal, told the media that Chandam went to Southern Virginia University and graduated in December of 2013 with a degree in business management and leadership and worked with a financial consulting firm after completing his studies. She said the incident could be a robbery case, as the suspect was never seen with him before.

The family found out about his death the next day through his boss. A family friend in Virginia is helping them in bringing the body to India, she said. Chandam was a star tennis player who played for men’s tennis coach Tony Caputo from 2010-12. “Shaolin was one of the best-skilled, most competitive players that have played here,” coach Caputo said in an SUV press release. “He was a fine player and student who loved Southern Virginia University.”

A cultural event, “Joy of Loving” portraying the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta is being presented by Nrityalaya School of Odissi Dance and Catholic University of America, with the support of Embassy of India, Washington D.C. Life of Mother Terasa presented as Dance Drama featuring Indian Classical Dance Odissi.

Joy of Loving, showcases Mother Terasa’s legacy of love, devotion and compassion. Directed and choreographed by Nrityalaya’s Founder Director Chitra Krishnamurti, the event is being performed in the US for the first time ever. Registration is necessary for admission.

Nrityalaya is a School of Indian Classical Odissi dance in the Metropolitan Washington DC area. Nrityalaya continues its work of nurturing and teaching Indian Classical Dance art form Odissi for the last 24 years.
Nrityalaya not only inculcates a pure traditional style of Odissi in its students, but also exposes them to ongoing innovation in the dance form through workshops that it organizes. In addition, Nrityalaya, under the guidance of its Founder Director Chitra Krishnamurti, has choreographed and produced numerous dance dramas including Mahatma Gandhi, Meera, Sudama Charitram, Dasavatar, Karna and the Gita Govindam.

Dr. Chitra Krishnamurti is the Founder Director of Nrityalaya. Chitra acquired her initial training from Guru Surendra Nath Jena at the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi. She continued her training under Padmashri Sanjukta Panigrahi and Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the doyen of Odissi. Chitra has performed at reputed venues across the United States, India and Japan. Apart from being a dancer and choreographer, Chitra holds a PhD in biochemistry and is a Program Director at one of the Institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland.

As summer ends and our children head back into classrooms across the country, the Sikh Coalition aims to bring awareness to the educational resources at your disposal; these resources can educate teachers and non-Sikh classmates about Sikhism over the course of the upcoming school year.

The Sikh Coalition engages policymakers at the state and federal level and works with educators across the country on school standards, curriculums, Sikh awareness initiatives, and anti-bullying work. More than anyone, we understand that parents remain the first and best line of defense for protecting and supporting our children in school. The resources we developed are explicitly designed for you.

“Who are the Sikhs” Posters & Postcards – This poster and 5×7 postcard provides your classroom with an overview of basic Sikh beliefs and fun facts about Sikh Americans. These posters are fantastic displays to provide visible awareness in your child’s classroom and an excellent introductory conversation starter for children of all ages. To request posters or postcards, please emaileducation@sikhcoalition.org with your name, address, quantity and where you intend to display the posters (or distribute the postcards).

“The Sikhs” Brochure – This brochure provides greater detail than the poster and is an excellent resource for teachers and administrators in your school that want to learn more about the Sikh faith and community. They can be handed out at your first parent/teacher conference or when you’re stepping into a school function. This brochure are also available in 14 different languages, including Spanish. To have brochures mailed to you, please email education@sikhcoalition.org.

“How to Tie a Patka Handout” – This handout is ideal for use in classrooms to help demystify the patka and kesh for teachers, students and parents alike. It also helps ensure that a teacher will be able to assist in tying a patka, should it come loose during the day.

Educational Video Content – This series of videos, in addition to the recent education videowe developed with the Fresno County Board of Education, provide an array of additional content for children in all grades. Take a minute to check out the videos and then think about approaching your educators about screening these videos in classrooms.

Teacher Appreciation Day Toolkit – This toolkit is intended to help you organize a “Teacher Appreciation Day” at your local gurdwara. The goals of the event are to highlight Sikh awareness, build relationships with local teachers, and inform school officials of school bullying concerns.

If your child encounters a problem at school related to school bullying, please don’t hesitate to contact our Legal team, legal@sikhcoalition.org, for support.

Over the next several months the Sikh Coalition will be rolling out several new initiatives related to education and bullying prevention in our schools. The partnership with parents, as we all work on behalf of our children, remains critical and we look forward to continuing this work together in the school year ahead. As always, the Sikh Coalition urges Sikhs everywhere to practice their faith fearlessly.

The mother of University of Pennsylvania nursing student Arya Singh, who allegedly purchased cyanide on Amazon.com and used it to take her own life, is suing the Philadelphia school and online retailer, according to an AP report. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the 20-year-old Indian American junior died on Feb. 8, 2013 after ingesting soluble cyanide crystals in her dorm room.

The suit alleges the university failed to support Singh after her life deteriorated following a 2011 sexual assault by another student, who remained on campus even after the assault was reported. Using a debit card, Singh purchased the cyanide from a vendor in Thailand, the suit says. The cyanide was delivered Dec. 18 in a small envelope to the package room of the Rodin College House, where Singh lived, the suit says.

A disciplinary hearing for Singh was scheduled on Feb. 8, 2013, stemming from an academic misconduct investigation, according to the suit. The university placed her in a status that prevented her from registering for classes for the spring semester.

Because she could not register for classes, she was told, she had to vacate her campus house. She had sought to stay in her dorm until the hearing. According to the suit, the hearing was canceled, but she was never notified.
Around noon on Feb. 8, a university employee went to Singh’s room and told her that she had to move out immediately, according to the suit. Around 3 p.m. that day, Singh’s roommate found her unresponsive. Singh was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead that night.

The complaint, filed in July in Common Pleas Court, also names as defendants a citizen of Thailand and his company, which sold the cyanide. Attorneys for Amazon and the university say they won’t comment on pending litigation.

During a dinner hosted by the Indian Consulate in New York, the Speaker of the Indian Parliament, Sumitra Mahajan along with several other Indian Parliamentarians, who had come to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments at the United Nations last week, was honored. Among prominent dignitaries present at the dinner included Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Prof. P.J. Kurien; Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Asoke Kumar Mukerji, other members of the visiting Indian Delegation. Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay delivered an address welcoming the visiting speaker and the dignitaries.

Lauding the achievements of the Indian Diaspora, Mahajan said that they have earned laurels across the world, be it in entrepreneurship or academics, sports or the arts. “All Indians settled abroad are the overseas ambassadors of India,” she told the guests at the dinner which was attended by an estimated 50 people. “Through their hard work, dedication, courage and success, they have not only raised the global profile of their host country but also created a unique ‘brand’ for themselves and the country of their origin,” she said.

Mahajan along with her delegation was in New York to attend the Fourth World Conference of Parliament Speakers at the United Nations that took place Aug 31-Sept.3 and addressed parliamentary leaders from some 140 countries, telling the conference that countries must strengthen democracy by ensuring that it is participatory and inclusive to make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable sections of the society.

Speaking on the subject – ‘Placing Democracy at the Service of Peace and Sustainable Development,
Building the World the People Want,’ – Mahajan told the conference that she is happy that one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the world body seeks to provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

“Good Governance is an enabler for development. Inclusive participation together with good governance will promote peace and sustainable development,” she said, adding that the post-2015 development agenda is notable and important for several reasons. Mahajan, who also met with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said that a strong global partnership is needed to support the efforts of developing countries in the spirit of Vasudeva Kutumbakam (the entire world is a family).

Hindus living across the world are united through their faith and adherence to the Hindu religion. Hindu Unity Day is celebrated every year in New York in commemoration of the coronation of Ch. Shivaji Maharaj, the Hindu warrior king who, after demolishing Islamic domination, established Hindu kingdom in India in 1674. In in recent years, this celebration has become a tradition for Hindus in New York.

At the end of the day long meeting, participants from across the world committed to work towards the unity and wellbeing of Hindus around the globe. The following resolutions were passed unanimously by the voice vote: “From this day onward we will work for the rejuvenation, reinvigoration, unification and consolidation of the Hindu Samaj; If there is any discrimination, injustice or cruelty perpetrated on any Hindu anywhere in the world, we will raise our voices in unison to protest; We will say or do nothing which will create a rift in the Hindu Samaj; We will devote our time, energy , talent, and wealth (Tan, Man and Dhan) to nurturing, preserving and propagating the Hindu values of life, viz. truthfulness, yoga, meditation, peaceful coexistence, compassion and charity; We will always support the associations, organizations, individuals, groups which have dedicated their lives to the service of Hindu Samaja; We will keep a vigilant eye on anti-Hindu forces in media which have been unfairly and deliberately slandering and demonizing Hindu Samaj; we will vigorously expose their mean, malicious and mendacious designs so that they stop forthwith.”

The Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing, Queens, NY was packed to capacity. The enthusiasm and jubilation on the part of audience was seen to be believed. The general mood of public and the atmosphere in the auditorium was simply electrifying. The energetic spirit of attendees from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Guyana and Trinidad living in New York, who freely mingled with one another irrespective of the distinctions of caste, creed, color, language, gender and nationality shattered the myth and debunked the obnoxious theories propounded by the prophets of doom that Hindus cannot be united.

Dr. Subramanian Swamy, senior BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Commerce, Government of India, Rajiv Malhotra, Founder and President of Infinity Foundation, author, philanthropist and community leader; Suresh Chavanke, Chairman, CEO of Sudarshan TV; Aditi Banerjee, Corporate Counsel at Leading Global Financial Services Firm; Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America, Vijay Shertukde, Author of Novel, “BLUR”; Vibhuti Jha, an entrepreneur; Devendra Singh, Founder of HindiUSA, the largest Hindi organization in the United States; Dr. Rajesh Shukla, Member, Central Committee Overseas Friends of BJP, Jagdish Sewhani, HSS Coordinator Community Reach; Surinder Verma, Dr. Urmilesh Arya, Satya Dosapati, and Amya Gulati, were among the prominent leaders who had addressed the event.

Dr. Subramanian Swamy, the Chief Guest at this function, in his brilliant address, time and again, enthralled the audience with his forceful narration and outstanding arguments in support of the Hindu unity, that he received a frequent ovation from the audience. Suresh Chavanke was another eloquent speaker who exposed the insidious designs of anti-Indian forces who have been clandestinely working to destroy India from within.

Aditi Banerjee suggested that we Hindus should devote more attention, energy and resources to leadership training. We need the leaders who are talented, who have vision, who can think strategically and who can manage and motivate a team.

In recognition of their dedication and commitment to Hindu Samaj, Dr. Uma Mysorekar and Devendra Singh were honored with the award of “DHARMA RAKSHAK” and Suresh Chavanke was awarded the title of “DHARMA YODHA” by the Chief Guest Dr. Subramanian Swamy.

Presence of Vice Consul from Indian Consulate Shambhu Amitabh who had graced the occasion with his presence, was acknowledged and recognized by the Organizers. Priya Sahani Sood gracefully acted as Master of Ceremony. The program started with the blessing and chanting of Vedic mantras by Pandit Jagdish Tripathy. The function ended with the vote of thanks by Sivadasan Nair.

A longtime police officer in Richmond, Calif., Indian American Manjit Sappal will become the next chief of police in nearby Martinez, Calif. Sappal, selected from a group of six finalists – Martinez police interim chief Eric Ghisletta resigned and withdrew his name from consideration in May – by the Martinez City Council, is moving on to the next phase of his career beginning Aug. 31, taking over for Gary Peterson, who left Richmond police in June 2014.

“I’m honored to have been selected, and I think that being in a position to make a meaningful impact in the community through public service is extremely rewarding, as I have spent most of my professional life in public service,” Sappal told India-West. “I am certainly looking forward to the new challenges that come with my new position, and I am very excited to continue with relationship building, collaborating and problem-solving in the city of Martinez.”

Members of the city council are scheduled to approve Sappal’s employment agreement at an Aug. 19 meeting. His base salary as chief will be $175,000. “From a pool of very strong candidates we interviewed, it was clear Capt. Sappal possesses the credentials, passion and focus necessary to effectively lead our police force and continue the city’s commitment to make Martinez the best community it can be,” Mayor Rob Schroder said in a statement.

Sappal was a patrol officer for the Pittsburg, Calif., Police Department from 1995 to 1997 before moving to the Richmond Police Department, where he spent 18 years as an officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain.

“The last 18 years with the Richmond Police Department has been an incredible experience, and the community, as well as the city, have made immense strides in strengthening police-community relations, decreasing crime and improving the quality of life for residents,” Sappal told India-West. “The experience has been nothing short of spectacular as have been the relationships I have with those that I work with in the department and in the community.

“I will certainly miss all of the people I have been fortunate enough to work with,” he added.

The soon-to-be police chief leads Richmond police’s southern district and is on the department’s executive management team.

A graduate of the University of Phoenix, Golden Gate University and the FBI National Academy, Sappal oversees the department’s crime-analysis unit, K-9 program, criminal investigative section, use of force review committee and range/armory function.

“Irrespective of whether I was given this opportunity or not, the years of working with the community through the ranks have been a testament to the meaningful purpose of being able to problem solve crime and quality of life issues in collaboration with all stakeholders affected,” Sappal concluded.

Guruvayurappan Temple of Brampton in Canada has reportedly received the building permit from the City of Brampton in Ontario, which it calls “a long and difficult process”. According to Temple President Dr. P. Karunakaran Kutty, the “construction is to begin in early October”. Temple has reportedly raised about $1.8 million and is seeking more donations.

This Temple is proposed to be built in accordance with ancient Hindu Shilpa and Agama Shastras; plans to accommodate Sree Kovils for Guruvayurappan, Ganapathy, Sastha, and Devi; and hopes to be “a pillar of social cohesion, aside from being the spiritual epicenter for the Hindus of North America”.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged the governments of Canada, Ontario and Brampton to simplify the seemingly stringent building permit process for religious centers and offer assistance through the process so that devotees could practice their respective faiths freely.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, commending efforts of temple-project leaders and Greater Ontario area community towards realizing this Temple, indicated that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this Temple would focus in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

This Temple, whose history goes back to mid 1990s, opens everyday at its current temporary location. It performs various poojas; with wedding costing $501, Sarpa Bali costing $301 and Vahana (Vehicle) Pooja at $51. It has minted a gold-plated medallion carrying the image of Lord Guruvayurappan and is selling it at $1,000 each to raise funds. It is taking reservations for “Udayasthamana Pooja”, each costing $5,000, which will start once the temple is completed, reports suggest.

Gopinathan Menon, R. K. Padiyath, T.A. Viswanathan and Appukuttan Nair are Vice President, Executive Director, Assistant Executive Director and Manager respectively of the Temple. Divakaran Namboothiri is the Chief priest and Thantri. It claims to have developed a program to assist/support newcomers to Canada.

Incorporated as village in 1853, Brampton ( famous as Flower City) in Greater Toronto area, 11th largest city in Canada and one of its fastest growing, besides various denominations of Christianity, is also home to a considerable number of Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and nonbelievers. Punjabi is the mother tongue of about 28 percent of its residents. Prominent people associated with Brampton include Rick Nash (ice hockey), actors Shawn Ashmore (X2) and Michael Cera (Superbad), country singer Johnny Reid (Kicking Stones), etc. Linda Jeffrey is the Mayor of Brampton, which boasts of a Chess Park.nHinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adhere

Mukundkumar Patel, an Indian American businessman has been charged for attempting to bribe a politician in exchange for support to get a license for his liquor store in Ohio. Patel, 52, was charged with one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, United States attorney for the northern district of Ohio Steven Dettelbach said in a statement.

According to the charges, Patel, of East Cleveland, had to seek a liquor license for his store. While Patel submitted a liquor license application, city officials told him they were not inclined to endorse his application but would consider his request after speaking with community stakeholders.

Patel met with an East Cleveland city councilman in October last year and offered to pay him $2,000 if he signed the application. The councilman refused, and Patel raised his offer to $3,000. After refusing again, the businessman told the politician to name his price, a statement said.

The councilman contacted the FBI to report the bribe solicitation. n another meeting with the councilman, Patel offered him $4,000 up front and $1,000 later in return for signing Patel’s beer and wine application, it said.

Patel paid him $4,000 in cash, and the councilman turned the money over to the FBI. “We will not tolerate individuals believing they can circumvent the law by bribing a public official,” special agent in charge of the FBI’s Cleveland office Stephen Anthony said. “The FBI commends the public official involved for adhering to his ethical principles by not accepting the bribe made by this business owner.”

Indo-American Cultural Foundation of Central New Jersey (IACFNJ), a non-profit organization in Central Jersey, organized India’s 69th Independence Day celebration on August 16 at Shree Swaminarayan Temple, (old SB YMCA) 329 Culver Road, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.

Some 200 people attended this outdoor, fun-filled patriotic event which was free and open to public. After last five years’ grand success and overwhelming community support, the organizers and executive committee of IACFNJ once again organized this year’s patriotic celebration of India’s Independence Day.

The event featured entertainment and cultural activities, dance performances, traditional Indian dances, patriotic dances, recital of songs, live music and authentic food sampling which was attended by local residents, community leaders and local and state public officials.

The program kicked off with the wonderful singing of the American and Indian Anthems followed by speeches of the local and state public officials and dignitaries, and patriotic dances and singing from the young and talented kids from the renowned dance local dance groups of Vandana Aiyar, Latika Jethani and Meghana Goradia.

The live DJ and music entertainment with live patriotic songs were provided by Deep Shukla, DJ Deep and Joint Secretary of IACFNJ. South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese, Deputy Mayor Chris Killmurray, Councilman Charles Carley, New Jersey State Senate President Steven Sweeney and the Commissioner of New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and former State Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula were among the dignitaries.

In his address, Mayor Gambatese said “I am proud to be a Mayor of the culturally diverse town where about 30% Asians reside and events like this will bring community together”.

The event was successful for the sixth consecutive year, thanks to marathon efforts made by IACFNJ’s dedicated executive committee under the leadership of president Hitesh Patel, chairman Murthy Yerramilli, secretary Deven Patel, treasurer Mac Shah, vice-presidents Mahesh Patel and Dr. Tushar Patel, joint secretary Deep Shukla, joint treasurer Rajesh Patel and their hard-working committee members with support from dedicated volunteers and supporters.

South Brunswick is an ethnically diverse township with a good number of Asian Indians in surrounding towns of North Brunswick, East Brunswick, Franklin, Somerset, Monroe, Princeton, Princeton-Junction and West Windsor from where many attended the event.
IACFNJ has been a leader in promoting South Asian culture and values to newer generation by organizing many activities for the past 15 years in Central Jersey.

A US court of appeals in New York has affirmed a district court’s order and dismissed Nov 1984 anti-Sikh violence case against Congress party president Sonia Gandhi for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. “Upon due consideration whereof, it is hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the judgment of the district court is affirmed” the court said in its order here last week.

Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) filed a lawsuit in 2013 against Sonia Gandhi for allegedly shielding and protecting Congress party leaders accused of inciting violence against the Sikh community after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The three-judge panel affirmed the district court’s order that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction over plaintiffs’ claims because “all the relevant conduct took place outside the United States” in India.

In June 2014, a federal judge had dismissed the class action lawsuit filed by SFJ and victims against Sonia Gandhi ruling that she is not liable under Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and that the plaintiffs have no standing to bring the lawsuit. SFJ plans to file an appeal to challenge the summary order, according to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ.

Kinjal Patel, an Indian who had worked as a baby sitter in Connecticut was sentenced to 14 years in U.S. federal prison for the death of a 19-month-old boy in her care last year. Kinjal Patel, 29, was sentenced on Wednesday under a plea deal entered in Superior Court in New Haven in which she did not admit guilt but conceded there was enough evidence to secure her conviction.

Under the agreement she will also serve five years’ probation for causing the death of Athiyan Sivakumar, who died at Yale-New Haven Hospital in January 2014 of multiple injuries, including a fractured skull. Police say Patel initially told them that while she was babysitting the boy he suffered a head injury after slipping on the floor. She later admitted she became angry and pushed him in the face, causing him to fall backward and strike his head.

The boy died three days later. The chief state medical examiner’s office ruled his death  a homicide caused by blunt force trauma with multiple sites of impact. Patel’s lawyer, Kevin Smith, said on Thursday his client “never intended to hurt the child.”

Patel told police after the toddler would not eat rice and spat in her face, she picked him up and slammed his feet onto the kitchen floor three times, then shook his head back and forth, according to the court documents.

She had been under investigation at the time by the state’s Department of Children and Families for an incident a month earlier when the boy was brought to the hospital with cuts on his lip and a bruised chin. Although the boy’s parents agreed at that time to stop hiring Patel, They continued using her services. The parents were later arrested for “risk of injury” to the child. Their case is pending. Patel is not a U.S. citizen and federal immigration officials will likely deport her to India upon her release, her lawyer said.

Indian-Americans have figured in lists of successful immigrants in almost all categories in the past. The newest surprise is this – they are also the most eligible bachelors in America. In the list of 30 most eligible singles in nine major sectors of industry in the United States, published by dating application website Hinge recently, as many as 23 Indian-Americans made the cut.

The 23 Indian-Americans include Rakhi Voria, North American business development manager at Microsoft Financing, who topped the list of singles in the marketing and business development category. Shaista Shenoy, client success manager at Curalate and a performer with the Indian dance troupe Shiamak Davar’s Special Performers Batch, and Tanveer Kathawalla, manager of business development at Enterprise Florida were placed at number 20 and number 22 positions respectively.

Not just the just guys in marketing and business. There were as many as four Indian-Americans in the policy and law category with former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, Jay Goyal coming in at number three. Varun Sivaram, Douglas Dillon, both fellows at Council on Foreign Relations, made it to number seven and Pra Chandrasoma, who is starting as an associate at Latham and Watkins in October, was at number 9. Satyam Khanna, policy aide at the U.S. Treasury Department, came in at number 16.

Indian-Americans figured strongly in startups and small business and technology categories as well. Nitasha Khetarpal, working in product marketing and strategy at Adobe, ranked the highest as number three in technology, followed by Ankit Shah, CEO and community builder at ‘Tea With Strangers’ at number six in startups. The 23 Indian-Americans also include Amit Patel, director of enterprise at Lyft, Steven Maheshwary, marketing manager at Amazon, at number 14. The bachelors also described their first dating experiences as well, some of which were hilarious.

Voria, for example, talked about her most embarrassing date moment. “Walking into a restaurant for a first date and handing my ID to the guy I thought was the bouncer standing at the front door, only to find out it was actually my date waiting for me at the entrance. The confused look on his face was priceless, as was the mortified look on mine when I realized who he was,” Voria said, according to the company website.

Devi Parashakthi Ma (Eternal Mother) Temple in Pontiac (Michigan, USA) has formally inaugurated its Rajagoupuram, a richly decorated 54-foot granite monumental tower recognizing 520 deities and containing “intense divine energy”. Crafted by a group of shilpis (artisans) over about three year period on a granite obtained without involving modern blasting techniques, this about 450-ton tower was carved in India and assembled in USA, reports suggest.

Primary deity of this Temple is Parashakthi Karumari Amman (Divine Eternal Mother) but it also reportedly houses deities of Ayyappa, Bhoga Srinivasa, Bhuvaneshwari, Ganesha, Garuda, Guruvayurappan, Hanuman,  Jagannath, Kaala Bhairava,  Kubera Lingam,  Lakshmi Narasimhan, Mahalakshmi, Nagadevatha, Navagrahas,   Radha Krishna with Gomatha, Raja Mathangi, Saneeswara, Sarva Dosha Nivarana, Shiva Nataraja & Soma Sundara Linga, Subrahmanya, Sudarshana Chakra, Vaarahi Ambika and Venkateswara.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended efforts of Temple leaders and area community for realizing Rajagoupuram in a Hindu temple complex. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this Temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Located on 16 acres in a wooded area inhabited by deer and other animals with a stream running through its South end, it has a built-up area of about 10,000 square feet, including 6,000 square feet of worship area and a multi-purpose hall for various gatherings.

This Temple performs various poojas, including “New Vaahana (Vehicle) Pooja” for $26, for which devotees should bring four lemons, one coconut and flowers. All-poojas package will cost $2301 to the devotee. Management suggests to “avoid wearing shorts and short skirts when you come to temple”.

Dr. G. Krishna Kumar, Dr. Venkat Hari, Margaret Kumar and Kristen Keskey are President, Vice President, Manager and Treasurer respectively of the Temple; while Narayanaswamy Kumar, Varadharajan Ramanujam Iyengar and Krishnaswamy Alasingara Bhatta are the priests.

Pratik Kumar Patel and his cousin Kalpesh Patel from Tennessee were found guilty on August 13, of trying to murder Pratik’s wife Krupa Patel, after drawing up a $6 million life insurance policy in her name. But when they hired Chris Robinson, their handyman of longstanding, he changed his mind and reported them to the police, the greedy men were arrested two years ago and convicted by a jury on August 13 in a Circuit Court in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

They will be sentenced by Judge David Bragg Oct. 16 but attorneys for the defendants say they will appeal the judgment in the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Assistant District Attorney Sarah Davis told News India Times she anticipated the appeal would be denied. The conspiracy charge is an A felony which means jail for 15 to 25 years for the schemers. “Pretty much every defendant tries an appeal. But that doesn’t change the conviction,” Davis said.

Krupa Patel, who attended the closing arguments, insisted through the years that her husband would not have killed her. “I don’t know how his wife is doing but I felt so bad,” Davis said. “She stayed by him the whole time and he was telling her it was not true even though they pretty much admitted it in court. Yet she kept saying ‘He wouldn’t hurt me. He wouldn’t do it’,” Davis recalled.

Davis said Krupa Patel’s side of the family was in India and she may not have any other support in this country. In dramatic closing hearings reported in Murfreesboro Post, Assistant District Attorney John Zimmerman lined up as evidence, bags of purported money along the jury box banister and asked the jury what price they would put on a woman’s life. “Whatever life is like in northern India, in America the life of every woman matters,” he is quoted saying in court.

Defense attorneys claim irregularities in the investigation and improperly handled evidence are grounds for appeal. “We believe there are a number of issues that are subject to appeal, and we plan to do so,” Defense Attorney Alex Little is quoted saying in the news report. Another defense attorney for the Patel cousins contended there was no hit man in the case and hence no crime. “The commission of the crime was impossible. It was never going to happen,” Defense Attorney Ed Yarbrough is quoted saying.

Robinson testified that he was assigned to go to Krupa and Pratik Patel’s house in Gallatin on Oct. 1, 2013, shoot her and turn the house upside down to make it look like a burglary gone wrong. He also said he had been given $15,000 by Pratik Patel and told to go buy a gun and get rid of it in the river after committing the crime, the Post reported.

In the mix was Pratik’s love interest, Tina Newman, who testified August. 12, that she was romantically tied to Pratik Patel for several years when she worked in his stores and that he often referred to her as his “wife.” She said she did not know about the conspiracy to kill Krupa Patel but that their love relationship got more intense in the days leading up to Pratik Patel’s arrest Sept. 30, 2013. Texts and voice messages exchanged between the two were played in court.

Sharwani Kota, an Indian American teenager from New Jersey, started Hope4Spandana, a nonprofit charitable organization, back when she was in the eighth grade as a way to give back to society. Now Sharwani, a high school junior, and her team regularly organize musical performances to donate funds to their school in India, named Spandana, and to other autism charities around the world.

Kota began her organization by first conducting research on autism. She found that the highest incidence rate was in New Jersey, with roughly one child in every 42 being affected. Additionally, the teen learned that there was no cause or cure for autism.

During the summer before her ninth grade, Kota visited senior citizen and veteran homes, playing the veena, an Indian classical instrument, to determine if there was sufficient interest to raise funds for her cause. By the end of the summer, she had raised $5,000 for the ‘Jumpstart’ program at St. Peters University Hospital, which is a care and therapy program for children diagnosed with autism, and she was on her way.

The organization’s name, Hope4Spandana, comes from a school in Anantapur, India, named Spandana, which means reaction or change in Sanskrit. Kota also spent three weeks with children at the school, using some of the therapy methods she had learned at the Jumpstart program. Shortly after, she and her family adopted the school.

The children at Spandana have been diagnosed with autism, and the school provides them with nourishment, as their families, who believed that autism was a bad omen from God, had abandoned many of the kids in the facility.

Kota also decided to reach out to her local community, focusing on a school close by called Lakeview Elementary School in Edison. This was a school that helped children and parents get therapy to help deal with the disorder, as well as provide behavioral therapy. Kota, through helping with the children, learned a lot about how kids diagnosed with autism behave.

“This experience was great more than anything. There are kids diagnosed with autism in our schools, but we don’t get to interact with them, so this experience was really eye-opening,” Kota told India-West.

Currently, her nonprofit includes 15 members her age, and they work to coordinate performances, such as flash mobs, which she said work very well with large crowds to get the word out and raise money. Half of the funds raised goes to St Peter’s University Hospital and the other half goes to the Spandana school.

Kota said she is thankful to her father and her dedicated team who have given her endless support and motivation for the organization. “Without their help,” she said, “none of the achievements would have been possible.”

“I like what I do because I help people realize how important autism awareness is, as many people overlook it, since it is not life threatening,” she told India-West.

Her goals for Hope4Spandana include taking the entire group to India to visit the school and eventually around the world. Kota, who eventually wants to become a surgeon, hopes to adopt more schools to reach out to as many people as possible.

“Before working for this cause, I thought everything was simple and straightforward,” she toldIndia-West. “However, I have learned that life is not simple. If kids can’t understand how other kids their age are feeling, who else will?” For more information about Hope4Spandana, and its goals, or just to get involved or donate, visit the Web site at: http://www.hope4spandana.org.

In 2013, Staten Islander Sridhar Reddy ran 200 miles from Amsterdam to Brussels during his fifth “Run for Humanity.”  This month, he returned to the finish line in Brussels to run again and continue spreading his simple message: Everybody has the power, every day, to do something good.

Running for Humanity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of humanity, is undertaking its sixth run — this time, Brussels to Paris — from Aug. 6 to 18. “I am passionate about running, about humanity, and doing something physical to show the world that I care, and we should all care about each other,” the 52-year-old Reddy told Silive.com  about the run.

His brother, Jayanth Reddy, and friends Dr. Phil Sigler, James Robinson and Suman Palle, will join him on the trek to Paris to provide emotional, physical and logistical support during the run. Reddy is also a world record holder: he holds the Guinness Book of World Records title of “Fastest 100 km run barefoot in ten hours and 47 minutes.”

An estimated 3,000 people enjoyed a taste of that diversity at the Chatpati Mela on August 22, at the Jackson Heights Green Alliance’s Play Street on 78th Street, organized by Chhaya Community Development Corporation, an organization that helps new immigrants with housing issues since 2000, and has expanded its mandate to doing original research on South Asian communities in the Big Apple.

At the Mela, activists showcased the work of their non-profit organizations and artists displayed their talents as crowds browsed food-stalls and watched performers tracing their origin to the India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, as well as the Indo-Caribbean cultures in the Western Hemisphere.

“When outsiders think of South Asia, they think of Bollywood. Our cultures are so much more than that,” Afreen Alam, executive director of Chhaya CDC, told the media. The Chatpati Mela celebrates the vibrancy and diversity of New York’s fastest growing immigrant communities, she said. “Our mela captures the layers, the complexity and the dimensions of our cultures,” Alam added.

Chhaya CDC gave out Community Leadership Awards at the event to notable artists, activists, and partners, including Neha Gautam, documentarian and senior trainer at Global Kids; HeartBeat NYC, a youth empowerment, non-governmental organization helping lead earthquake recovery efforts in Nepal; and The Times Ledger newspaper of Queens for highlighting local issues. Groups that performed included Phiroj Syangden and Friends, Chandra Banerjee’s Dance Group, NYC Bhangra, Sharmin Rimu, Virsa Our Tradition, Habibi Express, South Asian Youth Action dance group, and Cholsum Doegar. There was a fashion show, a flash mob, and a paani puri (golgappa) eating contest, a bhangra lesson, children’s art activities, and raffles giving away a television set and much more, a press release from Chhaya said.

Nisha Agarwal, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, presented the Community Leadership Awards. “Chatpati Mela is truly one of my favorite events of the year for the way it brings the community in this neighborhood and the South Asian community together for food and celebration,” Agarwal is quoted saying. She said her office “wants to be an ally” to local groups and “would like to provide you with the resources with your ongoing work.”

Representatives from Chhaya’s partner organizations who attended the event included Queens Museum of Arts, Legal Aid Society, the Business Center for New Americans, Sanctuary for Families, Adhunika Foundation, Acha Sisterhood Himalayan Organization, Grow NYC, Solar One, and Sapna NYC.

There’s more to India and South Asia than Bollywood say organizers of the 5th Annual Chatpati Mela, a festival that celebrates the diversity of the countries from where a large group of new immigrants come to live in New York City, particularly in Queens, N.Y.

According to the organizers, the Mela also showed how youth adapt their ancestral cultures to the ethos of New York. “The younger South Asian generation takes on the traditional music, song and dance and interprets it their own way. That’s how you actually preserve the culture and grow it,” she added. Compared to the state of tension and even enmity in the South Asian Subcontinent between various countries, New York helps experiment with unity, she indicated. “One of our goals is to unite our communities and show how closely we work with each other. New York City brings us together and shows us how to do that,” Alam said.

A U.S. federal judge has rejected a fresh appeal by Indian American former Goldman Sachs director  Rajat Gupta  to overturn his insider trading conviction, ruling that the “hard fact remains” he committed a “serious crime” and pursuing further legal options will serve no purpose.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, who had presided over Gupta’s 2012 trial and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment, said in his ruling that even though Gupta is a “man of many laudable qualities,” the “hard fact remains” that he committed a serious crime. “But the hard fact remains that he committed a serious crime, the overwhelming proof of which has readily survived every challenge. No purpose would be served by further proceedings,” Rakoff said in his order issued in Manhattan federal court on August 5th.

In a memorandum submitted last month in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan late last month, Gupta, 66, had sought a “certificate of appealability” that would have enabled him to appeal Rakoff’s ruling.

In the ruling, the judge had disagreed with Gupta’s claim that there was “insufficient” evidence at trial of him receiving “personal benefits” in exchange for the insider tips he allegedly passed on to now-jailed billionaire hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam.

Denying Gupta’s motion for a certificate of appealability, Rakoff said, “The Court has considered Gupta’s other arguments for issuing a certificate and finds them without merit. “As the Court noted at sentencing, Gupta is a man of many laudable qualities, and his superb attorneys have energetically pursued his defense,” Rakoff said.

Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Preet Bharara had opposed Gupta’s appeal, saying in court papers that his challenge to the jury’s “well-founded” verdict should now end, as there is “no doubt” he stood to benefit financially from his illegal tips to Rajaratnam. Gupta, convicted on three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, is currently serving his prison term in a facility in Massachusetts, under the same roof as Rajaratnam. His prison term is set to end in March 2016.

Binder Tal, Baldev Tal and Sharifal Mintu, three Indian Americans were arrested on bank  fraud  and money laundering charges, Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced August 4^th. Baldev Tal was arrested on the morning of Aug. 4 in Orefield, Penn., and appeared in Philadelphia federal court later that afternoon. Mintu was arrested the same morning in Orange County, New York, and appeared in White Plains federal court later that morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison. Binder Tal remains at large. Each defendant is charged with one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud and one count of conspiring to commit money laundering.

According to the allegations in the complaint unsealed Aug. 4 in White Plains federal court, from at least in or about 2007 through in or about July 2015, Binder Tal, Baldev Tal and Mintu fraudulently obtained loans and lines of credit from banks, credit unions and other lending institutions.

The defendants obtained the loans by providing materially false information to the lenders about the borrowers’ assets, including false information about the borrowers’ employment and income. Through their scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators fraudulently obtained more than $2.5 million in proceeds in connection with dozens of loan applications and applications for lines of credit. The vast majority of the loans and lines of credit went into default, and millions of dollars were not repaid.

As part of their fraud scheme, the defendants used the proceeds to personally enrich themselves and their families. Binder Tal, Baldev Tal and Mintu each face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the charge of conspiring to commit bank fraud and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the charge of conspiring to commit money laundering.

Malina Singh, an Indian-American woman was sentenced to at least two years in prison for hitting and killing a pedestrian in New York last year, a media report said. Singh, 21, a resident of Lake Luzerne in New York, appeared before Saratoga County judge Matthew Sypniewski on Monday, this week, Timesunion.com reported.

In addition to the sentencing, Singh was asked to install an ignition interlock device in every vehicle she owns or drives for three years upon her release from prison. On June 22, Singh admitted she was drunk while driving and killed Jonathon L. Rogers, 34, as he was walking on September 4 last year. Rogers was rushed to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Singh pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter. Rogers’ mother told the court that the family would now face difficulties in surviving and his children would have to live without a father.

Dr. Islam Siddiqui, an Indian American, has been appointed president of the newly-formed institution, American Muslim Institution. The new group in the Washington, D.C. area announced Aug. 5 the formation of the American Muslim Institution, a nonprofit organization, is to provide reliable information and advice to public and policy makers on Islam and Muslims.

“We need constructive solutions to current and emerging problems emanating from wrong perceptions and misinformation about Islam and Muslims in America,” Dr. Islam Siddiqui, stated in a press release.

“Our mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of a diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equality to attain peace for Americans with a firm grounding in commonly held values,” Siddiqui added.

Siddiqui is a former U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture and Chief Agricultural Negotiator and was the highest ranking American Muslim in the United States government under the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Sri Venkateswara Temple of Central Ohio has been formally launched in Powell with four-day long ancient rituals and celebrations. Grand Opening, Utsava Murthy Prana Prathishthapanam and Sri Venkateswara Kalyanotsavam celebrations included various poojas, homams, viniyogams, agnipratishtha, kumbha-abhishekam, etc.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, commended efforts of Temple leaders and area community for realizing this Hindu temple. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new Temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

This in Powell is the temporary location of the Temple, which opens daily. Management is in the process of acquiring land in nearby Galena, which will be its permanent location, reports suggest. Ravishankar Kuruganti, Shiva Pattisapu, Nat Rammohan and Anantha Padmanabhan are the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary respectively of the Temple Executive Committee; while Ramakrishna Garu is the Priest.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents. There are about three million Hindus in USA. Powell, an affluent city first settled around 1801, was listed in the “100 Best Places to Live in the United States”. Jim Hrivnak is the Mayor.

The Punjabi American Organization (PAO) organized their 11th annual Teeyan Da Mela recently at Bristol Palace Banquet in Mt Prospect.

As many as 600 women in the Midwest region of the US, dressed in colourful Indian clothes, actively participated in the ladies-only event, showing their hidden dancing, singing and other skills.

The event took place under the guidance of Naiha Walia, president of PAO which introduced ‘Mrs Punjaban’ contest this year.

A fashion show was sponsored by Richa from getethnic.com,

The venue was decorated with Punjabi dupattas, saris, and other traditional Punjabi dresses as well as with colorful clothes, flowers, and garlands. There were stalls of henna, bangles, facial makeup, and Indian dresses giving the feeling of a traditional Indian fair.

The chief guest was Satwant Kaur Kaler and the Grand sponsor was Jasmeet Suga–Suga Builders. Other Gold sponsors were Amrita Dandona, Amardeep Lamba Agency and Marybeth and Greg Cerniglia- S&C Insurnace.

Other sponsors who have been supporting the event year after year are Minni and Guljar Multani, Manjit and Gurdev Pelia from Pelia Petroleum, Rahul Jain from Mast Masala, Jesse Singh Remax Realtor, Renee and Nick Gakhal, Kalsi construction company, Punjab sports and cultural club, Parminder Kaur, Davinder Kaur, Varinder Kaur, Gundeep Kaur, Punjab Sports Club.

The food was catered to by Maharaja Restaurant.

Former President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Shri H.S. Hanspal, who was instrumental to the writing of milestones in “Punjabi” along with English and Hindi in the state of Haryana, amongst various other significant changes that he brought about during his term,  was feted by the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC, USA). here in New York on Saturday June 27, 2015 at the Diwan Restaurant, Patel Plaza, Hicksville in Long Island where almost fifty Congress supporters and friends gathered around at a very short notice to honor the visiting dignitary.

General Secretary of INOC, USA Mr. Harbachan Singh in welcoming him recalled some of the significant achievements of the Chief Guest, which were applauded by the attendees and requested him to continue to provide his valuable advice and leadership to the party at this critical juncture.

The President of the Punjab Chapter Mr. Tejinder Singh Gill thanked him for accepting the invitation and pleaded for the rapid resolution of some of the ills, e.g., alcoholism, that were holding back the rapid development of Punjab and asked for the an effective link between NRIs and the Punjab Congress party to work jointly.

The Chairman of INOC Mr. George Abraham and the President of INOC Mr. Juned Qazi both spoke at length on the steadfastness and the solid strength of the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA and pointedly elaborated on the esteemed value and unwavering support of each of the senior officials of the party apparatus in New York. They also recounted some of the significant achievements of INOC, USA over the recent past.

Senior Vice President Mr. Mohinder Singh Gilzian,  Mr. John Joseph, President of the Tamil Nadu Chapter and Mr. Zinda Singh, President of the Delhi Chapter, and other officials such as Mr. Prasad Kambhampathy  also welcomed him and spoke on the current need to strategize and reinforce the party with new enthusiasm and vigor. Prof. Inderjit Saluja of Indian Panorama also lauded the Chief Guest for his years of dedicated service to the nation.

Shri H.S. Hanspal was highly impressed at the unity and deep commitment of the INOC,USA and its officials.  In his very inspirational speech, he said that when the chips are down, you have shown political maturity to not lose hope but instead has inspired others here and in India to remain strong.  He said he will take back this very encouraging and comforting fact to appraise the senior officials back home. He added that you not only have a very important role to play in the development of both better relations between India and USA but also help in various ways the motherland and its development.  He praised the hardworking NRIs and the contribution they were making and regretted that not enough attention has been paid to them by New Delhi.  He informed the audience that his doors were always open in New Delhi and welcomed everyone to visit him when they were visiting home.

CHICAGO, IL — Propounding the path of Bhagwan Mahavira, an ardent devotee of Shrimad Rajchandraji, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai is a spiritual visionary and modern-day mystic. The founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, Pujya Gurudevshri has illuminated numerous lives across the globe through enlightening discourses and an array of meditation retreats.

His divine benevolence has touched scores of underprivileged lives through the ten fold Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care Programme, At present the Mission has 80 centres spread across the globe in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. In addition, over 225 centres worldwide mould the youth and children, shaping a brighter future for them

Pujya Gurudevshri was accorded an affectionate welcome at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where He spent endearing moments interacting with seekers. The Master gave spirituality a new meaning through three transformational pravachans at the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago. He empowered aspirants with techniques to translate profound knowledge into practical wisdom.

Through everyday situations one encounters, he demonstrated how each one is responsible for their own joy and sorrow. While it appears as though circumstances determine one’s reactions, it is actually an individual’s independent choice.

The spiritual guru further elucidated that the power to make the right choice is gained from the strength of one’s spiritual practices and satsang. Constantly studying oneself and remaining in awareness play a key role in strengthening one’s inner muscles. Introspection enables a shift in one’s values and thus in one’s perception of the world.

It is this shift that gives one a new perspective of life and alters one’s interpretations of the occurrences in daily life. One may begin by only being able to see the physical–that which is plainly visible to the eyes. Moving ahead, with education and enhanced thinking, one gains intelligence and deeper insight.

As one progresses, one develops the power of discrimination and is able to make decisions which are in favour of that which is spiritually beneficial. Finally, the inward journey leads him to experience invisible inner bliss.

Seekers were inspired to forge ahead on the path of liberation and bring about an inner revolution in their lives. Expressing their gratitude towards Pujya Gurudevshri, the committee members of the Jain Centre of Chicago felicitated the Master.

Pujya Gurudevshri graced the residences of several seekers, blessing them with memories of a lifetime. It was amid joyous chanting that pious pratishthas ensued at the abodes of Jagdishbhai-Shobhaben Shah and Manish-Anchal Jain, consecrating the Divine in their hearts and homes.

Aspirants boarded the Summer of George cruise for an evening of elevation with the Sadguru. Views of the Chicago skyline faded in the Master’s captivating aura as energetic dance dedications uplifted spirits and melted hearts. Binding seekers with the thread of purity, Pujya Gurudevshri proceeded to his next destination on his dharmayatra.

New York, NY: August 4, 2015 – Inspired by the Oak Creek sangat’s Chardhi Kala 6K Memorial Walk/Run, the Sikh Coalition organized a third annual National Day of Seva, in remembrance and solidarity for those who were injured and killed on August 5, 2012 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

In the spirit of Chardi Kala (eternal optimism) Sikhs and non-Sikhs participated in 20 service projects across 16 cities, which showcased that we will never allow misguided hatred or bigotry to prevail. These projects included langar services, packing meals for those in need, park clean-ups, toy drives, book readings and Habitat for Humanity projects.

“The Sikh community knows the pain and trauma that hatred brings,” said the Sikh Coalition’s Community Development Manager, Harjit Kaur. “From Oak Creek to Charleston, the seva projects reminded Americans that acts of hatred are not an attack against one, they are an attack against us all. Our resilience and strength to combat hate across our country was showcased this weekend.”

Through the Sikh Coalition’s partnership with local leaders, we also ensured that Americans who did not participate heard this message as well. The Detroit News, Huffington Post, Huffington Post Live, Modesto Bee, NBC News, Times of India and Hindustan Times were just some of the many news outlets to cover the seva projects across the country.

“Thank you to all of the community leaders who helped organize and coordinate their local seva projects and for every sevadaar who participated this past weekend,” said the organizers of the events across the nation. “Without your time and work, none of this impact would have been possible. We are also inspired by the hundreds of participants who joined the Oak Creek community for their annual Chardhi Kala Walk/Run. The Sikh community will continue to honor the lives lost in Oak Creek through seva. Our resolve to combat the problem of hate in our nation remains unwavering.”

An 18-feet wooden chariot seating newly-arrived idols of Jagannath (Sri Krishna), his elder brother Balarama and their younger sister Subhadra from India, the three gods central to Rath Yatra (chariot festival), an annual religious rite for Hindus, was pulled by scores of devotees at the Wayne Hindu Temple in New Jersey during the annual July 18 event.

Hundreds of people, both young and old, took part in the procession, including from New Jersey, New York, and also some from Pennsylvania. Men and women in colorful attire gathered early on to the scene for the festival organized by ICS-NJ Mahatma Gandhi Center & Lord Jagannath devotees.

Devotees pulled the chariots on each side of the Rath with great feelings of devotion. It was a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and experience the great festivity. The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with which these are pulled is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds or penance for ages.

A devotee associated with the event said that this year was very special for devotees due to Nabakalebara, the periodical renewal of the wooden images of the gods at Puri Temple in Odisha, India, the original abode of the4 gods. Devotees witnessed the rare Nabakalebara Rath Yatra, which comes every 12 years.

Rath Yatra festival marks the annual journey of three deities Lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra from the temple in a splendidly decorated wooden chariot.

Mahapuja (worship) began with sacred yagna (fire ritual) around in late noon by priests Arvind Sastri and Pitambar Sarangi.

Temple officials like Dilliswar Sahu, Dhiren Das, Akhil Patel, Kaushik Patel and Jayesh Patel participated in the Nabakalebara puja. More than 600 hundred devotees attended the puja and the pahandi (ritual journey of the gods) followed by Chera Panhara (symbolic cleansing around the chariot) and pulling of the beautiful chariot.

“The devotees pulled the chariots with great tempo. It was a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy the festival. The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with which these are pulled is considered equal enough to several pious deeds or penance for ages,” the devotee who identified himself as Pradeep, said.

New York, NY: Bhavuk Uppal, an Indian American, accused of driving with suspended license and allegedly killing three people in a New Jersey road accident, faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted on the second degree multiple count charges, media report said here last week.

Bhavuk Uppal, 22, was driving drunk and allegedly hit a car that, in turn, crashed into an SUV, on July 10. The car had three occupants – a young pregnant women, her husband and their infant child. Uppal who has a long history of motor vehicle violations, has been charged with three counts of death by automobile, two counts of assault by automobile, causing death or injury and possession of drug paraphernalia as well as driving while intoxicated, media reports stated.

“He has infractions for speeding, unsafe driving, driving without a license, fictitious plates, reckless driving, driving while suspended and has been involved in multiple crashes,” prosecutor Matthew Brown was quoted as saying. The authorities were awaiting results from the blood alcohol levels tests.

“If the charges are to remain at second degree, he could be jailed for 50 years. If upgraded, it could be life,” added chief assistant prosecutor Matthew Troiano. Meanwhile, Morristown Superior Court Judge William McGovern has increased Uppal’s bail from the initial $300,000 with no 10 percent option to $750,000 with no 10 percent option. Uppal is currently in the Morristown County Correctional Facility and the next court hearing is set for August 11.

Ground Breaking Ceremony (Bhoomi Puja) for “Winston Salem Hindu Temple” in Clemmons (North Carolina) was held on June 11; which included pujas, aaradhana, havan, kalasha pradakshina, samprokshnas, etc. Besides worship services, this 3,600-square-foot Temple will also organize festivals, celebrations, special events, etc., and besides sanctuary, will also include classrooms and a community center, reports suggest.

To be built by Om Hindu Organization of North Carolina and Sri Mata Shaktipeetham, 7.6 acres have reportedly been purchased for this purpose. Construction, after consultations with temple architects in India, will start later this year.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, commended efforts of Temple leaders and area community for realizing this Hindu temple complex.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new Temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

It plans to have the shrines of Lalithaambika, Kaameshwara, Ganapathy, Balaji, Aditya, Shirdi Sai, Ram Parivar, Radha Krishna, Valli-Devasena-Subrahmanya, Ayyappa, Hanuman, Dhanvantri, and Navagraha; besides a Dwaja Sthambam. Estimated Cost for Lalithaambika shrine at $75,000 is highest among all of the shrines.

This will be the first Hindu temple of Forsyth County, where about 500 Hindu families reside. In the absence of a temple, the area Hindus have been travelling to Charlotte and Cary, besides worshipping at home shrines.

“A Hindu Temple stands for Tranquility, Education, Meditation, Purification, Love and Engagement”, according to Temple website. Dr. Sudhakar Pandit, Swami Rajendran and Krishna Surabhi are Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary respectively. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents. There are about three million Hindus in USA.