The knock-on effects of the COVID in our lives, resulting in lockdowns, shutdowns, and alterations of lives;
We saw the world adapting to a whole lot of “new norms” with masks n’ social distancing being the prime vibes.
IAGB India Day, known in the community for its grand celebration with thousands in a cheering crowd!
How do we live up to that tradition this time and make the community proud?
We gotta do away with the traditional huge gathering at one centralized place,
And instead, hold virtual programs and decentralized events with grace.
And we did! IAGB presents!!! Indian Flag Raising/Hoisting 2020!
A historic “first time ever” event in MA, across n’ beyond towns plenty.
To Commemorate India’s Independence Day – a grand thought indeed!
With zest n’ zeal, we were set to proceed.
But planning around the thought? An uphill task and a mounting process!
Executing n’ achieving the plan needed to be done with finesse.
This is when I joined hands with my “partner in crime”, Jeyanthi Ghatraju, my fellow dynamic IAGB colleague.
And thus, began our journey of convincing as many towns as we can, to join the “Indian Flag Hoisting” league!
Days, weeks and months of effort, conviction relentless.
Reaching out to over 65 towns/cities in MA and beyond, calls/emails/call again/email again…times countless.
With that ‘one’ request: “Can we raise the Indian Flag in your town to commemorate India’s Independence Day?
The journey wasn’t easy peasy, it wasn’t always our way.
Tireless follow ups; hundreds of emails n’ phone calls back and forth.
Boards of Selectmen, Mayor’s offices, Town Managers – zoom sessions attending meetings back and forth.
Filling out permission forms, applications, answering questions, addressing concerns, making alterations to the plan for each city/ town.
We had to, we ought to, we did ‘em all, we had eyes on the crown!
We were on FIRE! We knew we can do it and never ceased to rest.
We wanted nothing less, only to hoist the Indian Flag with IAGB at its best!
But wait, we still didn’t cease to rest with just the raising of the flag…
We had to add flair to the event, add a swag!
Would you please write a proclamation declaring Aug. 15th as India Day?
And let’s make the Flag Raising and reading of the Proclamation an event if we may?
Our relentless hard work started shaping up, our pure intent was bursting out in a rainbow.
We were now locking in each event in each city/town and warming up for the show!
The plan was in place, but Jeyanthi and I couldn’t be everywhere.
So, it was time to call for help from our Executive team – all for one, one for all – they were ready to share the load and care.
Our EC colleagues in pairs, caught the baton as we assigned them one or two owns to execute the event in each town.
With limited number of folks: town dignitaries, residents, state reps in many…the stage was set.
Team IAGB was ready to rock n roll…be part of history as we added this stunning achievement to IAGB’s crown!
Gleam in glory, poised in pride, you bet!
Then came the days, Aug. 14th & 15th, gathering at the town commons/city centers with pride.
Town dignitaries, community leaders, state reps, a handful town residents and IAGB taking it all in stride.
Following all social distancing guidelines, low key event yet declaratory.
Aug. 15th being proclaimed as India Day, singing the 2 national anthems, raising both flags, heart-warming words of acknowledgement from town dignitaries, community leaders and state reps – what could be more confirmatory?
Our path was not smooth, but it was steady,
We knew what we wanted and how to get it, we were ready.
Passion was energy tuned into strength, as we ran this marathon in glory.
We ran it! We won it! THAT’S IAGB’S FLAG RAISING STORY.
“Indian Flag Hoisting 2020 – History in the Making”
An Epic IAGB endeavor with a Covid-19 “twist”!!!
-By Jeyanthi Ghatraju
As many in the community know and recognize India Day, celebrating India’s Independence on August 15, 1947, as one the signature events of IAGB and look forward to gathering outdoors year after year!
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic brought in a different twist to our daily lives, leading us to adapt “new norms” of social distancing and come up with innovative ways of doing things. One of the most challenging ‘new norm’ is the restriction on the number of people gathering in one place at the same time. This has created a huge question mark in our minds on ways to celebrate various special milestone socio-cultural or historic occasions, traditionally celebrated in a grand way welcoming a huge public gathering.
Considering the current restriction, IAGB had to come up with an alternative plan to the traditional way of bringing a huge gathering in one centralized venue; So, IAGB developed a unique and decentralized plan to bring this celebration to many cities and towns in New England (35 in total!).
For the first time in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a few other neighboring states (perhaps anywhere outside India), IAGB undertook a grand unique endeavor by working with various towns/cities in New England to join IAGB to create history! The plan was to hoist/raise the Indian national flag at various town commons/city hall commemorating India’s 74th Independence Day on Friday August 14th or Saturday August 15th, 2020. This will not only help decentralize the celebration but also allow people to take pride in the fact that their towns/cities recognized and celebrated this historic event, while still being in the safe radar of their homes.
The IAGB team sprung into action soon after the decision was made and worked tirelessly for about 10 weeks, by contacting the officials of the various towns and cities (over 75), engaging in conversations on policies, attending meetings with the Board of Selectmen, researching flag codes and finally coming up with a Proclamation/Certificate of Recognition declaring August 15th as India Day. It was a historic event, never done anywhere else in the Commonwealth or neighboring states.
Keeping in mind the State’s mandated Covid-19 guidelines for social distancing and safety,, in morning of August 14th & 15th, a limited number of assigned dignitaries (including one or two town/city officials, local residents and IAGB representative, partnering organizations), across 35 gathered at the Town Common, Town Hall or City Hall and commemorated the historic Flag raising/hoisting event with full enthusiasm.
As planned, history was made when the Indian tricolor was raised/hoisted, the anthems sung and both the American and Indian flags flew high magnificently smothered by the gentle breeze! Several Senators, Board of Selectmen, Mayors, town officials read the proclamations/certificates of recognition declaring 15th August as India Day. Several speeches reflected the unparalleled affirmation, highlighting the synergy of both countries, spreading the story of India’s independence across New England and asserting their home country’s pride and honor in the United States.
Most events followed a similar format, with a few variations.
– Brief welcome by the Town/City official
– Sing the American Anthem and hoist/honor the American Flag
– Sing the Indian Anthem and hoist the Indian Flag
– Proclamation or Recognition read by the town/city official and thereby declare Aug. 15th as India Day
– Brief remarks on the ceremony by the town representative/s and IAGB rep. and/or a rep from one of the partner organizations.
The gathering concluded with the Vote of thanks by the IAGB EC members. It was a day of pride, honor and solemn feeling honoring the heritage of many Indians who have made the United States their homeland!
The events were live streamed on Facebook from IAGB’s page and many thousands could watch and rejoice in the touching moments!
A sample proclamation is attached here, for posterity.
One message that was clear and felt in the air is ascertained by this quote, “A thoughtful mind it sees a Nation’s flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, insignia, he reads chiefly only in the flag the Government, the truth, the principles, the history which belongs to the Nation it sets forth”. – Henry Ward Beecher
“…Family is my uncles, my aunts, and my chithis”, as Senator Kamala Harris said in the acceptance speech for her Vice Presidential nomination. Whatever is this “Chithi”? The word, which in Tamil means younger aunt, became viral and reminded me of my own cultural reckoning when my children were younger.
“Is it ok if I call Tom’s Mom Pam Aunty?”, my younger one asked about her best friend. Before I could reply, my older one interjected, a little irritated. “Well, you can’t. She isn’t Indian. And by the way Mom, I am not going to call Ruchi Aunty that anymore. It was weird when my teacher asked me if she was your sister or Dad’s, and I said neither.”
I call this the cross-cultural dilemma. It is one of many woes that children of Indian origin face while being raised in the US, when they are required to apply a cultural trait in a culturally-unaware setting. In the Indian culture, “Aunty” is anyone who feels like an Aunt. She doesn’t have to be family. She can be a family friend, Mom’s friend, friend’s Mom, an elderly friend, a neighbor, a caretaker. It is also considered polite to address total strangers, whom one has no better way of addressing, as “Aunty”.
I believe the genesis of this universal usage of the word, started with large, busy families. Indian households are generally buzzing with family members visiting often, neighbors dropping by without appointments or just peeking over their “boundary walls” for a quick chat, or folks you hired to help with cleaning, cooking, gardening or driving, making their trips around the house. Growing up in India, due to the presence of many people around you, one learns the rules of polite social engagement and interaction at an early age. Rule number one for kids is to not call anybody older by their name. At the very least, add a “ji” as a mark of respect, such as “Guptaji”. But in general the “ji” is more formal, and culturally not as warm and inclusive. Using the more endearing “Aunty” or “Uncle” is a form of pulling one’s neighbor, friend, or caretaker closer into one’s family zone.
Though Beware! One has to be very careful before addressing someone as “Aunty”. For adults addressing other adults, the reference assumes an age hierarchy, calling someone “Aunty” is an implicit label that they are older. “Didi” (sister) is the more flattering way to refer to someone who may take an offense to being called “Aunty”. It is safe enough for kids and teenagers to use this as a mark of respect. I know kids who stopped the “Aunty” or “Uncle” reference on becoming adults themselves, deciding that there was no longer a need to maintain the “Indian” age hierarchy.
On migrating to the US, Indians raised in warm, close-knit communities, continue to cherish the value of close relationships, forming new ones in a new country. In their home away from home, friends become family. They look to form similar warm, nurturing communities and obviously cannot forget the rule #1 they learned growing up. Not only will it be rude to not address the grown-ups as Uncle/Aunty, it would instantly bring a cold wedge of formality within the sprouts of the warm new friendship.
To solve the cross-cultural dilemma in the “Aunty Conundrum”, I noticed that these kids learned to improvise. They wear multiple cultural hats and pull them out appropriately, as the time and place demands. They instinctively know when to address “Ruchi Aunty” as such, and when to simply refer to her as Abhi’s Mom, or Mrs. Gupta. My younger one asked Tom’s Mom, “Mrs Grady feels too formal. You feel like an Aunt, may I call you Pam Aunty?”. In the perfect blending of two cultures, Pam accepted graciously! So the next time you hear someone being called “Aunty” it is likely not their Aunt by relation, possibly a friend that feels like family, or even simply a stranger who feels the warmth of being called “Hello Aunty” rather than “Hello there!”.
Our community spotlight this month is on IANH (India Association of New Hampshire). Yogita Miharia of IAGB spoke to Mr. Balaji Krishnan, the current President of IANH.
Yogita: Thank you Mr. Balaji for talking to IAGB. Please tell us about your journey with IANH
Balaji: I have been associated with IANH since 2000. It started when my kids were in elementary school and they participated in the educational activities conducted by IANH. When they were in 2nd and 3rd grade, they participated in the spelling bee for the first time. From there, they went to the National spelling bee for 5 consecutive years. When my kids graduated from middle school, I took the role of the education chair in IANH, and when the then president stepped down subsequently, I was elected to that position. I have been the President for last 6 years.
Yogita: Tell us more about the history and mission of IANH
Balaji: IANH started in 1989 by 10 people with three goals in mind – foster well-being of Indian community by organizing cultural, charitable, and educational activities, bring political awareness and goodwill between India and US. Prithvi Kumar, Dr. Tej Dhakar and others were the pioneers in founding IANH. We have various committees to handle activities like education, youth, cultural, public services, public relations, multimedia, and membership. Our mission is to connect the local Indian community and promote public & charitable services. IANH is apolitical but we give platform to political candidates to increase awareness. As of today, IANH has about 400 family members and 125 life members.
Yogita Tell us about IANH events. Which one is your flagship event?
Balaji: We host a variety of events. On the cultural side, we have a Spring festival in May and Diwali celebration in Oct/Nov timeframe. The Spring festival is our flagship event, and it consists of various cultural dance/music competitions.
My personal favorite is the education related events. Through educational contests only, I learned about IANH almost 20 years ago. Most of our youth group is also involved in the educational & public service initiatives. We have an education chair, whose primary responsibility is to organize all education contests, which happens in March/April timeframe. About 300 to 400 kids participate in various bees – math, science, spelling etc. The preparation for this event starts in January. We also run workshops to help parents and kids prepare for them.
In addition to these events, we also conduct various workshops for social awareness, visa camps, fundraisers etc.
IANH also has some regular public service initiatives. Once a month, we serve the soup kitchens in Manchester, Derry and Nashua.
This year our Diwali event is going to be virtual, spread over 2 days. One day for dance and the other for music.
Yogita: Any other initiatives that you would like to tell us about?
Balaji: IANH’s youth group does several events on their own. They bring a variety of speakers to talk about youth matters. I would like to encourage young parents to attend these so that they can be better prepared when their kids go to high school and college.
Yogita: Tell us about yourself and your family
Balaji: I am originally from Chennai, yes where Kamala Harris’ mother is from ☺ Nowadays everyone knows more about Chennai because of her ☺ I came to the US in 1989. I did my under graduation and graduation from the City university of NY, after which I worked there for 4 years, then moved to the Boston area. I was part of the first wave of Fidelity’s migration to Merrimack, NH. Since then, I have started my own business, with employees all over the US.
Most of my siblings live in the US. My wife and I live in Nashua. We have a son and a daughter, both live in Los Angeles. Our daughter finished her MD and is a resident doctor in UCLA, and our son is an entrepreneur.
Yogita: Would you like to share with us some fun memories or moments from your IANH journey?
Balaji: Honestly, every Exec meeting is a lot of fun and we all look forward to it. It is like one big family gathering that we do at various members’ homes. Everything has changed with COVID, but the last one was in a park so we could see each other and maintain social distance as well. Because of the platform IANH provided, my kids had a lot of success with the spelling bees. So obviously those are some of my favorite moments in IANH. I am very grateful to IANH and hope all young parents take advantage of this platform.
Yogita: What message would you like to give our readers?
Balaji: My message is mainly for parents of young kids. Please engage with IANH & other community service organizations when your children are young & impressionable. The public service, education & cultural activities will provide a strong foundation for your children. Along with that, IANH also organizes many talks, etc. for parents during the two days of various bees, where they can learn a lot about high school and college prep along with other IANH initiatives.
In a first ever virtual memorial day celebration, India Association of Greater Boston commemorated the 2020 Memorial Day with fitting tributes from war veterans, state legislators from all over New England, covid survivors and front line doctors. The event took place on Monday, May 25th, 2020. The day started with honouring the ultimate sacrifices of the many fallen heroes who died while serving in the US military forces and in line with in a true tradition of visiting memorials and cemeteries (virtual) and having family gatherings to remember these soldiers. The responsibility of being grand marshal for this virtual parade was taken by NH house speaker Steve Shurtleff. This was followed by New England legislators sharing their messages with community, starting with Congressman Mr Chris Pappas, MA State Senator Mr Jamie Eldridge, Nashua Mayor Mr Jim Donchess, Deputy Speaker Ms Karen Ebel, State Rep Ms Latha Mangipudi, MA state reps Ms Kay Khan and Mr Tackey Chan, Ex State Reps from VT Ms Kesha Ram, Ex state rep and current congressional primary candidate of RI, Mr Bob Lancia, MA community leader Mr Nam Pham & Ex-congressman Paul Hodge. NH Congresswoman Annie Kuster sent her tribute via pre- recorded video.
The speakers spoke of intense personal experiences and talked about how these sacrifices have given us the freedom and the way of life that we enjoy today. Speakers also urged people to remember on a daily basis the ultimate sacrifice given by our heroes.
In a year where we lost 93 veterans to COVID in HOLYOKE, Massachusetts, dedicated time was given to share experiences of COVID survivors and front line doctors fighting this ongoing battle. IAGB’s very own, past president Mr Anil Sehgal, shared his own experience of a successful battle that he had to take against coronavirus. Dr Charudutt Paranjpe & Dr Rekha Bhandari shared their own experiences of fighting this virus from front lines and offered advice to veterans and senior citizens.
In this time of being “Alone Together” More than 50 people, including many veterans and ex IAGB officers, joined this virtual parade on ZOOM and session was viewed by more than 3400 people across all of New England area.
So take the time, not just on Memorial Day but every day, and take a moment to say thank you to our fallen heroes. For those who never left the battlefields, we must hold them up in our heart and continue honour their memories.
#bhaagiagbbhaag Virtual Walk/Run was one of IAGB’s successful fundraising events that brought people together, virtually, to get up and get moving! In this mission, people were reminded to do their physical exercise, especially during these unusual times when everyone is working from home and it is very difficult to get physical activity unless an event of this kind is organized.
It was a hot day on 20th June 2020, temperatures were expected to touch nearly 100 degrees, and it did turn out to be the hottest day so far this summer. But, in spite of being over 80 degrees in the morning; starting at 8 AM, we were joined by over 200 participants all over the New England area to run/walk on Bhaag IAGB Bhaag day, individually but together. Each of the participants during the process were encouraged to post on social media using the #BhaagIAGBBhaag at the end of their walk/run. Please have a look at this video of the pictures that were posted using the #BhaagIAGBBhaag: We were amazed to see people from the community supporting this mission by wearing IAGB T-shirts and tagging their pictures on social media, making this beautiful event go viral. We are so thankful and ever grateful for all the people who came together for this. You guys rock!
Congratulations to one and all for helping us raise over $5000 towards our IAGB Cares Relief fundraising effort for local food banks and homeless shelters. IAGB as promised will match every dollar up to $10,000.00 through our “IAGB Cares Relief Fund”. Our sincere thanks to T-shirt sponsors: Leader Bank(Sushil Tuli), Bleumi (Thomas Arul), Lakshmi P. Thalanki DMD, MS(Family Orthodontics of Cambridge & Hudson), and Shova Sharma of New York Life Insurance, Million Dollar Round Table agent.
In the meanwhile, enjoy this super cool video of all of us individually yet showing “WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER”!
IAGB Community Youth Excellence Awards 2020: Call for Nominations
Supriya Shekar
IAGB is pleased to invite nominations for the prestigious “IAGB Community Youth Excellence” award. Anyone – including parents, friends and relatives – can nominate a student. Students can also nominate themselves. The deadline is July 31, 2020.
IAGB will recognize a maximum of two students, who demonstrate extraordinary achievement in one or more of the following areas:
Community Service
Academics
Arts and music
Sports
Exceptional service of an altruistic nature for the greater good of the community
Eligible nominees must be rising junior or senior high school students of Indian origin, who reside and attend school in the New England Area.
Required Documentation
Submit nominations with the following required supporting documentation by July 31 to [email protected]:
Student/school/town name, and student contact details (email, telephone number and address).
A one space two-page essay in Microsoft Word on:
How has Coronavirus affected your education and personal development? How has school closure led to new study solutions?
List major achievements in detail, using separate pages for each area of achievement. Include any supporting documents such as images, videos, etc.
If nomination is made by someone other than the nominee, include the name of the nominating person and contact details.
The awardees will be notified via email and recognized at India Day Festival 2020 on August 15th. If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected].
Traditional India Day celebration with large gatherings isn’t possible due to COVID-19, however IAGB would be celebrating in a very unique and creative way. For more details on India Day 2020 and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.iagb.org
ABOUT IAGB
India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) is the oldest and one of the leading Indian-American organizations in New England. It is a non-profit, non-political, and
non-religious organization, serveings the Indian American communities in the New England region. IAGB strives to foster a strong Indian- American social, cultural and community presence in New England.
SEWA and IAGB raised funds for local pantries, in partnership with local community organizations
As the COVID-19 crisis deepened, the local pantries were flooded with more people needing the basic food items while the food and monetary donations dried up, and they were in dire need of food supplies. India Association of Greater Boston(IAGB), partnered with SEWA international – Boston to help raise funds for local pantries and shelters. We are grateful to the Sewa team for providing a platform for everyone to come together, volunteer, help each other, and give back to the community during these challenging times. The funds were distributed to five local pantries in the New England region, including Nashua Soup Kitchen, and People Helping People / Burlington Food Pantry.
IAGB extends free daily live online yoga sessions – Guru Samaga
IAGB has extended and continues to offer free online live tele-yoga sessions, specifically designed to help well-being during this stressful time. We are partnering with NationalInstitute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) and its Integrated Centre for Yoga (NICY) located in Bengaluru to offer the yoga sessions. Initially, the yoga sessions were offered 5-days a week for four weeks in April. We saw upwards of 65 people attending these sessions regularly, and people from all over are benefitting from these sessions.
The overwhelming response compelled us to extend the yoga session beyond the initial four-week offering. These free yoga sessions are currently running for an hour on weekdays, starting at 7 am. The focus is on breathing exercises, pranayama, and meditation. The entire course is carefully planned based on scientific research and data. For more information and joining the sessions, please click https://www.iagb.org/yoga-covid19/.
IAGB in partnership with NIMHANS (National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences) and its Integrated Center for Yoga (NICY), Bengaluru, India, also organized a special power-packed 3.5-hour session with several experts and panelists from India and the USA sharing their experiences on the International Day of Yoga on June 21. The program started with a live yoga session, followed by an overview of the scientific/medical research data related to mental health through a webinar headed by Padmashri Dr. B.N. Gangadhar. Well renowned yoga practitioner and an eminent Physician/Yoga expert and the Director of SVYASA University, Dr. Nagarathna, in her presentation titled “Yoga for mental health” covered many aspects of her and her institute’s work and highlighted the important aspects of practicing yoga as a family. Following that, a moving video message by Sadguru, Founder of ISHA, specifically focused on people living in the USA was shared. In the next the segment, Harvard University Faculty, Prof. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, shared a presentation on “Yoga for stress.” and showcasing the strides yoga research is making in academia. The final segment of the day involved a panel discussion on “Yoga in Modern Life and Healthy Life Style.” The well-known ayurvedic medicine practitioner, Dr. Jyoti C Hinduja, and yoga practitioners Ram Chelkhara from the Art of Living Foundation, Jay Gupta from ‘Yoga Caps,’ Mr. Dev Lingadevaru from Bramhakumaris, and Mr. Narendra Karapakula from ‘Bharatiya Yog Sansthan’ participated in the panel discussion. Over 180 people attended the entire program.
As American poet Robert Frost said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words”.
Meena Kaushik
Often while rushing through the humdrum of life I’d find myself repeating the lines. “What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare” by WH Davies.
What else would aptly define the busyness of the day, when to-do lists were longer than the arm, yet life silently begged for us to stand a while and just be?
My love of poetry started in middle school, where English teachers made poetry come alive – the passion they infused the class with, the debates they encouraged that kept me engaged.
Reading the English translations of Nobel Laureate Tagore and Kalidasa made me wonder about the beauty of the originals and how much more powerful they would have been!
I count among my favorites Byron, Keats, Shelley, Tagore, Kalidasa to name a few.
I fell in love with poetry in general and especially with “Bangle Sellers” by Sarojini Naidu.
The poem that describes the journey of a young girl through her life with colors of bangles, the bangles that she wears at every stage in her life – why does it stop after the woman becomes a wife and a mother. Why wasn’t there a bangle color after that stage in her life? This was a question that has often bothered me.
Poetry has been a part of my life even after graduating school. Like everyone who loves Bollywood, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the sheer magic of Bollywood lyrics.
Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Majrooh Sultanpuri amongst so many others gave word to songs to suit every mood. If you can’t find a poem to express in Bollywood song what you’re feeling, you just haven’t looked hard enough!
Of my current favorites is this gem, that I can’t resist sharing, penned by Javed Akhtar from the movie “Kal Ho Na Ho”
“Chaahe jo tumhe poore dil se
Milta hai woh mushkil se
Aisa jo koi kahin hai
Bas wohi sabse hasin hai”
Poetry transports us to another world – a world of mystique, a world of fantasy, a world of hope. It is therapeutic – a way to process experiences and emotions. Poetry enriches, challenges, empowers and inspires the human spirit.
Poetry steps in to provide solace, reduce tensions and give us hope. To fill in the silence with meter, words said and unsaid. Poetry is that balm that heals the soul, a salve to wounds that we were yet unaware of.
In these unexpected times, when families are cooped up in close quarters, we have a greater appreciation of solitude.
If I were to sum it up in verse-
“They flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude.
And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils”.
——-
Some of my favorites are listed here- [need links for poems]
I wandered lonely as a cloud – William Wordsworth
Bangle Sellers – Sarojini Naidu
The Elegy on the death of a Mad Dog – Oliver Goldsmith
