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Newsletters 2021

Community Conversations

1-Sripad Sunder

Sripad Sunder

“Christmas is all about getting candies. And Santa will give presents to only those kids who are good and cool to the rest of the kids who are naughty.”

2-Keerthana Yalamarthi

Keerthana Yalamarthi

“This Christmas I will be spending time with friends and family. I am also looking forward to getting good presents. Excited to decorate the Christmas tree. This time is also about giving to the homeless people and donating toys and clothes to foster care kids. I enjoy doing these activities.”

3-Vennela Neelakantham

Vennela Neelakantham

“Christmas is a joyous time of the year when you spend time with family and friends. It’s all about giving, caring, visiting Santa, luminous decorations, and exchanging gifts. I like decorating a Christmas tree with ornaments and lights. There is an excited buzz in the air on Christmas eve, as children go to bed knowing they will get to open presents in the morning.”

4-Agasthyamohan Gembali

Agasthyamohan Gembali

“What I think Christmas is:
Vacation! – An excuse for sleeping in – Catching up on some work – Maybe some free time to play board games and video games
Snowstorms – They are just cool to look at
Christmas trees – I’m concerned about cutting down trees
Santa Claus – He’s a part of Christmas, but I don’t believe that he is real
Presents – Even though I don’t get any, it’s fun to think about what my parents will surprise me with.”

 

Aarushi Pant

Aarushi Pant

“The winter holidays are a time when we celebrate the joys of spending time indoors with family, cooking large meals, and giving gifts to others! I look forward to the feelings of community and cheer that the holidays bring!”

Sarina Chand

Sarina Chand

“The thing I look forward to the most during Christmas is the feeling of joy. I love how everyone is so happy, and we all get to be together. I love that we get to spend time with family, and cozily watch the snow fall. I can’t wait till Winter and Christmas!!”

iagb spotlight

Valsamma Vargise

Valsamma Vargise is a mother, a grandmother, a scientist, a student of religion, a community organizer – but at the heart of it all, she is a passionate gardener. She has the innate understanding of a true gardener that nourishing the roots helps life blossom. And that shows through the life she has cultivated for herself and her community.

Valsamma arrived in the USA from Thiruvalla in Kerala as a Master’s student and she has made New England her home since the mid-1970’s. Along with raising their own kids, she and her husband Joseph were also deeply involved in building a community, i.e. Kerala Association of New England. They both served the organization in various roles and she led it as the President in 1993-94. KANE was established in 1970 and in those early years there were 50-60 Malayali families involved in the organization. “Being so young and so far from home we embraced our friends from KANE as our surrogate family. With love and care from this family we established a new life here, all the while staying connected to our culture and heritage,” says Valsamma. Commitment to KANE was a family affair as her kids and now grandkids too have got family through the organization. As she affectionately recounts all the times and ways her life has been enriched by the KANE family, the symbiosis between patrons and the organization becomes evident.

Even today Valsamma is serving her community as an Executive Committee member and has immersed herself in various informal ways to stay engaged with it. That gives her a platform to meet new people, to build friendships, and above all to provide motherly support to many others. Today the KANE family has grown multifold. She acknowledges that the younger generation is very talented and believes that the organization is still serving its purpose. She thinks that people of her generation can and should function as a bridge between two cultures that the younger generations of Indians are trying to navigate through. Valsamma has experienced the benefits of doing things together, the extra support and sense of belonging one gets from within an organization. And now once again, she is busy offering that comfort zone to others. In turn, she gets more energized.

We wish to applaud Valsamma Vargise for her keen understanding and commitment!

Dharohar

Dharohar – Bhuj, Gujarat

An integral part of India’s legacy and heritage (dharohar) are its cities, towns, and villages. History awaits at every corner of India, whether it’s a lost legend, a well-preserved palace, or a village bazaar. Through our ‘Dharohar’ section we will bring to you some of India’s treasured places.

This month we showcase Bhuj, a municipality city in the state of Gujarat. Bhuj is known as a desert city, with its history dating back to kingdoms and empires, ancient temples, and traditional handicrafts. As we write this, Bhuj is a happening and busy destination during the Runn Utsav, that celebrates the marvels of nature at the White Desert and the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Kutch. Runn Utsav began as a three-day festival in 2005, and is now a 100-day festival, with this year running from November 01 2021 to February 20 2022. The celebratory festival begins in Bhuj, and goes around the district with a grand finale of the festival at Rann Utsav Tent City at Dhordo, a village near Rann of Kutch.

 

Scenic,View,Of,Hamirsar,Lake,With,Swaminarayan,Temple,And,Bhujya

Historians says that Bhuj got its name from the mountain range, Bhujiyo Dungar hillock that overlooks the city about 3 km from the city center.
The land of Bhuj is home to many historical sites – Aaina Mahal palace, or ‘Hall of Mirrors’ which was built in the middle of the 18th century, and Prag Mahal built from Italian marble and sandstone, with its clock tower offering panoramic view of Bhuj.
As you traverse through Bhuj, another attraction is Hamirsar Lake located in the heart of Bhuj. Bhuj is known for hot and dry summers, and this lake is considered an oasis between saline and arid Kutch.
Mandvi beach in Bhuj is another place to visit when on the northwestern coast of India for its beautiful, idyllic serenity. Take a long walk along the shore as you witness the sun setting over the horizon, or go for bird spotting and discover the beauty of Kutch through its fauna.
Lastly, visit to Bhuj will be incomplete without exploring the Great Rann of Kutch, the pristine white salt desert which stretches from the mouth of River Indus to the Gulf of Kutch. The contrasting landscape of the White Desert is one of a kind in India and draws tourists in large numbers.

 

Handmade,Colorful,embroidered,Clutch/bags,For,Sale,In,Kutch/gujarat/india.
Prag,Mahal,And,Aaina,Mahal,From,Bhuj,Gujarat,India
Camel,In,White,Dessert,,Landscape,Photography,And,Handicraft,Work,On

Being an incredibly beautiful, picturesque and colorful city, Bhuj is also an excellent community of craftsmen. The items on display in bazaars include embroidered quilts, wall hangings, glass beadwork, vegetable color dye printing, embroidered garments, tie and dye, ‘Rogan’ art, woolen shawls.

Bhuj is connected to all major cities of Gujarat through the Rudra Mata Airport, Bhuj Railway Station and through state transport buses, and private buses. Bhuj is definitely a fascinating tourist attraction with gigantic palaces and amazing handicrafts to explore.

Sources:
https://www.holidify.com/places/bhuj/
https://www.gujarattourism.com/fair-and-festival/rann-utsav.html
https://www.rannutsav.com/
https://www.gujaratplaces.in/

Event Recap

Veterans Day Parade 2021

On Nov 6th of 2021 IAGB joined the Boston Veterans day parade in paying tribute to our Veterans and thanking them for their service. The parade began at the corner of Charles street and Boylston street and marched to the Government center. The morning air was crisp and cool, with school bands playing their instrument, young cadets practicing just before the parade, members of armed forces, veterans and first responders leading the parade and Boston’s iconic duck boat ready to seat the honorable veterans and their families. For the very first-time team IAGB was also getting ready among the other local community organizations to honor the service and sacrifice of all who have served and those who continue to serve.

As the parade began, the band played, and people cheered thanking our men and women and their families. This parade brings unity and hope across all communities. Together we celebrate and honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. The town appreciated all the participants and the cheering crowd. And IAGB got an opportunity to thank the veterans who attended the parade.

This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in service and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. In 1954, the holiday was changed to ‘Veterans Day’ in order to account for all veterans in all wars.

IAGB intends to continue to honor our veterans.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated during our Thanksgiving Food drive! Together we delivered 896 lbs of groceries, serving 37 needy families with thanksgiving bags – to ‘Merrimack Valley Food Bank’, Lowell and ‘Project Just Because Inc.’, Hopkinton. Each bag contained essentials for the thanksgiving feast- mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, dessert mixes, and a few other necessities. Each bag also included a grocery store gift card for families to complete their meal with their choice of bird. We at IAGB thank all our donors for their generous donations!

IAGB Director Pallavi Datar led this food drive with help from Santosh Salvi (IAGB Director) who managed Nashua and surrounding towns’ donations.
We can’t thank enough our volunteers: Devki Mahambrey Salvi lead and managed ‘Project Just Because Inc.’ food drive in Hopkinton. And Jeyanthi Ghatraju managed our Westford collections location. Without their help, this drive would not have been possible.

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IAGB Youth Corner

IAGB Youth Opportunities Column and Raising Awareness

IAGB Youth Spotlight:
Who: 25 and under
When: Submissions are due by December 15th.
Nomination form: https://forms.gle/yNMAZNBDeNB9c14SA
Inviting nominations for October IAGB Youth Spotlights! The IAGB youth initiative spotlights talented local youth who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to art, sports, or the community! Nominees must be 25 years of age or younger, and they must have lived in the New England area.

STEM-Away Summer Internships:
Who: College students and junior professionals. Limited spots are available for high school students
When: Applications are due March 31st.
Apply here: https://stemaway.com/apply
Are you interested in a career in STEM? Apply for a virtual STEM-Away summer internship! These are free educational remote internships for students to learn, collaborate, and prove their value based on their merit and ability. Students will become work-ready with critical technical & soft skills and complete projects in the Bioinformatics, Cloud Computing, Full Stack, Hardware Engineering, Machine Learning, or UX and UI pathways. Find out more here: https://stemaway.com/

IAGB Youth Engagement

IAGB Youth; a platform for Youth of Indian heritage to help them develop leadership skills, the skills they need to identify pressing issues in the communities in the New England area, amid racism, poverty, violence, as well as rapidly changing environment, and tap into their own and their communities’ strengths to create positive change.

Lend our youth voices to shape policies that empower youth to achieve equity, opportunity and enrich ourselves and our community. Understand what it means to be Indian American, and stay connected to our rich heritage.

The IAGB Youth Team is recruiting!!
Who: Grades 8-12
When: Meet once per month
Students will coordinate and engage in several community activities. Community service hours are available, as well as leadership opportunities!
If you have any questions or if you are interested in joining, send an email to [email protected]

 

Art and Music Spotlight

Sreya Sankara senior at Shrewsbury High school, has trained in classical singing from her early childhood. She began learning music with her mother, Smt. Uma Sankar, at the Sruthilayaa School of Carnatic Music and continues to hone her skills with Kalaimamani-award- winner Dr. Suryaprakash in India. After completing her arangetram at the age of 15, she has performed many concerts with prestigious organizations in both India and the US such as at the Arkay Convention Center and the Srinivasa Sastri Hall in Chennai, at the Inauguration of Federation of Sabhas, at Gana Mukundapriya, at the Ananya Shelters in Coimbatore, at Gandharva Gana Sabha, at the Ragamalika Television ticketed program, with the Karnatic Hindustani Music Circle, with Shreyomayā, and with the Mridangam Shankara Narayanan Academy of Fine Arts Foundation.  

Shreya shankar

Sreya has also performed for fundraisers for Vision Aid, Sankara Netralaya, and Gandharva Gana Sabha, which supports disadvantaged older women in India by providing shelter, food and medical help. Additionally, she has been selected for a fellowship program for Indian Raga 2020 and has won many competitions in the Boston area. For three years in a row, Sreya has placed highly at the prestigious Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana. She received the Lokvani Rising Star Award and the M.S. Subbulakshmi award from the Carnatic Alchemy project. In college, she wants to further her musical accomplishments by studying music, and she wishes to work for record labels and Broadway, hoping to release her own albums soon.

~ IAGB Youth Editorial Director, Aarushi Pant

Community Ties

Meals-On-Wheels for Desi Senior Citizens – Gouri Banerjee

Starting November 3rd. 2021, Friends of Indian Senior Citizen’s Organization (FISCO), in collaboration with Minuteman Senior Services of Bedford, and Home Kitchen, Inc. of Dedham, will deliver meals to seniors. This new and exciting program offers fresh, hot, vegetarian food delivered to your homes on weekly (tiffin Services) to the seniors, who no longer able to prepare their own meals. If you are over the age of 85, and meet income guidelines you can have your meals subsidized further by Minuteman Senior Services. If you are below the age of 85 you too, can order meals, but the cost will be little higher. 

Meals-On-Wheels is a nutrition program for seniors supported by the federal government. The FISCO program is the first one catering to desi tastes and food preferences and cooked in a desi kitchen.
The program offers total of 10 (16 oz containers) meals per week at a cost of $78, delivered to your home if you are over the age of 65. Here is a sample Menu.

Gujarati Dal (Split Pigeon peas soup)
Kadhi
Cabbage with potatoes
Paneer Masala
Rasawala Chora (black eyed beans with gravy)
Sukhi Bhaji (Masala potato)
Idli & Sambhar
Dill leaves lentils
Spinach & Eggplant
Rice
Includes 5 Chapatis and 4 oz yogurt Raita

For now, meals will be delivered in selected towns only with the help of volunteers. Participants can choose which weeks they want food by filling out an online form.

For more details and to determine if you qualify for the program please contact –

Mr. Raman Gandhi, President of FISCO 309-453-7104, [email protected]
Or Ms. Rita Shah, Founder of FISCO, 339- 234-0738, [email protected]

FISCO encourages all seniors to order meals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion or ethnicity. For the online meal reservation form please click here at www.thefisco.org

Home Kitchen is an Indian fusion takeout restaurant in Needham, MA. They specialize in sourcing local ingredients to make delicious, fresh home-cooked meals. They also provide weekly tiffin/meal plans. They have a robust catering menu and homemade mithais.

Come check us out online (homekitcheninc.com) or in person to see our special Diwali menu of traditional snacks and sweets, feel free to order online or call us.


They are holding a Diwali mithai mela this Sunday from 11am-3pm at 324 Chestnut St, Needham For more information contact them at: [email protected] or (781)-347-2233. Hope to see you there

President’s Note

Hello!

It’s my pleasure to welcome you all as the President along with the new IAGB team. Over the past years, we have embarked on a journey to establish close community relations and bring meaningful initiatives to the community. Your IAGB Team believes that there’s nothing unattainable when a community comes together. The goal of this new team is to empower the local Indian American community in civic matters; engage and reconnect our community through enriching activities; be resourceful for our seniors; and establish community level connections with our youth.

Your current IAGB team is just as eclectic as the community we represent. They are eager to serve and carry forward IAGB initiatives. See below a word bubble of our collective thoughts on what IAGB means to the greater Indian American community.
Keep an eye out for our newsletters to find the upcoming

activities and join in wherever you can. We also encourage and invite you to ask questions, share your knowledge, and continue to be an integral part of this community.

~Vaishali Gade

Art and Music Spotlight

Shriya Srinivas, a dancer and designer based in the Boston area, has had art at the forefront of her life since a young age. At the age of five, she began dancing Bharatnatyam under the tutelage of Guru Sridevi Ajai Thirumalai. Incredibly skilled in both Nritta, the art of pure dance, and Abhinaya, the art of expression, Shriya has truly perfected the over 2000-year-old art form, performing her arangetram at the age of 14. The past 19 years with Guru Sridevi has instilled in Shriya an immense love for the dance form and she continues to learn with immense passion. Over the years, Shriya has performed for many prestigious organizations in USA and India such as Yuva Bharati at CA, ICCR, Indian Institute of World Culture, Shantala Arts Festival, Ananya at Bangalore, Gana Mukundhapriya at Chennai as well as several group productions from her dance school. 

Shriya Srinivas
SHRIYA2
Shriya1

Shriya has also won competitions such as the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana competition. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Northeastern University, Shriya works as a graphic designer in the Boston Area. She freelances design projects for the community and especially loves combining her love for dance with design in different ways. Dreaming of running her own dance school someday,

“I thank my parents every day that they put such an emphasis on the arts in our family. They have always encouraged me to follow my passions.” – Shriya Srinivas

~ IAGB Youth Editorial Director, Aarushi Pant

Shriya Srinivas, a dancer and designer based in the Boston area, has had art at the forefront of her life since a young age. At the age of five, she began dancing Bharatnatyam under the tutelage of Guru Sridevi Ajai Thirumalai. Incredibly skilled in both Nritta, the art of pure dance, and Abhinaya, the art of expression, Shriya has truly perfected the over 2000-year-old art form, performing her arangetram at the age of 14. The past 19 years with Guru Sridevi has instilled in Shriya an immense love for the dance form and she continues to learn with immense passion. Over the years, Shriya has performed for many prestigious organizations in USA and India such as Yuva Bharati at CA, ICCR, Indian Institute of World Culture, Shantala Arts Festival, Ananya at Bangalore, Gana Mukundhapriya at Chennai as well as several group productions from her dance school. Shriya has also won competitions such as the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana competition. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Northeastern University, Shriya works as a graphic designer in the Boston Area. She freelances design projects for the community and especially loves combining her love for dance with design in different ways. Dreaming of running her own dance school someday, she says, “I thank my parents every day that they put such an emphasis on the arts in our family. They have always encouraged me to follow my passions.”

~ IAGB Youth Editorial Director, Aarushi Pant

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