33rd Fiji National Day

Official 33rd Fiji National Day celebrated in Hayward


Hayward, CA: About 250 people gathered at Mt. Eden Park in Hayward, many in colorful authentic Fijian costumes to kick off a 3-day celebration of the 33rd Fiji National day on Oct 10, 2003. Under the theme of “Celebrate Our Fiji”, the guest of honor for the day was Ambassador of Fiji Hon. Anare Jale. The local hosts were Honorary Consul General of Fiji-SF Bay Area Dr Narayan Raju, who spoke about celebrating unity amongst the multi cultural and multi racial Fijians. The city of Hayward was represented by Mayor Ms Roberta Cooper who greeted the attendees in Fijian. Also in attendance were several official delegates and appointees of the Government of Fiji.

In a short address, Ambassador Jale gave a positive message to the Fiji-Americans, and reminded them that the two-day event was meant to celebrate the diverse Fijian cultures and traditions and to help in promoting Fiji as a unique tourist destination. He added that last year the remittances by Fiji-Americans were about $116 million, almost 20% of the GDP of Fiji.

Ms. Rigiata Takai of Sacramento with her 3-year old son Joshua Takai in attendance agreed with Mrs. Pronita Sikka of Union City who said “This is the first time I am attending a celebration of Fiji National day in USA, in 30 years and am very happy to be a part of it.”

The opening day included a welcome ceremony, cultural presentations and rugby, netball and volleyball competitions. Proudly dressed in colorful costumes, several teams came from all over USA took part in the opening day celebration march and parade, along with a special netball team flown in from Fiji. Mrs. Mere Delai of Los Angeles explained the traditional Yaqona celebration involving offering of the Kava grog to the various “chiefs: in attendance. Various sports games were played all day, with several Rugby teams coming from all over the country. The opening night presentations had a theme of "Island Night"
Saturday's events at Centennial Park in Hayward included more rugby, netball and volleyball. Highlighting community service, a free health clinic was also held. Children's games and cultural presentation was also held to finish with an "Awards Night" event. Inter Faith Church services to celebrate Thanksgiving was held in Sacramento on Sunday.

For more information log onto www.fijiday.com or www.indofiji.com.

Sam Rao

Oakland, CA:
Raja Gobi, volunteer for VIBHA, drove all the way from Sunnyvale for the 1st American India Foundation (AIF) summit on Sunday June 8, 2003. He was curious of the line up of ‘star’ NGO’s - several who were flown in from India - the speakers included Sushma Iyengar of Abhiyan (Gujarat), Dr Kiran Bedi - currently on assignment at the U.N. in New York, Actress Waheeda Rehman, spokesperson for Pratham, Inc.

About 150 people gathered at the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland - for the first Annual AIF also featuring grass root activists Ms. Inderjit Khurana of Ruchika (Orissa), Dr Madhav Chavan of Pratham, Ms. Saraswathy Ramsamy - a teacher at a AIF supported Madras Seva Sadhan school in Chennai.

Although the ticket prices were $50 and $25, most attendees seemed to be AIF volunteers or from local non-profit organizations, who were given a few free tickets to attend the conference. Planned as a big production - the whole day affair was a cross between a banquet and a traditional conference. Tables laid out in a dinner style setting greeted the attendees, with a small-stage set up, with a video projection screen and the AIF flag banner - laid out in Indian tricolors. The total budget for the all day conference was $30,000 - according to Ms Tania Ashraf, Office Manager of AIF.

This included the evening concert presented by AIF with the help of professional promoter Ms. Prabha Gopal of Bay Area Performing Arts. The concert was ticketed separately and featured Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, and a Jazz-fusion ensemble - who all agreed to make the appearance for a discounted rate.

Director of Fundraising Ms. Lakshmi Pratury, a full time employee of AIF, was the MC for the day introduced the first video outlining the vision of AIF, featuring Founder-President Ms. Lata Krishnan, and some highlights of AIF’s accomplishments. The video also carried statements of support of ex -President Bill Clinton- who was a spokeespperson for the AIF Gujarat fundraising campaign. It is reported that President Clinton charged $50,000 for his appearance at the Silicon Valley fundraiser soon after the earthquake.

The collateral at the conference included glossy, professional Annual report and event program guide. A quick read reveals that enormous allocations were designated to Gujarat earthquake relief efforts, designated by donors in restricted category. About $1.3 million of this amount has been released due to “satisfaction of purpose restriction “.

About $1.09 Million of the total revenue amount of $4.18 million went into grant making activities, while expenses of programs services was about $576,000 (12%). The costs for fundraising were 17% ($539,000) and Costs of Management & General was 7% ($361,000). There are 7 staff persons in AIF-USA- currently operating in New York and Silicon Valley, and 5 staff members in New Delhi and Bangalore; several of who flew in for the AIF summit in Silicon Valley.

The staff includes Mr. Shankar Venkateswaran, Ex IIT-Madras, IIM graduate- who runs the office professionally from Delhi. “ We have just concluded a 3-month training for the 20 youth in AIF service corps 2003” said Venkateswaran, adding “there were a lot of lessons learnt from the (first) AIF service corps of 22 young people placed in Gujarat- after the earthquake.” Asked about local partnerships of paid indigenous volunteers in India, Venkateswaran revealed that there were no plans to do so in the immediate future- although AIF was linked to similar local NGO’s like Mitra, Prava etc. The current project undertaken by AIF is the Karuna Trust in Yelandur, Karnataka- under the guidance of 2000 Padmashree awardee Dr. Sudarshan, of Swami Vivekanada Movement. This project is in partnership with US based India Literacy Project (ILP) to promote “rural children’s education and literacy”.

Speaking first Ms. Lata Krishnan reminded the audience of Astronaut Kalpana Chawla- who came from a small town in Karnal, Haryana- and persevered to earn her doctorate in USA, and went on to be a trailblazer and role model for all in the world. Citing Chawla as an example of “Diamond in the rough”, Krishnan reiterated the goals of AIF to focus on primary education and Economic empowerment of women. She concluded with an oft-repeated paraphrase of M.K. Gandhi “Be the change that you wish to be”.

Speaking next, Mayor of Oaland Jerry Brown- spoke in his usual dry-humorous fashion. He reminded all of the difficulty of promoting individualism while maintaining calm for collective good. Mayor Brown spoke about challenges in education faced in Oakland- in which 4,000 students in 9th grade reduced to 1,600 students at end of high school, of which a mere 400 applied for College. He also asked AIF for a ‘Couple of Service Corp members to help in Oakland”. Actress Waheeda Rehman spoke elegantly next -as an official spokesperson for Pratham, Inc.- focussing on pre-school and primary education for Children, followed by Dr Asutosh Varshney-of University of Michigan- who spoke of the economic and other impact of Gujarat riots, while promoting his newly published book.

Commenting on the total cost of production and collateral, attendee Sunil Erraballi-while applauding longtime supporter Lata Krishnan and others for their vision to create a foundation said,”the entire years budget for 3 schools for the whole year- including education, materials, infrastructure costs and building access roads etc costs $50,000 for the whole year.” Erraballi supports schools in Medak and Warangal, A.P.

Pratham, Inc., founder Dr Madhav Chawan- has been fundraising and promoting successfully for the past few years. He spoke about the successes of Pratham, Inc., in imparting “Mass scale primary education” with the help of local industry and business. He spoke about succeeding in influencing the government to take an active role in setting up projects modeled after Pratham’s foray into mass education. Speaker Maya Ajmera- raised in USA-runs Global Fund for Women, a global grant-making fund for children all over the world and also publishes a children’s book publishing venture.

Ms. Inderjit Khurana of Ruchika spoke of her projects of teaching schools on Railway platforms and rapidly expanding into neighboring slums. Ms. Saraswathy Ramsamy runs the Madras Seva Sadan School of 1,200 girls-mostly from the Coolie labor worker families in Chennai. The School is about 2 miles for the famous Loyola College in Chennai. She is supported by AIF’s Digital Equalizer program- supplying computers, Internet and training. A true grassroots heroine, Ms Ramasamy has fought the battle on the ground, and currently operates the school with no running water for bathrooms. She is however happy that AIF has provided computers to her school, and spoke about how teacher-student attitude had changed in designing lessons e.g. the lesson plan for a geography lessons- is more sophisticated- because students are better prepared for class due to access to internet. The thirst for knowledge was evident in all students and the Internet was rapidly expanding the knowledge base of all students.

Continuing the “internet” theme, Iran-born Venture Capitalist and co-founder of Cirrus Logic Kamran Elahian, spoke about his personal role models migrating from Che Guevara as a teenager to M.K Gandhi. He spoke about the importance of educating the next-generation- commenting “this generation is all screwed up, with more wars in this generation than ever before.” Elahian stated that the internet and access to information was an answer many problems of development - while briefly touching upon the need for electricity and other infrastructure as major issues in many developing countries. Elahian is the founder of Schools-on-line, and stated as his goal “to encourage children to grow up free and think free- not easily targeted by local politicians or incited by religious leaders- ensuring a better future for all.

Sridhar Iyengar, current President of TIE -The Indus Entrepreneur spoke about “Wealth and Value creation and giving back to the community, and saw AIF as an extension of a lot of programs at TiE; with elements of Mentoring, Networking and Educating others as a common goal. Vikram Akula CEO of SKS micro finance- made a pitch for micro-financing enterprises. Sushama Iyengar of Abhiyan Gujarat presented some post relief efforts in Gujarat and spoke about the need for communal harmony in many aspects of life. Local Palo-Alto based activist Kavita Ramdas, CEO of Global Fund For Women, spoke about two nations of India and Pakistan coming together, celebrating shared heritage. Ramdas spoke about reallocating much needed resources, currently spent on defense, towards social development.

Representative of local NPO’s like India Literacy project, VIBHA, ASHA also spoke. This which was best summed by Jairaj Sunderaj of ASHA - who exhorted the audience “To applaud (Clap) not for the projects, not for AIF, but (Clap) for the people who are actually doing the work, on the ground in India.”

AIF is a noble idea, which grew as an aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake relief efforts. AIF-Silicon Valley group including Lata Krishnan, Lakshmi Pratury are to be commended for their effort in creating a professional grant-making Foundation, while roping in many luminaries, who created wealth in the USA. With a little better advice, and possibly a “Bottom-Up” approach to social engineering, rather than “Top-Down” approach, many genuine grassroots projects can and will be supported, as AIF is here to stay. It is refreshing that many AIF readily staff admit the humble realization that social service is not a walk in the park, even for those who were lucky enough to earn wealth in the corporate field in the USA.

For more information, visit www.aifoundation.org, www.ashanet.org, www.prathamusa.org, www.schoolsonline.org, www.ilpnet.org

Sam Rao
Email :

ASHA Marathon -ASHA Marathoners for Education


“Commitment! Inspiration! Health! A Good Cause!” were exclamations often heard at the registration desk at the 4th ASHA Marathon 2003 Kick-off event, at the Double Tree Hotel, San Jose on Saturday April 25th, 2003. About 60 people attended the curtain raiser for the 4th annual marathon training, in which a number of runners of all skill level, commit to raise money and run a marathon, to support basic education for children in India.

Asha, meaning Hope in Sanskrit, a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization, is doing a yeoman service in promoting literacy and education among children in India. With the start of a fledgling chapter at University of California, Berkley, ASHA has grown since 1991 to over 30 chapters throughout USA, with a presence in Europe and India too. (www.ashanet.org). With every chapter supporting various projects, hundreds of NGOs and their grassroots projects have been supported by ASHA volunteers with their unique fundraising ideas.

In 2000, ASHA-Silicon Valley chapter volunteer Ms.Jayashree Balasubramanium came up with the idea of raising funds by getting sponsors for a challenging 26 mile marathon. This was based on a similar idea used for fundraising by Team in Training (TiT) for Cancer/Leukemia causes. The idea took off with ASHA Silicon Valley volunteers, and 26 people completed the training and Marathon. This fundraising program is called “ASHA-Harbingers of Hope.”
With each runner volunteer having commitment to raise at least $2,600, about $ 70,000 was raised in the first year. ASHA provides accommodation at the Marathon venue and an experienced coach for the duration of the training.

Coaches Tony Fong (since 2000) and Rajiv Patel (since 2001), design the 4-month plan for the marathon, and are available to each runner. “ This (tradition) has continued with 41 runners in 2001 and 52 in 2002. Last year we raised $130,000.” said Naren Revula, who also ran the Marathon in 2001, adding, “We expect about 60 registrants this year.”
Among the attendees were Mrs.Viji Karthikeyan of Milpitas, with 9 month old Nandan in tow, seriously contemplating a run in the marathon. While confessing that she had never run before, Viji said “ I have heard of several others like me, who completed the marathon. This has given me some hope and inspiration.” Another potential candidate was Narayan Unnikrishnan of Chennai, who is quite fit, with regular trips to the gym and kick boxing but has never run a long distance race before. He had a deep conversation with Jairaj Sunderraj, who proudly wore a 2002 “Maui Marathon Finisher” T-shirt.

There were others like first-timer Mukesh Mirchandani, San Jose and second-timer Lalitha Oruganti, Santa Clara, who have already started running on their own to “get in shape for the training”.
The team training concept is explained on the ASHA website as, “it works great for novices and experienced alike as it helps reduce the strain that comes with sustained training and buddy running keeps you motivated and fit throughout your preparation for the big day.” Mr. Rama Jupalli, 28 yr. could not agree more, saying “This year for sure I am participating, with a target of 4.5 hrs finish in mind”.
Citing personal fitness and a good cause, as the reasons for taking the plunge, American born Amy Bhatnagar and 2yr. old daughter Gauri, will work as a support team for husband Mohit in his bid to run his first marathon.

With runners from all walks of life, completing the marathon will indeed be a great achievement for those who decided to commit to bring Asha or Hope, to hundreds of children who benefit from the programs of ASHA for Education.
This year the two marathons supported by ASHA-Silicon Valley are: Royal Victoria Marathon, Canada, Sunday, October 12th 2003; Silicon Valley Marathon, San Jose, CA, Sunday, October 26th 2003.

(For more information and to pledge support for the Marathoners, please visit ASHA Silicon Valley)



Sam Rao

San Francisco, CA: Every spring the cricket season is in bloom in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cricket played with hard leather ball has blossomed to several leagues around the country, including an official US national team. Recently, tennis ball cricket is taking over as one of the primary games by weekend warriors, especially players of Indian origin.
Boosted in popularity by the recent heroics of the Indian national cricket team, young Indian-Americans have taken over the school grounds in the SF Bay area - introducing tennis ball cricket as their game of choice. In fact, in the next two weeks, there are two separate limited-over tennis ball cricket tournaments in the San Francisco bay area.
The Tennis ball Cricket organization (TCA) has been holding tournaments for the past 5 years- and is organized around a knockout tournament in the spring, which helps rank the different teams. This is followed by a round-robin league, to finally decide the championship held in September (www.tennisballcricket.org). Many games are held at the John Horner school in Fremont. For the 5th Annual TCA tournament 2003; about 35 teams have signed up already.
Yet another cricket tournament by - Association of India’s Development (AID), a 501-c-3 registered, non profit organization, called AID CUP, will take place on April 5th and 6th,2003. As a testament to the popularity of tennis ball cricket- already 32 teams have signed up so far for the AID CUP tournament- organized more as a fun event with co-ed teams etc.
Ajay Pal Singh, Sunnyvale, the visionary of the Tennis Ball Cricket league (TCA), says,” When we started (1998-’99), we were overwhelmed with the response, and since then have organized it much better and more professionally.” With about 32 teams taking part in the league tournament, TCA organizers were able to draw several sponsors last year. Due to the current US economy however, the sponsorship is down this year. Until press time, TCA has been able to attract only - Aarisha Dental of Fremont, www.aarishadental.com, as a cosponsor. However, their sponsorship inquiry lists (hopefully), an offer for “exclusive tournament sponsorship” for up to $10,000!
Talking about expense and other issues of organizing the tournament, organizer Giriraj Vengurlekar, originally from Mumbai said, “We get specially made heavy tennis balls- custom made for TCA- from NIVIA Co., from Jullundhar, Punjab. These balls even have the TCA logo embossed on them. “
Sudarshan Reddy of Guntur A.P., now residing in Sunnyvale, is an avid fan of tennis ball cricket. He still recalls his many days spent in the playgrounds in India with a makeshift tree branch as a bat, with a homemade ball of twine. “The fun part about the (tennis ball) game, is that its ideal for a weekend sportsman- and a lot of nostalgia for many of us who have played galli (street) cricket,” said Reddy. Even Sir Garfield Sobers of West Indies- a legend and perhaps the best all-rounder who ever played cricket, has been quoted as saying, “When I cast my mind back to my boyhood in Barbados, I can recall clearly the games of tennis cricket we played on the beaches and in the parklands...”
Mathirajan- the main organizer for AIDCUP explained, “Our motto is ‘Have fun while supporting India’s development!’ AID is a national US nonprofit organization - an this (tournament) is happening in many parts of the US, as a fundraiser for AID (http//aidsfbay.org/aidcup).”, adding “We weren’t sure of the response but are very happy with the signups, also we have kept it as a fun game and are allowing co-ed teams. “AID Cup is a six-a-side tournament. Each team will have 6 players and will get 6 overs to play. The approximate duration for each match is expected to last an hour.
Who knows- along with the fun and games, maybe there is a budding star in the making, at least for the national USA team.

Coincidence Or Karma?
$49.5 Million Lotto Winner is also Lotto ticket seller

Milpitas, CA: Till Friday, October 24, the Badwals were happy that their San Jose 7-11 store had sold one of the winning ticket for the California $99 million jackpot. This entitled the Badwal’s to receive a bonus of $247,500. The beaming 49.5 year old Narinder and his wife Lilla Badwals’s smile got just a little wider on Friday afternoon, when they learnt that they had also won $49.5 million - as a half share of the lotto jackpot. The other winner was revealed to be an aspiring actress in Southern California.

After being alerted by Narinder’s brother to check his own ticket on Friday afternoon, on learning that there was still one unclaimed ticket; Narinder, who was busy at work at his 7-11 store, asked his brother to check his ticket numbers - the same numbers he had played for past four months. “I jumped when my brother rang me and said that I was the winner” said Narinder, at a press conference at Swagat restaurant in Milpitas on Monday.

Re-checking his number, he called his wife to share the good news, who was stunned. Lilla Badwal said “the good news has still not sunk in completely” at the press conference. Electing to take delayed payments of 26 installments, the Badwals - who are married for 25 years- are entitled to about $1.4 million per year - which increases as the years progress to the 26th year final payoff, according to Lotto official Rob Morgan.

On being asked by a Caucasian reporter if they felt they had used up all their Karma, the Badwal’s, who showed extreme poise and genuineness at the Q&A press conference, answered, “Probably it’s our previous life’s Karma (rewarding us)”. The Badwals who came across as a centered and deserving couple, had Charitable giving, family and friends, in mind to share their windfall. “We will donate to Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) - which helps with Eye surgeries for poor people, because everyone needs vision,” adding that they believed in the cause, as their good friend and advisor Jayaram Komati of Swagat restaurant had personally taken up the cause.

Divyogi Patel, a board member of SEF, who attended the press conference, was very pleased with the turn of events, saying “With such blessings and karma, we will complete the Eye hospital project in Andhra Pradesh by January 2004 and get started in Gujarat and Karnataka next. We have already received lots of support for our ‘$1000 from 1000 families Each’ campaign.”

The Badwals, who had a traditional and arranged marriage 25 years ago, have three children-two girls, one a recent college graduate and a boy. They added that they still believe in traditional marriage and no dowry; and their main wish is to a make sure their children turn out good, and all live a healthy and contented life. Narinder has decided to continue running his 16 year old store, and for the time being Lilla will go back to her job as a Security Supervisor at Kaiser Hospital. Narinder also revealed that he had already bought $5 worth of lotto tickets for the next drawing.

As many of his close friends celebrated at Swagat restaurant in Milpitas - one of Badwals’ favorite hang outs; as a bonus the Badwals treated all lunchtime visitors to a free meal.

For more information on Sankara Eye Foundation: www.sefusa.org.

Sam Rao

Fremont library showcases Glimpses of India -
Glimpse Of India - Elegant Show in Fremont

Fremont, CA: An elegant event called “Glimpses of India” - took place at the Fremont Library on Saturday, November 29, 2003. The program and exhibit, which drew over 200 people during the course of the event were co-sponsored by the Alameda County Library-Fremont branch and volunteers from the Indo-American community.

What was especially charming about this event was the quality and theme of the program - befitting a major library in Northern California and since the date was close to International Children’s Day - the program featured Children. Thankfully missing were any speeches or self-promotional agendas. “We appreciate the Library system and the community-at-large which visits it - so we made sure the program depicted the true heritage and information and resources about India,” said coordinator Mr. Gul Wadhwani, who is also Chair of the Fremont Library Commission.

The program started on time with the exhibits and informational tables elegantly set up. They included a section of books on India available at the Fremont library.

An updated map of India, and detailed posters depicting Vedic Mathematics, Sciences-Botany, Metallurgy and other fields proved very popular with children and adults alike. Many American raised Indian children spent time looking for familiar names on maps for the first time. A set of dolls depicting all traditional Indian dance poses, presented by Madhulika Singh of Milpitas, and coloring books with Indian motifs also proved popular with children. Richard Shoreman of Oakdale, a certified US Master in Chess, traced some of the cities he had encountered on the map, and was very pleased with the overall event calling it “short, perfect and sweet”. Kelly Gent of Fremont, said, “We need more programs like this to bring the community together.”

A very beautiful presentation of handicrafts from Kashmir-including music and antiques by Vijayalakshmi and Tara Choudhary of Fremont drew an appreciative crowd. A multimedia presentation on Heritage of India from ancient times, showing contribution sand impact of India to World civilization - presented by Mona Vijaykar of Saratoga, was well suited for the Library audience.

Artist and Teacher Kala Ghaty of Fremont presented her Indian inspired artwork and handicraft design, which resulted in several patrons signing up for classes. Manju Modi and Ami also displayed several types of Indian handicrafts. Surendra Dalal of Dana Bazaar provided a four-foot idol of Lord Krishna.

The music and dance program was varied with classical dances and folk dances by Mudra academy (Bharatnatyam), Pallavi Dance group (Kathak) and Sonia Sanga (Kuchipudi). A Bharatnatyam group dance by Nrithyollasa Dance group trained by Fremont based teacher Indumathy Ganesh was very well received. 5-year old Kimaya Chalpe, trained by Ranjani Manda of Fremont vowed the audience with clear rendition of Vande Mataram and also dancing to a Hindi folk song. For the finale, a cute Bhangra Folk Dance, was presented by Genius kids School by seven kids ranging from 3 year to 5.5 years old, directed by 15 year old Shana Dhillon and Shahdokth Namdarian, and received great applause.

“The Library staff was pleased with the program and some Indian patrons have stepped up and offered to subscribe some Indian language magazines and books to the library system,” reported staff member Karen Picatcho. “Our family thoroughly enjoyed today’s special programs. Especially, the non-Indian community participating. We appreciated presenting the Indian community and heritage in positive way. And (to) get Indian-Americans involved in the community activities,” said Rasesh and Jasmine Parekh of Fremont, with their two kids in attendance.


Sam Rao
Email :

Guruji Ravishankar -One world family tour by Guruji Ravishankar

Palo Alto, CA: In reply to a question, Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar replied “The mission of Art Of living (movement) is ‘To Celebrate Life’ and ‘Smile’ with your heart.” Guruji - as he is called by his devotees - dressed in a pristine, off-white silk Kurta -Dhoti and shawl, with border, addressed a sparsely attended press conference, on May 9, 2003 in Palo Alto, CA. This was at the annual Bay Area retreat, part of the “One World Family” tour, organized by the Art of Living Foundation.

With an ever-present gentle smile on his face, Guruji addressed all questions in his trademark clear and simple fashion. The questions ranged from mildly combative to the uninformed. He gently showed the path promoted by the Art of Living movement (AOL), by painting simple pictures of breathing techniques (Sudarshan Kriya), Stress-free living and Universal values such as Love, Compassion, Service - common to all beliefs and faith based systems.

The press conference was introduced by Francesca Jackson, a full time AOL teacher, travelling with the “One World Family” tour, underway since April 2003. This includes a recently concluded symposium in Houston on “Human Values-Science & Sustainability”, and the upcoming “Uplifting Spirituality” in Berkeley on May 14, 2003. This public talk has several eminent panelists, with the keynote address by Sri Sri Ravishankar. Dr. Evelyn Wesley, President, Merritt College, Oakland will moderate the panel.
Replying to a question on priority of a poor man being more basic, like food and shelter, rather than spirituality, Guruji explained simply, “ Spirituality makes the poor man get more self-esteem, which helps in combating forces which hold him back such as vices, lack of opportunity and lack of confidence”. Adding to that he said, “Spirituality is good for rich people too, as it brings more compassion in them”. He reiterated that “Breath is Universal, and knows no boundaries of rich or poor that is one reason why we focus on the breath”.

On being welcomed to the Bay Area by this reporter, in response he had a message to all people in the Bay Area, saying, “I come here to take your smile and you continue to keep smiling.”, adding with a smile of his own, “We should focus all over the world, and transform the IT (Information Technology) cities to Inner Transformation states.”

Addressing a myriad of questions, regarding negative influences in the world including strife, racism, casteism, and narrow definitions of religion etc., Guruji attributed all such negativity to stress and narrow-mindedness of people. He stressed the need for involving young minds to shape them in universality and oneness of the humanity via programs like AOL’s ARTEXCEL for kids.
Tara Mathur, a young long-term teacher of AOL, also announced an interesting program called “Friends & Family”, which was started in USA after the terrorist incident of 9/11; designed to help alleviate the stress of the families affected by the tragedy.
Ms. Mathur said, “This success has spurred a tangential project, where an AOL trained teacher has been sent to Afghanistan - primarily to work with widows, children and victims of bombings and the war. The recent Iraq war also provided another opportunity to work with the families of soldiers stationed overseas, and also the relatives of Iraqis affected by war.
AOL has networked with already existing family support groups - to offer practical tools to relieve emotional burden.” Later, Guruji announced, “We are looking for (more) Arabic speaking, Iraqi origin citizens to undergo training.
Some will be placed in Iraq within a matter of weeks - once visa and other formalities are cleared.”
Addressing a question on the transformation of a young Al Qaida terrorist named Mohammed Afroze, currently serving life sentence in prison in Mumbai, India. Guruji stated that “After his positive AOL experience, he wrote me in a letter, that he wanted to become an AOL teacher and propagate the message of peace and work for human cause. This (transformation) has shaken up many fundamentalist Islamic leaders”. Commenting on the menace of fundamentalism threatening all humanity; Guruji stated, “Fundamentalism has to be removed from within every person, since terror is bound to cast a shadow on all humanity - of any religion or faith.”
Addressing business ethics and Silicon Valley, Guruji pointed out the example of ENRON, stating. “‘Business, which is based on greed and devoid of spirituality, leads to disaster. Spirituality, after all, is the backbone of ethics.” Further, he added that recently businesses have started to recognize the value of spirituality in the workplace. Guruji asked rhetorically, “Who would not want a happy and content worker - with increased sharpness of mind. So far the business leaders have been held back by the narrow interpretation of the spirituality, which tended to exclude groups of people. Now things have changed”. As an example of increased recognition of the importance of spirituality in daily life including businesses,- Guruji revealed that he was invited to address the Global Anti-Corruption Forum in Seoul, Korea in June 2003.
The cornerstone of the AOL movement is very simplified breathing techniques called Sudarshan Kriya (SK), based on the age-old Vedantic traditions. Also practiced are beliefs of pluralism, while focussing on the universality of Humanity allowing for individual choices of faith and belief systems. As Guruji stated in reply to a question,” We focus on the most universal component of all - the Breath you take; while looking at values which are common in all religions and belief systems; values like Compassion, Love, Mercy etc.” While Guruji often demurs when asked if he is God - as a proponent of self-realization, the entire AOL movement itself is often looked upon, as being built around the Bhakti tradition of total surrender to the divine, and its manifestations, including exalted beings like the Guruji himself.
Preeti Bhat, a recent graduate from Georgia Tech, traveled all the way from Atlanta to be with Guruji on his birthday, May 13th.. Ms. Bhat attributes a lot of positive changes in her life to her continued practice of Sudarshan Kriya (SK) -which she learnt in 1998, saying, “I have better control on my emotions, and I find my decision making is much better due to clarity of thought.” Kokila Shah of Sunnyvale, CA - who runs a day care business, also was ecstatic in the transformation with herself, and those around her, ever since she started SK, adding “I am much more calm and happy, and everything just falls in place - I don’t have to worry.”
The AOL movement is a non-religious, volunteer and service oriented organization and has grown rapidly and spread to over 140 countries with over 2million - SK course participants. In the Bay Area, the cross-section of AOL followers is quite diverse, with a sizeable number being recently arrived younger Indian-Americans. Affiliated sister movements are IAHV- (International Association for Human Values) and 5H- a world wide community service program. 5H refers to Health, Hygine, Homes, Harmony and Human values. One such school project, showcased at the press conference, via videotape, was Veda Vigyan Maha Vidyapeeth (est. 1986), which offers classes from KG to 10th grade, targeted to first generation learners-in local regional language of instruction. After the success of such projects in India-similar models have been successfully attempted in South Africa, Caribbean and elsewhere.
Another program teaching villagers to be selfreliant and involves training of youth to be leaders. This program is called YLTP (Youth Leadership Training program). YLTP has shown impressive results in rural India since its launch, with over 20,000 youth leaders (Yuva Acharya) trained, resulting in 15,000 villages being adopted for 5H projects. Outreach has been to estimated two million people. One thrust being Sanitation, Environment and Health, has resulted in over 15,000 sanitation camps and 3000 medical camps benefiting 400,000 people.
While Guruji’s very presence does light up a room with positive energy - at the same time bestowing a calming influence on the thought process -this profound influence plus being arouundd eager, proactive people - is something to experience!

(For more information: The World tour continues with stops in several North American locations. www.artoflivingsfba.org; www.artofliving.org.)

Sam Rao
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Heritage India Festival

Pleasanton, CA:
The Heritage India Festival lived up to its billing - for the most part. Kudos go to the organizer for doing a good job of showcasing traditional art forms and music etc, to the audience. However, the turnout was lukewarm. About 5,000 people showed up at the two-day Northern California festival, held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, May 17 and 18, 2003.

Co-organized by the Rushi Inc., of Falls Church, VA and Zee TV, “the festival focuses on truly presenting India’s heritage and showcasing it to the mainstream and non-Indian community.” said organizer Shishir and his wife Charu Mishra.
This festival - second in a series of five - was inaugurated in New Jersey on May 10. It has been reported that about 10,000 people showed at the inaugural event in New Jersey.
Several folks of non-Indian origin showed up for the festival, like fashion design student Brea Souza of Tracy CA, as she was interested in Indian Culture, as did aspiring Odissi dancer Nadya Lateef of Berkeley. With a surfeit of Festivals and similar fare dished out every year in the SF bay area- it would take a monumental effort to get a large gathering to any event- especially when it is off-season.
A random survey of the audience bore out the fact that many attendees were from the Pleasanton to Sacramento corridor in Northern California. Due to the scattered geography defining SF Bay area- folks in cities with sizeable Indian population like Sunnyvale, Cupertino or even San Francisco, would have to commute at least 1.5 hrs to reach the fair - possibly a reason for the lower than expected attendance. Also despite the noble intention of the organizer- to present true Indian heritage to the mainstream- major publicity effort was directed to the Indian community, only via Indian media.
While about 60 vendors were present, showcasing handicrafts, garments, music and DVD movies, a limited number of select food booths, was a welcome change from other similar melas in California. The commitment to build partnerships and present a good face to the populace was evident via partnership with non-profit VIBHA (formerly CRY, Inc.), and the presence of India Tourism office. Over 40 volunteers of VIBHA- Bay area chapter, held popular Mehndi (henna), face painting and game booths, and provided some logistics support to the organizers. “We are pleased with the partnership with Rushi Inc. and the Heritage Festival people” said Arun Santhanam of VIBHA-Bay area.
VIBHA volunteer Nita Thakur, Vandana Vidwans and Shweta Ambari were swamped with young and adult alike demanding their beautiful Henna designs, while other volunteers like, Rekha Simha, Sripriya, Devi Shree, Vikram Uday Kiran -gamely setup play and coloring areas for children.
Performers entertained the crowds with traditional dance, drama and musical performances from afternoon to close of the program. These included performers like Sunitha Vivekanandan of Nitya Bhakti dance school from San Raphael, and dancers from the Kalanjali Dance School like Meena Nair and Veena Pathiparanpil from Orinda, among a team to perform traditional Bharatnayam dance. There were also various Folk dancers like Bhangra, Raas Garba troupes etc. performing throughout the day, popular childrens’ groups directed by Niti Rajsinghani, as well as popular Hindi music band Geetanjali.
Some sponsors and vendors such as Western Union, Kohinoor Rice, India Tourism Office etc. are making the circuit, around the nation with Rushi, Inc. Several displays were local like AMT systems, Sankara Eye Foundation, Divas Design etc. While vendors like Ashish Shah of Quiktea, NJ and Soignee Kothari of Prestige Jewelry, NY were a bit miffed at the lower turnout in California, they were still happy to expose their businesses to a new market and looked forward to Los Angeles.
When asked about the choice of month of May to have the festival, organizer Shishir Mishra - who worked as an Investment banker in Wall Street said, “There need not be any season or reason to celebrate (our) Heritage and culture. We expect to have a total of 100,000 people exposed to the Heritage (festivals), by the end of our 5 events showing.” Adding that he had a good team to help with planning including his wife Charu and his family, the Festivals’ director of operations- Ms. Rena Nirula, Associate Pawan Mehra and many others.
Rushi, Inc. is organizing a series of similar festivals across the country in Los Angeles (May 31-June 1, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa), Chicago (June 7-8, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles) and Washington, D.C. (June 14-15, Montgomery County Fairgrounds).

For more information, contact Hifestival.


Sam Rao
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Lakireddy sexual slavery case

San Francisco, CA: In a sad but true-to-life tale that sounds like a movie story - the sordid sexual slavery and death tale of the Lakkireddys of Berkeley, CA took one more delay. The latest lawsuit pending in the Berkeley Landlord sexual slavery case – against Prasad Lakiredy, the brother of main accused Balireddy Lakireddy - has again been postponed to May 10 at a hearing by US District Court on April 19, 2004. 45-year old Prasad had already pleaded guilty to immigration fraud in October 2003, and was awaiting sentencing as part of a plea bargain with the prosecutors, which the current Judge felt was “too lenient.”

The first postponement happened on March 30, 2004. The U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken delayed sentencing of Prasad Lakireddy (45 years old) as she felt the recommended sentence by the prosecutors was “too lenient” and not consistent with the earlier sentences handed to Balireddy and his son Vijay Lakireddy. In 2002, the same Judge Wilken had earlier sentenced Vijay to two years in federal prison, but only after stating in open court that she had wanted to impose a longer sentence.

On April 8, 2004 - a separate civil suitcase for monetary damages and compensation claims - was settled out-of-court with permission of all parties concerned on before Judge William Alsup in San Francisco (case #: C02-5570).

The undisclosed financial agreement was reached with the estate of the dead girl Ms. Chanti Pratipati and her still alive sister-also a victim of original sexual slavery case. The girl was identified as “Jane Doe” and is now 19 years and lives in an undisclosed location in Northern California - according to Court reports. In November 1999, Ms.Chanti, 14 yrs., died of carbon monoxide fumes in a Berkeley apartment owned by Bailreddy.

This resulted in an investigation - that revealed the visa immigration fraud as well as the sexual slavery case. Court documents have shown the worth of Balireddy estate as worth $100 million.

Currently, the prosecutors have charged Prasad only with Visa and immigration fraud and recommended that Prasad would avoid prison and spend five years on probation, including one year under house arrest. He also would perform 300 hours of community service and pay a $20,000 fine. Prasad will see his sentencing on April 19th from the same judge after review of all documents and arguments.

This case has already seen some earlier twists and turns, much after main accused 60-year-old Balireddy Lakireddy began serving an eight-year prison sentence in 2004 for illegally importing at least six Indian girls into the country for sex. Earlier, Balireddy was also ordered to pay $2 million in fine as restitution to his many victims.

Many observers have felt that the overall case was weakened due to vigorous defense and series of prosecution errors. Earlier in 2001, under U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Armstrong, a translator hired by the Government Ms. Uma Rao was accused of “coaching the victims”, and also encouraging them to exaggerate the claims.

This was admitted by the prosecutors and the victims had to be re-interviewed. Further, a part of their testimony was not considered. There have also been allegations of witness tampering by both sides and some earlier affidavits being withdrawn by some complainants.

The attorneys in the case have charged in court about “intense pressure” on such victims families in Andhra Pradesh too – which made their overall case weaker.

While many activists in the community continued lobbying for a stiffer sentence - some were satisfied. One Bay Area Women’s rights activist, who was involved in the case from the start said, “ We are satisfied with at least the financial compensation for the victim and the message sent, that such practices are not going to be allowed in our (Indian) community”.


Sam Rao
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October 10 celebrates Humanity across continents  -
Daniel Pearl Day

Award winning journalist and, Daniel Pearl would have been 40 years old on Oct 10. He was murdered in Karachi by Islamic terrorists from Pakistan. Mr. Pearl lived in Mumbai for some time as the South Asia Bureau chief of Wall Street Journal (Mumbai) and was "totally at home and loved India".

Terrorists whose leader Ahmed Shaikh is now in custody of Pakistan Army/Govt killed him. Several reports have indicated that Pearl was close to digging up the connection between the Pakistani intelligence service ISI and AL Qaeda. Several reports have indicated that this terrorist leader Ahmed Omar Shaikh had actually "surrendered" to Ejaz Shah, a former top ISI official, who is now home secretary of Punjab province- one week before- his handing over to the Pakistan Army/Govt. Interestingly, the Pakistani courts had tried and convicted Ahmed Shaikh and sentenced him to death. In a surprising twist, recent media reports, based on sustained interrogations of another Al Qaeda bigwig in US hands, Khaled Mohammed Shaikh-also a Pakistani national- has been accused of actually killing Daniel Pearl. While this story is yet to be played out, credible sources indicate that Khaled Mohammed- also known as “the brains behind 9/11 terrorist incident”, may also be the kingpin of Daniel Pearl’s murder.

Mariane Pearl - wife of Daniel Pearl - is continuing the message and life of Daniel Pearl by being on the speaking circuit. Also, to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism and music, the Daniel Pearl Foundations was established. The 2nd annual Daniel Pearl Music day was recently celebrated on October 10 across all continents, to resist hatred and celebrate common humanity. Also the 1st Daniel Pearl Fellowship to bring a journalist from Pakistan to the US has been awarded to Fasih Ahmed of Pakistan.

For more information about Daniel Pearl Foundation, log onto www.danielpearl.org and for US State department on Terror log onto www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2000/2432.htm

Prabha Atre -
Prabha Atre presents “Royal” concert in Bay Area

Milpitas, CA: Padmabhushan Dr. Prabha Atre performed a “royal” vocal musical concert in her inimitable style, on Saturday October 12, at the Jain Bhawan in Milpitas, CA. About 250 avid music fans gathered for an evening of classical and semi classical pieces by Gana prabha Dr. Prabha Atre of the Kirana Gharana. She was accompanied by UCLA Music department’s Abhiman Kaushal (Tabla) and Vivek Datar on the harmonium. Harmonizing with vocals and playing the tanpura was local music teacher Shubhangi Sakhalkar. Good sound was provided by veteran sound engineer Atul Vaidya. The concert was organized by non-profit Association for India’s Development-Bay Area chapter (www.aidindia.org).

“When we had an opportunity for hosting the great Dr. Prabha Atre, for our annual fundraiser, we jumped at it,” said AID coordinator Vithal Shirodkar, also a student of music. The MC for the evening Srividya announced that along with a matching pledge drive, the goal was to raise about $5,000 for AID supported projects in India. The projects include Health care, Women’s education and innovative technology transfer projects like Bicycle pedal power to generate electricity in villages. (www.aidindia.org).

“I am headed to Columbus, OH next after performing in Phoenix ad San Diego.” said Dr. Atre with a smile. Dr. Atre has always performed extensively in tours right from the days when she accompanied Hindustani music doyen Hirabai Badodekar, as a student.

Dr. Atre is committed to music education and outreach, apart from performing. To her Music is all encompassing and she has set up the “Prabha Atre Foundation” to discover, encourage and establish rising artists; and also to archive music and present to the public. Dr. Atre said “It takes more sadhana to be a good listener than a mere singer.”

Belying her 70-year-old frame, Dr Atre sang gracefully with complete control on each of the renditions. She began with Raaga Shyam Kalyan in Ek Taal (12 beats) followed by a faster Tarana. She followed with a light classical rendition Thumri folk song “Jamuna Kinare Gaon”- Radha’s pining love song of for Krishna. After the break, Dr. Atre continued with a classical piece in Raaga Chandra Kauns in Ek taal (12 beats) and a Tarana in Teen taal (16 beats) titled “Saguna Sarupana”. This was followed by another light classical devotional song in Raaga Mishra Bhairavi in Dadra taal (6 beats) titled “Yeh Maailee ho gayi re Chunariya, Kaise Jaoon”. Following this song, many in the audience asked for more - and Dr. Atre graciously accepted and performed the most popular piece of the evening a lilting “Tana Mana-Dhan - Toh pe”- in Raaga Mishra Khamaj - followed by a standing ovation.

Newlyweds Ramya and Mathi Rajan enjoyed this concert as a blessing to their nuptials, and even with limited knowledge of Hindi language, were mesmerized by the vocals, flair and beauty of the classical music performance.

Sudha Vadalamudi, a classical music afficianado, made special time for the concert and said “ It was so great meeting with her in person finally, having been an avid fan for past 30 years. She is truly a Maharani - with her regal bearing, demeanor and graceful rendition. It was a concert to cherish.”

For more information on AID-Association for India’s Development log onto www.aidindia.org.



Sam Rao

Runa Laila in Concert in Bay Area
Bangladeshi crowd enjoys a variety of musical fare

Palo Alto, CA:
Versatile Mumbai based singer Jolly Mukherjee and upcoming Kolkotta based singer JoJo were the support singers for a concert featuring famous pop singer Runa Laila at Spangenberg theater in Palo Alto on Friday, July 17, 2003.

The 650 strong mostly-Bangladeshi crowd enjoyed a variety of musical fare including a liberal sprinkling of Hindi Bollywod songs from the trio of singers, and a support cast of 5 musicians. Judging by the favorable reaction of the audience to any song whether in Hindi, Punjabi or Bengali, the audience agreed with local fans Babu and Fouzia Solaiman of Santa Clara, who said, “We are big fans but (we) never got a chance to see Runa Laila live (in concert) in Bangladesh, so we are very happy”. Even a beautifully rendered, unrehearsed song “Ganga Amar Maa” by Runa in Bengali, sung while the band awaited adjustments on the sound system, evoked loud cheers from all age groups, showing that music knows no boundaries.

The concert, which started a bit late, also suffered from a poor sound system, often drowning the sizzling vocals of Runa Laila. The theater also felt like a sauna, with sweat visibly dripping from audience members and performers alike, leading Runa to comment jokingly,” If you think the theater is hot, Wait for the song coming next”, and proceeded to belt out a rousing number in Bengali. The audience took all these setbacks in stride, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the concert, which ended at almost midnight. The festival-like social occasion, which prevails during any ethnic community gathering, was very evident at the concert. Many people spent time at the food booth and other displays like those of non profits SpaandanB, Agami, Inc., (www.agami-us.org) etc., working to promote basic education and children’s welfare projects in Bangladesh.

Porshi, Inc., a Bengali-language monthly magazine, catering to mostly Bangladeshi expatriates in the USA (www.porshi.com) promoted the show. “Porshi celebrated its 2nd year anniversary this summer,” said Sabir Majumder, Managing Editor of the magazine. He added “ We have good response from the Bangladeshi community for Porshi since the launch in May 2001. We distribute the magazine across North America.” His daughters also help in the effort, Nabilah 14 years old and Faryha Majumder,16 years old, who acts as the editor for Torun Toruni - the small youth section of the magazine in English, while rest of the magazine is in Bengali.

During a stagebreak singer Runa Laila commented, “ I visit USA every year and the Bay area always has the best crowds to perform.” Laila and troupe are slated to visit Los Angeles and New York next.


Sam Rao
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SIDH marching with a fresh perspective -
Linkage of Education system to Problems in India –talk by SIDH


Stanford, CA: Several Bay Area non-profit organizations, such as India Literacy Project, ASHA for Education, A.I.D. welcomed Dr. Pawan and Dr. Anuradha Gupta of SIDH (Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas) on Saturday, Sep 27, 2003 at Stanford University, Palo Alto. Started in 1999, SIDH is a rural based non-profit agency in Uttaranchal state, mainly in the districts of the Kumaon and Garhwal districts in the foothills of Himalayas. SIDH addresses the fundamental assumptions of mainstream education system, as it exists in India today - exploring the connection of education to politics, empowerment and economics.

“We were excited because of the novel curriculum and also that it was located in the foothills of Himalayas, dealing with Tribal community, where projects are rare to find, evaluate and fund, even though the developmental needs are greatest.” said Padmini Ranganathan of ILP.

SIDH started as a brainchild of Pawan of IIT-Delhi and his wife Anuradha - a psychologist by training. The Guptas are convinced that the current British-inspired educational system in India, which breeds low self-esteem is holding back progress. A radical change in challenging assumptions and celebrating indigenous and time-tested ways of strengthening social fabric is of utmost importance.

Courses offered are Sushikhsa -Village Schools, Sanjivani - a one year long non-degree, residential course for 17-24 years old locals, and Sanshodhan - Research and Advocacy of local issues. SIDH now operates in about 35 villages in Jaunpur (north of Mussoorie city) in Uttarachal State - where no schools existed until a few years ago.

Sanshodhan - the research and advocacy program is aalsso very unique. Projects include ‘Trees & Shrubs’ – studying and documenting local vegetation, and Project: ‘Our Village’- studying local topics like Panchayat Raj, and issues of Social justice and Women’s rights and research is in traditional Festivals -their intent and relation to vibrancy of a community. “We have documented over 100 local songs, indigenous only to the Jaunpuri area, reflecting local history and folklore etc. No such documentation exists, depicting the rich tradition and history of our culture.” says Anuradha, adding that she wished there was more funding and institutional help and interest in this area.

With a track record and unique appeal, the educational component of SIDH has got recognition from District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) etc. SIDH has garnered support from agencies like M.S. Swaminathan Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation and CHETNA and Sir Dorabji and Ratan Tata Trusts, India Literacy Project (USA), Learning For Life (UK). Save the Children, (UK) and Rossel Industries, NOIDA etc.

The funding needs of SIDH are ambitious - with several projects attempted over the years. Currently the focus is on establishing a corpus fund Rs.100 Lakhs ($250,000) for one-time expenses of land, building schools. While SIDH is localized, impacting area around Mussoorie city, the novel approach has generated interest in other parts of the country and other NGO’s. SIDH also has offered training of Teachers and often publishes their research like a treatise on the breakup of Joint family system; an anthology of local flora-put together by locally trained personnel- who would best know the system. “It is interesting that the local Forestry department was unaware of several trees and shrubs identified by our research efforts”, says Pawan Gupta with a smile.

Sam Rao

Spirits high at VIBHA walk -
VIBHA 2003-Fun Walk/Run draws 500 people

Los Gatos, CA: A fun Walk/Run (5K/10K) at Vasona Park, Los Gatos on September 20, 2003 was organized by local non-profit VIBHA. About 500 participants showed up for the 3rd Annual Fun VIBHA Walk 2003, and about $6,000 was raised on the day of the event, via incoming pledges and registrations. VIBHA has evolved into a multi-event based fundraising organization benefiting Children’s projects in India and USA (www.vibha.org). The ongoing pledge drive has already raised totally about $14,000, since it started, according to a press release.

Volunteer team leads such as Ramaswami Lakshman , Maruthi Bhaskar, Mary Easo and others arrived at 5 am, after arranging for pre-event set up the night before. About 30 VIBHA volunteers were present at 6 am to run the event smoothly. When asked “What drives all volunteers to care and participate on a pleasant Saturday in September?” a volunteer replied, “It’s probably reflects cultural values instilled in all folks of Indian origin, irrespective of our personal religion,” referring to the philosophy of Seva or Service to humanity. Several participants came from quite a distance like Ram Dutt, his wife Chaitra and son Chirag of Fremont and Ms. Agarwal of Oakland because “(we) believe it’s a good cause and it also helps us get fit.” The local emergency Ham Radio Operator club SPECS provided a 10 person-volunteer radio team for the event and the trails.

The event also targeted families with an After-race Carnival, with the entire area festooned with multi-colored balloon. Some of the featured games were the Dolphin ring toss, Board game Snakes & ladders, Mehndi (Henna) hand, Basketball toss and an hour-long Magic show by the Amazing Vijay, which drew children of all ages.

Several other local non-profits such as India Literacy Project, ASHA, Udvam Karangal, The Citizens Foundation, Sankara Eye Foundation and the Indian Muslim Council etc. took part in the Walk/Run as a Team, and displayed their wares near the Carnival. “We also had teams (min. 5-members), representing 27 corporations from the Bay Area “ said coordinator Anand Kumar.

The winners of the 5K race were Dilip M (29:35 Male) and Ms. Stephany Beane (37:40 Female). The 10K run was won by Ms. Kavitha S. from Sunnyvale (65:10 Female) and Mr. Surendra - (54:01- Male). The Children’s division was won by12 year old Nate Beane (35:41).

The pleasant day and sight of several Seniors and young children actually finishing the race led Ms Sugam Tiku, of Fremont, a sophomore at San Jose State University & VIBHA volunteer to comment,” this has inspired me to start training and get fit - and maybe even run the ASHA marathon (26.6 miles) next year.”

Sam Rao

San Francisco, CA: With the current war underway-signs and counter signs have sprouted at all traditional protest locations. Signs like “Support the troops” and US Flags can be seen right across the street from others saying “Against Killing Innocents Anywhere”; “NO WAR”, “What would Gandhi Think?” etc.

Ever since the first rumblings of war started - massive demonstrations were organized all over the world. This was especially true in the San Francisco bay area - always a hotbed for freedom of expression-in more ways than one. Along with the major rallies with reported crowds of 100,000 to 200,000- which often turn violent- there have also been small but steady, die-hard peaceful demonstrations in many cities in the Bay Area- every weekend.
With the growing reports of direct confrontation, and direct action tactics employed by a few radical protestors- many non-violent protestors have decided not to participate in the larger organized demonstrations. Several have chosen to participate in smaller protests in street corners in many major cities-choosing to exercise their freedom of expression this way.
Anirvan Chatterjee, of Oakland is one of them. A member of ASATA (Alliance of South Asians Taking Action), Chatterjee was looking for an opportunity to voice protest in a “safe environment for South Asians”- he finally hit upon Fremont- where protests occur every weekend but with a smaller, more disciplined number.
Fremont (population abt 200,000) is a very diverse community and home to about 25,000 Indian-American and also 20,000 Afghan Americans-the largest in the USA. So it is interesting that only very recently have South Asians begin participating in larger numbers in all aspects of the mainstream. At the last elections in the Fremont area, for the first time, an influx of South Asians attempted to run for elected office. A dozen South Asian candidates in the city of Fremont ran for offices ranging from the Mayor to a position on the Board of Education. Now even the folks protesting the war see a brown face or two.
Last weekend, about a dozen South Asians took part in the regular weekend protests in Fremont, organized by Tri-City Peace Action- a group which has organized protests regularly for past three months or so.

Lorna Jaynes of Tri City Action-was very pleased with the turnout and commented that the protest actions will continue on every Friday between 5PM and 7PM at the southeast corner of Fremont Blvd. and Mowry Ave. (www.tricitypeaceaction.com).

Maharaj Kaul of Fremont is encouraged by the presence of youth saying,” It is encouraging to see (new) young South Asians taking part in such demonstrations-participating in the mainstream and voicing their opinions-in matters which truly concerns all of us.” Kaul and friends had participated in the previous larger demonstrations in San Francisco, under the banner of Gadar Heritage Foundation, drawing about 15-20 South Asians.

While young protestors like Anmol Chaddha, have reported of some people spitting and cars honking-some in protest and some in support- overall the smaller protest in Fremont and other cities have been peaceful. “This is encouraging other South Asians in the area to venture out-to air their side of the freedom of speech- marking another milestone in the maturing of South Asian American population in the Bay area.” Says Maharaj Kaul of Gadar Heritage Foundation.