3 minute read
Editor’s View
Dear Readers,
Every major religion in the world has a tenet around being generous, thankful, kind and hopeful. And these feelings become more prominent at festival time. I love festivals, both my Hindu festivals and non-Hindu festivals. Festivals bring hope, appreciation and kindness. In the last issue we talked about celebrating the Hindu festivals Navratri and Diwali. This month is thanksgiving. It is a family celebration and is about appreciating each other, not only within family but beyond family.
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And speaking about appreciation, let me thank and congratulate all the volunteers of Akshaya Patra, an Indiabased nonprofit organization. This is the organization that provides lunches to 20 million school children in India everyday. Let me also congratulate Meena and Raj Rajgopal, who moved from Boston and have started the local South Florida chapter of Akshaya Patra. Our cover story talks about Namaste! Festival and Namaste! Concert hosted by Akshaya Patra on Dec 3 and 4. The events celebrate India with live music, dance, art, food, yoga, mindfulness, and shopping. It is going to be an electrifying cultural experience. Don’t forget to register for these one-of-a-kind events.
As all of you may know, this year we are celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the late Pramukh Swami Maharaj of BAPS. Chirag Patel in his article talks about Swami ji’s unique lifestyle and how many lives he has changed, including the late President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam. He is still a beacon of values, hope and faith for millions of people all over the world.
Now let me talk about one historic event that just occurred in the world. Rishi Sunak has become the first Indiaorigin Hindu prime minister of the UK. In the past I have talked about how the evil British empire has carried out atrocities not only in India but in several other countries all over the world. “All Indian leaders will be of low calibre and men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts.” In 1931, Winston Churchill, late prime minister of Britain, used these words to describe Indians and Indian leaders. In our article about Rishi Sunak, the author talks about how the tide has turned and now Britain Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, India-origin and Hindu, will rule the same empire from the same leadership position once held by the merciless Winston Churchill. We wish PM Sunak every success in the world so that he can guide Britain out of political and economic turmoil.
At this time, let me take this opportunity to introduce Dr. Namitha Raju, a South Florida resident who holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is founder of her company, Beautiful Bonds. Her company is based on the principle that emotional growth, healthy relationships, and personal transformation are the keys to fulfilling parenthood. We are thankful that she has agreed to write a column in Desh Videsh on parenting. Her first article asks a very bold and direct question to parents: What kind of parents are you? We all have seen and experienced that sometimes Indian parents can become a bit aggressive in raising their children. They may force their value system on their children to become doctors or engineers. In simple, easy to understand language, Dr. Raju will talk to us and guide us to become good parents.
Now let me share one news which makes all Indians happy, but when you look deeper it may not be so happy. Sonal Shah, who has held several positions in the political arena as well as business areas, is now the new CEO of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization. Of course, this is good news. But I look at it as the victory of evil over good. Shah has worked on the Obama- Biden transition team and also held leadership positions in the Biden-Harris campaign. But every time her name came up for appointment to positions in either administration, anti-Hindu and anti-India groups have spread fake news and convinced both administrations to change their opinion of Ms. Shah. Finally she decided to leave the political arena and join private organizations. It is ironic that the same administrations that blame India for discrimination against minorities can not appoint a Hindu in their administrations while a conservative country like Britain can elect a Hindu as prime minister. Now let me turn to a lighter topic. As we have promised we are going to cover local events in greater detail, so please check out our extended community news section and our sister website www.desheventsnewsyour.com for more pictures. Until then be safe and be healthy!!
