CONTENTS 4
Hindus of Greater Houston Bringing Hindus Together
Ravi Sharma
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A Family’s Perspective on the Growth of a Celebration
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Govinda aala re... Matki Phod
President HGH
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Janmashtami and its Relevance to Cultural Identity
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Hindus of Houston -Our Humble History, Our Ambitious Visions
Team HGH
Editorial
Foreword
Letter of Support
US Congress Representative, Tulsi Gabbard
The Evolution of Janmashtami Celebrations in Houston Sharad Amin
Sangita Bhutada oors Houstonians with her spectacular Rangoli designs Manu Shah
Birth of Janmashtami Celebrations in Houston Prabhat C Sharma
Hari P. Kewalramani An Unforgettable Legacy Deepa Kevalramani & Shashi Kevalramani
Krishna Leela Through the Eyes of a Child Nikita Zamwar
25 Years of Hindus Working Together in Houston Beth Kulkarni
Defending Hinduism Desk of HGH
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Desk of HGH
Vidha Dixit
Pawan Jajoo
Ramesh Garg
Dr. Venugopal Menon
Akhil Chopra -He Lived to Serve Archives
Why Did HGH Felt The Need To Recognize Hindu Youth In Community Richa Dixit
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Hindus Lifetime Achievement Awards
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To Our Heirs and Their Hearty, Harmonious Horizons
Thara Narasimhan
Dev Mahajan & Dr. Venugopal Menon
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The Voice of Young Leaders
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HGH Leaders and Volunteers -Up and Personal
Rahul T. Pandit, M.D & Rishi Bhutada
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TEAM HINDUS OF GREATER HOUSTON 4
Hindus of Greater Houston’s advisory board held its first meeting in 2013 with the executive committee at Chinmaya Mission. Sarvabhauma Dasa, left, (representing Dr. Hansa Medley, Dev Mahajan, Partha Krishnaswamy, Jugal Malani, Vijay Pallod, Sanyasin Santhalinaswami, Satguru Bodhinathaswami, Acharya Gaurang Nanavaty, Vinod Mantri, Dr. Venugopal Menon, Sharad Amin, Richa Dixit, P.C. Sharma and Sanjay Jajoo.
Board of Advisors Dev Mahajan Gaurang Nanavaty Jugal Malani Dr. Hansa Medley PC Sharma Ramesh Bhutada Ramesh Parikh Dr. Venugopal Menon Ravi Tamirisa Beth Kulkarni - Prabu Reddy Swatantra Jain Kishore Mehta
Arya Samaj of Greater Houston Chinmaya Mission Houston India House ISKCON Hindu Worship Society Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj Sri Meenakshi Temple Society Ashtalakshmi Hindu Temple Hindu Temple of Woodlands Preksha Meditation – Houston BAPS-Sri Swaminarayan Mandir
Board of Directors Sharad Amin Girish Naik Partha Krishnaswamy Thara Narasimhan Richa Dixit Vinod Mantri Dharminder Dargan Vijay Pallod Bhagwan Bhutada - Sanjay Jajoo
Janmashtami 2014
President Past-President Vice-President Secretary Joint Secretary Treasurer Online Media Coordinator Public Relations Special Events Coordinators
Editorial
Janmashtami 2014 Janmashtami celebration marks the onset of festive season for the local Hindu families and their ubiquitous exaltation this time of the year is hard to miss. Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH), an umbrella organization supported by different Hindu institutions, temples and sects in Houston has successfully celebrated the community wide event for the past 24 years and volunteers are enthusiastic to present a memorable show to commemorate the Grand 25th Silver Jubilee Janmashtami celebration. Being a first timer in Houston, I was surprised yet honored when asked to organize a special souvenir to celebrate the Silver Jubilee Janmashtami festivities, unfold it glorious past and highlight the possibilities that such congregation holds for the future of Hindu faith in Houston. This memento is the consummate realization of the passion and perseverance of the entire HGH team and its numerous volunteers committed to make it a reality. Though it looks every bit a literary exercise, the effort put in by HGH had much more dimensions, great challenges and greater expectation. It is my sincere expectation that this souvenir offers you an elaborate perspective of the essence, dimensions and evolution of the celebrations and hopes it cherishes you for many years to come. This souvenir is proud to receive a strong letter support from the US Congress Representative Tulsi Gabbard. She is an ardent follower of Lord Krishna and firmly believes in the doctrines of Bhagvad Gita. This compilation starts with clarifying the humble beginnings of the Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH), the contributions of its visionary leaders and their successful progression in uniting Hindus in Houston on one platform.
It takes us through the main stays of the Janmashtami celebrations such as ‘Krishna Leela through Costume Contest’ and ‘Dahi Handi’. It imparts information about the growth of Hindu worship places as they sprung up in Houston over the past half-century or so. It also exemplifies that Hindus of Greater Houston is an organization that will stop at nothing to protect the constitutional rights of Hindu faith and no one should fancy the notion that HGH is only a ceremonious entity. It summarizes about the passing of guard to the established Board of Advisors, instilled with the responsibility of guiding HGH to make Houston a vibrant society for safe upbringing of Hindu generations and to ensure their peaceful existence within the highly heterogeneous social and cultural fabric of Houston. Great care has been taken to maintain originality of the information as perceived and narrated by the founding members of HGH, other distinguished personalities of the Hindu faith, youth leaders and the numerous volunteers, all of whom served the Hindu community with great humility, dedication and selfless endeavors. Special thanks are due to our generous donors who believed in us and helped us with the necessary sponsorships through advertisements. In all sincerity, I wish that this tradition of community wide celebration of Janmashtami flourish and gathers greater grandeur year by year. I also aspire that Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) continues to grow and sustain with camaraderie among various Hindu organizations, its visionary leaders and selfless volunteers.
--Ravi Sharma
Janmashtami 2014
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Sharad Amin
President Hindus of Greater Houston
Foreword It is a matter of grace and pride that the Hindus of Greater Houston souvenir is being published on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Janmastami. The community commemoration of Janmastami began in 1990 with the objective of bringing Hindus together. For the past 24 years, Houston has celebrated this festival collectively in cooperation with all major Hindu Temples and organizations in the heart of downtown Houston. We appreciate the cooperation and collaboration of all supporting organizations, donors, and selfless volunteers. The world is now gradually accepting that Hindu Dharma is a noble way of life that is based on bedrock of promoting eternal divine values. It is our duty to share with following generations and mainstream Americans, our great culture and traditions. The articles in this souvenir will reveal that the Hindu way of life is most scientific, a time-tested fact. Hinduism believes in the divinity in every creation and in harmony and integrity. It also respects every other faith. It is a process of assimilation. Important aspects of Hindu Dharma include the concept of dedication – Samarpan. The dedication of so many selfless volunteers has made this souvenir possible in a very short time. May lord Krishna bring peace and prosperity to all as we celebrate the genesis of an emerging young - yet ancient – India, that is alive with untold possibilities.
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Janmashtami 2014
Congress of the United States A message from
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TULSI GABBARD On the Occasion of the 25th Grand Annual
Janmashtami Celebration by Hindus of Greater Houston
Aloha and Namaste, Happy Janmashtami! Though I am unable to personally join you on such an auspicious summer day where we remember the eternal Lord Krishna's Appearance in this world, I’m grateful for the opportunity to offer brief remarks all the way from Hawaii. The appearance of Krishna was a blessing for everyone at that time, and continues to be the greatest blessing to anyone who hears about Him today. My sincerest thanks go out to all of the Greater Houston Janmashtami event coordinators, musicians, artists, actors, chiefs, youth, and everyone who came together to ensure this year’s celebration is a success! The festivities will undoubtedly be filled with the tastes, sounds, and sights of India with live music, excellent dance performances, great food, and amazing entertainment to celebrate India’s rich history and beautiful culture. I’m impressed by the great service you are providing—not just to Indians and Hindus in the area, but to all residents from various nationalities, religions, and walks of life so that they may learn about Lord Krishna. As for me, it’s been a true blessing to be the first Hindu to serve in Congress because I’ve been given a great opportunity to share the knowledge of my faith with many people who are eager to listen and encouraged by what they hear. Janmashtami is a time to reflect upon Krishna's words of love (bhakti) and service (karma yoga), and His message has great relevance to us today when relationships, activities, and occupations are often devoid of compassion and concern for others and the greater good. Best wishes at the 25th Grand Annual Janmashtami Celebration by Hindus of Greater Houston! As you rejoice and reflect with your families and communities at this auspicious time, I send you my warmest aloha. Enjoy the festivities, and have a wonderful day. All glories to Lord Krishna!
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Hawaii's 2nd District
Presented on this 23rd day of August 2014
Janmashtami 2014
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Nittish Bhardwaj addressing crowed at Janmashtami celebrations 2007
The Evolution of Janmashtami Celebrations in Houston By Sharad Amin Sannidhan Sankracharya of Sringeri Math, Swami Paramanad Bharti, visited Houston in the late 1980s under the banner of the Houston chapter of VHP-A. During his visit, he visited Chinmaya Mission, Hindu Worship Society, Shree Meenakshi Temple, and the homes of many local Hindu families. He suggested that though all temples, organizations, and families celebrate Hindu festivals within their individual groups, there should be one common festival where all Hindus unite in celebration, regardless of their affiliation or sect. From this idea that was proposed by Swami Parmanand Bharti, local community leaders decided that Janmashtami would be the festival that the Hindu community in Houston would come together to celebrate, after all, Krishna is worshiped all across India and all the temples were already celebrating Janmashtami. he first meeting to organize the event was held at Hindu Worship society, and Durgaji Agrawal, a well-respected businessman in Houston’s Hindu community, donated funds to sponsor the occasion. Over the course of several months, volunteers came together
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on a weekly basis to plan. he first collective Janmashtami celebration took place in 1990 at the George Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston with volunteers from Hindu Worship Society, Shree Meenakshi Temple, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, and a few other organizations. Attendees were greeted with kumkum at the entrance and were requested to take off their shoes at the shoe booth. The shoe booth is run by high school volunteers, and each year they keep track of people’s belongings while they enjoy the mela. The convention center is made to feel like a temple. From young children to adults, the local community came together to participate in and to enjoy the booths, procession, puja, costume contest, awards, cultural program, Aarti, and Garba. Lifelong friendships and even some lifelong partners are formed! Other than at Sam Houston Coliseum from 1992 through 1995 Janmashtmi was continuously celebrated at George R. Brown convention center. Over the years more and more organizations, individuals, and even non-Hindu Americans through the Vegan Society and yoga groups joined the celebration and got
exposure to Hindu cultural and tradition. The latest addition to the event is a board of advisors. Leaders from different organizations were appointed last year to encourage unity and an organized way to celebrate amongst a diverse group of people. Many have joined the celebration by being a sponsor, having booths, providing volunteers, or donating services. Priests also come together from different temples to host puja. In memory of one a young volunteer, Akhil Chopra, Hindus of Greater Houston gives an award to an individual for exemplary community service. For the last several years, a special award is also given to couple for lifetime achievement. This adds the feature of recognizing people for their exceptional community service and inspires other to do the same. Over the years, youth involvement has become a major goal in the Janmashtami celebration. Many High School going kids and college students come together to help things run smoothly on the day of the event.
Hand painted Gopal by Radha Dixit and Benny Mathews Janmashtami preperations (1991)
Garuda Vahana Processions Sri Meenakshi Temple Society
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Special attraction Phool ki Holi
Highlights of Past Events and Special Attractions of HGH
h Naik past President of with Mayor Annise Parker anmashtami 2009 file)
Highlights of Past Events and Special Attractions of HGH
service get recognized. By recognizing their outstanding services they are inspired to do more for the community and influence other youngsters to follow their footsteps. From 2014 this event will be hosted by different organizations every year. In 2013 Hindus of Greater Houston established Board of dvisors. hese dvisors are prominent embers of different temples and organizations. Girish Naik past President of Girish Naik past President of HGH with hey have their regular uarterly meeting to discuss Annise Parker (Janmashtami 2009 file) HGHMayor with Mayor Annise Parker the needs of Hindu community and identify those Of course food is another attraction, the ex- needs which are in alignment with HGH goals and (Janmashtami 2009 and file) hibition every year adds the attraction for education direction. hey come with recommendations for the of different themes – cultural, historical, religious, or committee and help them for the implementations. hus what started with Janmashtami celebration great personalities such as Swami Vivekananda. In 2008 Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) got reg- committee with one coordinator and committee istered as a non profit organization. s a Hindus of members has grown in to organization called HinGreater Houston organization grew and started sup- dus of Greater Houston with Board of advisors and porting other organizations for publicizing their com- Board of directors working continuously to bring Hinmon events, celebrations, service activities. HGH dus together in Houston area and beyond. he future of Hindu temples and growing organialso started participating in interfaith activities such as dinner dialogue. HGH supported Hindu merican zations lies in the hand of future generation. KeepFoundation by supporting their fund raising activities ing this aspect in mind Hindus of Greater Houston and partnered to support family with their son’s bul- provides enough opportunity lying problem in school. lso HGH is working with to youth to volunteer and take nti-Defamation League ( DL) and is introducing to leadership role in their preferred area by working with exIndian community so they can take their help. In Hindu outh ward Gala event started perienced community leaders fromSalhotra, different left, organizations. Hindu Youth for their exemplary communityNeeraj du Youth Award where recipients with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard: Keyur Patel, HGH President arad Amin, Tulsi Gabbard, Kaushiki Tewary, Garima Doshi, Niyati Vaidya and Snehal Desai. Photo by BIJAY DIXIT
Sharad Amin is the President of Hindus of Greater Houston and Member, Board of Advisors
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Sangita B Bhutada SSangita floors Houstonians with her spectacular Rangoli designs By Manu Shah Sangita Bhutada’s gentle demeanor and simplicity belie the many accomplishments that she has achieved at the young age of 38. A trained Montessori teacher, she’s also the artist behind the intricate and eye catching rangolis’ that greet visitors at many Indian cultural programs and celebrations. She’s authored 7 books on rangoli, 10 books on mehendi, one on embroidery and is featured in the Limca Book of Records! Born in Raipur and raised in Jalgoan Jamod in Maharashtra, Sangita learnt her skills from her mother and sister but says that she “was not very interested initially.” It was due to the encouragement of her mother in law Kamlabai and husband Bhagwan Bhutada that she decided to put her talents and Master’s degree in Arts to better use. A traditional folk art of India, the word Rangoli is derived from two words - rang (color) and aavalli (row of colors). It is primarily decorative in purpose but believed to bring good luck. Sangita’s first break came when she spotted an ad in the Navbharat Times for a Rangoli teacher for a hobby camp. The Manager, Mr. O.P.Singh took one look at her designs and hired her to teach 500
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students for a month! Following the camp, a book distributor from Nagpur commissioned her to write books on rangoli and mehendi. A career high was a place in the Limca Book of Records. Sangita worked for 14 hours at a stretch, singlehandedly designing a 70 feet-in-diameter rangoli in Nagpur. She also attempted the Guinness records by working for a straight 24 hours on a 100 feet-in-diameter rangoli. Sangita moved to Houston in 2005 and it wasn’t long before the Indo American community learnt of her immense talents. She volunteered and created unique rangolis for the annual community wide Janmasthmi celebrations for the last nine years as well as designed rangolis’ for the Houston Art Alliance and camp. Along with Shradha Bhutada, she won the first place in asala Radio’s Diwali competition and donated the entire prize money of $1000 to the Maheshwari Samaj. She’s designed numerous rangolis including one on water but the one at the George Brown Convention Center on the occasion of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Janmasthmi is clearly her favorite. It pictured Radha and Krishna and spanned 20 feet
Spectacular Rangoli design by Sangita Bhutada for Janmashtami Celebration 2009 in diameter. It drew several admiring comments including one by Nitish Bharadwaj, the actor who played Krishna in the tele serial Mahabharata, who commented that her unique design “aakhon me ubharti hai.” To mark the 25th Silver Jubilee Janmashtami’s celebrations this year, Sangita is designing a rangoli which spans 25 feet in diameter. Centered in will be a 6 feet Krishna standing on a lotus beside a cow. What makes this design totally unique and spectacular is that it is made with ice! Sangita’s preferred style is the Sanskar Bharati rangoli which uses all five fingers and is most popular in Maharashtra. Her themes vary from geomet-
ric patterns, flowers and gods. She’s also adept at free style rangoli using flowers, grains and vibrant colors that are shipped from India. Equally at ease applying intricate Mehendi patterns makes her hard to reach during the marriage season! Sangita credits her success to an extremely supportive family - her mother in law, husband and now her children, Mayuresh and Hriday who love to help her in her designs. She shares her talent in her weekly classes and can be reached at sangitabhutada @hotmail.com or 281-2076495.
Manu Shah is a freelance writer for various Indo-American organiza tions and Houston’s correspondent for India Abroad
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By Prabhat C Sharma
Courtesy Indo American News
The year 1990 was very special for Hindus in Houston. The planets were auspiciously positioned to precipitate the birth of a new tradition in this city, the beginning of the Sri Krishna Janmashtami. For many, ideas never find fruition. or some unusual visionaries in the likes of businessman Raj Sayal, a man committed to making an idea a reality, he yearned to bring all Hindus in Houston under one roof. So he approached community activist and radio personality Padmakant Khambati and I. Raj Sayal contended that the one way to achieve that goal would be to choose one religious festival that was celebrated by Hindus all over the world, which would be Sri Krishna Janmashtami, and celebrate it
under the auspices of one umbrella organization. I was charged with the duty of preparing an agenda for the meeting of representatives from various temples and other influential leaders of the community. he first Janamashtami committee meeting was held at Hindu Worship Society Temple on Wirtcrest. Representation from the following organizations were present: Sri Meenakshi Temple Society, Hare Krishna Temple, Chinmaya Mission, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Sanatan Hindu Center, and Hindu Worship Society. The meeting was successful and all were supportive of the idea. Three fundamental principles were agreed upon; the celebration shall be in the form of a religious mela, the entry will be free, and no shoes would be permitted in the exhibit or stage area. The basic structure of the function was thus agreed upon. The celebration would begin with the Kalash Yatra by the women of the community, and with pooja performed by priests. The various organizations will set up their exhibits and the theme will be Janamashtmi. The program would include bhajans, a cultural program, a mini aarti at 10.00pm, raas and dandia dance, and Maha aarti at midnight. I was responsible for coordinating and executing the celebration. Many volunteers of both genders and all ages joined in from various orThis jhoola (Cradle) at the convention center Janmashtami festivities ganizations. With Lord Krishna’s grace the funcwas rocked by many in devotion of Bal Krishna
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From left(Standing) Dr. Sharad Kulkarni, Dr. Sen Pathak, Padmakanth Khambati, Ramesh Garg, Dr. Keshav Shukla, Raj Syal, Late Hari Kewalramani, Sharad Amin, Dr. G.S. Gopalakrishna, Dilip Mehta From left(Sitting) Beth Kulkarni, Kiran Garg, Nittish Bharadwaj, Rama Khambathi and Shanta Gopalakrishna tion was a great success and attended by over six thousand people. Attendees adorned in traditional Indian garments added glamour to the event. Women manned the food stalls, serving hot, delicious vegetarian meals and snacks. Young volunteers took charge of the shoe stall and did a methodical job. or the ďŹ rst few years the Janamashtami Committee was unregistered, but when a bank account was opened for Janamashtami in the name of Hindu orship Society, it became a -C non-profit religious organization in the name of Hindus of
Greater Houston (HGH). HGH has since grown into a multi-purpose organization and is serving the Hindu community in many ways. urs is a minority community in this country. For our community to be strong, each one of us has to contribute through volunteering, donations, or by participating in the celebration. ur strength is in numbers. Come oin in the fun at the annual community-wide Janamashtami celebration and help support HGH. ay Lord Krishna bless us all!
Prabhat C Sharma is President, Hindu Worship Society and Member, Board of Advisors, HGH
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Indo-American Conservatives & Republican Party of Texas Congratulate the Hindus of Greater Houston on the occasion of Janmashatami.
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Hari P. Kewalramani An Unforgettable Legacy By Deepa Kevalramani & Shashi Kevalramani Hari P. Kewalramani was a caring husband, a father who coached his children’s soccer and baseball teams, a professional who commanded respect, a poet, an artist, a philosopher, and a humanitarian who gave selflessly of his time, money and energy. hether as a member of a close and loving family, a leader of a global engineering company, or as a community organizer, Hari approached all he did with a warm smile and optimism in his heart. His wife Poonam remembers that he was always ready to dive into home-improvement projects and never spoke in anger. His son, Shashi, and daughter, Chanda, recall a kind, patient father who modeled being a good citizen of his community. His grandchildren, Avi and Karina loved his big smile and penchant for bursting into Hindi songs. As the Global Executive Vice President at Shaw, he was a leader of six offices on three continents, but he remained humble and approachable to all his colleagues. any who worked with him benefitted closely not only from his expertise as an engineer, but also from his spiritual and philosophical contemplations. A close colleague of Hari’s shared that he “brought integrity, wisdom and optimism to both life and work, and instilled that in all”. Hari was an enthusiastic, passionate contributor to his community. He was a founding member of Hindus of Greater Houston and played a crucial role
as coordinator of the Annual Janmashtami Celebration. He also volunteered with the Sri Meenakshi emple Society and was on the xecutive Board for India House. In 2005, Hari coordinated support efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina through local churches. His family recalls that Hari was always ready to give to individuals in need, whether by providing free housing to a college student, or by paying off someone’s student loans. Those who volunteered with him and those that benefitted from his contributions remember Hari’s considerable organizational skills, his easy-going and ever-ready smile, his complete lack of desire for recognition, and his passion for community. Born in in Sindh, India, Hari moved to Rajasthan where he graduated with a degree in Electrical ngineering from the University of Ra asthan in . He came to Houston, exas in where he earned his B from the University of Houston. Hari continually sought to educate and improve himself. He continued his ourney of self-improvement beyond his retirement from Shaw in , when he rediscovered his talents as a poet and author. He and his family were proud to have his books and Beyond and Geet and Gazal published in . he theories, musings, and Urdu and Hindi poems in these books serve to remind all of Hari’s innate spirituality, creative nature, and loving soul. He lives on in our hearts and memories.
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1997-98
Costume Contest contestants with the Coordinator Sushma Pallod
Krishna Leela Through the Eyes of a Child By Nikita Zamwar As you walk into the George R. Brown Convention Center on Sri Krishna Janmashtami, you see natkhat Krishnas running around and pyaari Radhas resplendent in their costume jewelry. It is definitely a sight to behold as parents get their children ready for the costume contest and the excitement builds. hether you are attending Janmashtami for the first time or a veteran attendee, the costume contest is a memorable part of the evening’s revelry. Hosted by the Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) for the past years, the Janmashtami celebrations gained popular momentum with the added attraction of the children’s themed costume contest that was introduced to the event roster by Sushma allod. he contest that initially drew about children has since soared in numbers and is a significant part of the main event. he main challenge was to inform the public of the contest, and undoubtedly, with her hard work and efforts to reach out to more parents to get their kids to participate, the program became so popular with Hindus and non-Hindus enthusiastically engaged in this fun aspect of the celebratory night. fter overseeing the contest for many years, Sushma passed the
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1997-98
Current VHPA Camp Counsellor and Camp Director
baton to Sunita amwar in . Sheetal Rathi, the current costume coordinator, has worked to bring forth new themes and ideas to keep the trend going. his year the event has an added flavor with
2010
adults playing dress-up in classical Radha-Krishna costumes, in the hope of taking home prizes for best ensembles. The costume contest is a dhav rollercoasthkesh Ja is r H d n Tanvi a er ride of ,2010 winners emotions for all involved. Parents excerpt stories from Lord Krishna’s life and it is fascinating to see the adorable kids dressed up and bringing to the present day, episodes of Krishna’s times through role-playing. The children perform their parts so convincingly that the judges have a dilemma on hand in selecting the best, particularly as every child deserves to win. However, regardless of the main stars of the day, all participants are awarded certificates of participation and a small souvenir to take home. I remember when I took part in the costume contest several years ago. I was always so nervous to walk across the
stage in front of so many people and all the cameras. Up there on the stage, I felt like a celebrity. It always took so much courage just ascending the stage. When I did not win, I would be so disheartened that my parents would cheer me up with samosa chaat – a favorite of mine. The costume contest has brought more people to the Janmashtami event. While sitting at the registration table, parents tell me that they attend so that their children could join the contest. On the surface, the ang K a costume contest y a n A rishna may appear to as Sri K ashtami be a mere comat Janm petition and fun thing for kids. But it is so much more than that. It is a learning experience in camaraderie, in winning and losing graciously, and it is educational as it teaches the children and the audience about Lord Krishna and His great deeds. So kudos to HGH for a glorious past, and a future replete with celebratory successes.
Nikita Zamwar is the Youth Coordinator, Hindus of Greater Houston.
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5Years of Hindus Working 2Together in Houston By Beth Kulkarni wenty-five years is a very short time in the history of Hindu Dharma, but for Houston area Hindus, the last twenty-five years has been a long time during which much has been accomplished in the history of Hindu activities in Houston, exas. rior to there were very few Hindu emples in Houston. any area Hindus did not participate in the activities of any of those temples. ne of those Hindus who did participate in temple activities was Ra Syal. He shared First working committee of HGH founded in 2008. his vision, which was From Left: Radha Dixit, Vinod Mantri, Partha Krishnawamy, Girish Naik(President), Thara Narasimhan to bring Houston area rom the beginning, it was hoped that the celeHindus together, regardless of temple affiliation or bration would grow every year, involving more Hinlack thereof. He wanted to create an opportunity for dus and broadening the scope of the celebration. all Hindus to celebrate Sri Krishna Janmastami, the ll these have occurred, but with somewhat varying birthday of Lord Krishna, together, under one roof. attendance from year to year. In addition, the HinHe also wanted the celebration to be free of cost to dus of Greater Houston celebrations have included attendees. hanks to the generous contributions of a a Diwali celebration, several Ram avami celebrafew sponsors and smaller donations from well-wishtions, a number of traveling exhibitions and special ers, this policy of free admission has continued for honored guests. the past twenty-five years ach year for the Janmashtami celebration, varind so, beginning with the cooperation of a numous temples and Hindu organizations have prepared ber of devotees from Hindu orship Society and Sri temples and exhibits showcasing various Houston eenakshi emple, and much hard work, Hindus of area activities of interest to the Hindu community. Greater Houston (HGH) was established and held Cultural organizations such as dance schools and the first Community- ide Janmashtami Celebration temple musical groups have performed. Costume in . contests in which young children have dressed up
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as Krishna, Radha, and gopis have been a popular feature of the Janmashtami programs. For the young and the young at heart the folk dance Raas Garba has been an important part of the celebration. And, of course, no Hindu celebration is complete without food. A variety of freshly prepared snacks, sweets, and beverages are provided. As the number of Hindus in the Greater Houston area has grown along with the number of temples and Hindu organization, the scope of the activities of the Hindus of Greater Houston has increased. HGH has worked to increase the communication between various temples so the major events can, to the best extent possible, be held on non-conflicting dates. HGH has also facilitated the volunteer efforts
in which members of various temples can help at major celebrations of other temples. HGH has endeavored to participate in activities, which benefit all Hindus, including educating non-Hindus about Hindu traditions. As one of the founding members and founding Advisory Board member, I am pleased to see the progress of HGH in bringing Hindus together in celebrations and other activities benefitting the members of the local Hindu community. With me, hundreds of others expect and hope that the younger generation of Houston Hindus will work together to make the same progress the next twenty-five years.
Beth Kulkarni, a founding member of the Hindus of Greater Houston, worked for organizations such as, Meenakshi Temple, Hindu Temple of Woodlands, HSS, both as volunteer and in the leadership role.
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Defending Hinduism From the Desk of HGH
Local Hindus are well aware of the community-wide celebration of Janmashtami for the last 25 years through the organization Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH). However, fewer of them know the accomplishments the organization and its volunteers have made in defending the traditions of Hinduism in the Houston area successfully for nearly two decades. It is noteworthy that the volunteer group uses persuasive arguments and factual information without resorting to intimidation or irresponsible intimidation to convince others of the validity of its positions. Defending Hindu Dharma in Houston has catapulted the organization to the forefront of public debate in a few instances. HGH has worked with Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and representatives of most major religions. HGH is well-known among Hindu communities throughout the USA for taking proactive steps to provide more correct information within both the Hindu community and the broader community. In 1997, a Muslim scholar, Dr. Sayed Kaliq, made remarks on a local radio program that Lord Krishna was “hardly the proper role model” for youth because of the pranks he engaged in. The perverted interpretation drew the ire of HGH and local Hindus showed their displeasure over such hurtful remarks. Since then, such episodes have not occurred again In 1999, the Southern Baptists published a booklet, which said that 900 million Hindus “are lost in the hopeless darkness of Hindu-
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Adhokshyananda in Houston on Friday, October 25, 2002
Agnivesh
Commander Selvam
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ism” and that “most Hindus do not have a concept of sin or a personal responsibility, nor do they have a concept of a creator or God.” Hindus of Greater Houston on the day of Diwali, on November 7, 1999, held a peaceful protest in front of the Second Baptist Church. The demonstrators carried placards with the quotes like “Religious intolerance is Un-American.” This event was very widely covered in USA and India. Southern Baptist Church apologized In October, 2002, HGH called on all Hindus in Houston to boycott one Adhoksyananda, a self-proclaimed Shankaracharya. He had been touring many cities including Houston as Shankaracharya as a guest invited by the American Federation of Muslims from India. The then President-Elect of India Culture Center-Houston, Ashok Dhingra, conveyed his disappointment with the speaker, especially for his anti-Hindu remarks. The language did not befit a Shankarachaya, Dhingra said. Dhingra subse uently filed police complaint alleging that the “Shankaracharya” irritated by his criticism, assaulted him. This has forced him to leave to India immediately and he never came back This has forced him to leave for India immediately and he never returned to the USA. In another instance, in 2005,
Hindus of Greater Houston strongly appealed to all other Hindu organizations and temples in Houston to be cautious about ‘Swami’ Agnivesh who had an ill-repute of engaging in anti-Hindu activities. Far from being a Swami, Agnivesh was known as a Hindu-hater who was expelled from the Arya Samaj, a world-wide and well respected Hindu organization. Such people, with questionable credentials should be prevented from gaining ground, raising funds and garnering publicity amongst unsuspecting members of the Hindu-American community and the larger community, while stealthily working against the interests of Hindu Dharma, HGH said at that time. In the February 1994 issue of Hinduism Today, a widely accepted and non-controversial magazine, the Arya Samaj warned its members in India and abroad to be careful about Agnivesh, who had been a disruptive force in the organization. A Houston Chronicle writer, on July 13-14, 2007, wrote an article which completely misrepresented Hindu traditions, thought and recent events. Houston Chronicle staff met with HGH representatives and discussed this matter. Following this incident, the Chronicle has been much more coop-
Houston Chronicle staff with Vijay Pallod Dr. Suborto Gangopadhyay Rishi Bhutada and Ishwary Murthy 2007
erative in seeking Hindu input before publishing articles which have content related to Hindus or Hinduism. One of efforts which HGH made to inform local Hindu and the broader community was the case of the exploitation and harassment by a self-proclaimed Swami, Dr. Commander Siddhar Selvam. While stating that he could provide solutions to all kinds of problems through his rituals, prayers and magic, Selvam demanded huge sums of money and sued those unable to pay for breach of contract. Selvam brought down a Hindu temple in Atlanta in bankruptcy and Hindus witnessed the unholy spectacle of sacred idols auctioned off. Later Selvam moved to Ohio and then to Texas. When the issue hit people closer home, HGH launched a public awareness campaign and offered assistance to victims. Through India Herald news-
paper, which published several articles exposing Selvam and through a radio talk show “Open Forum,” HGH brought to light the acts of Selvam. By this time, he had landed in federal prison relating to alleged fraud in bankruptcy proceedings. HGH volunteers were instrumental in convincing two women who had established a company “Sittin’ Pretty” which manufactured toilet seats with images of two Hindu Gods and Goddesses on them. This issue and the action taken received global publicity. HGH volunteers also provided pressure resulting in products removed from the marketplace in cases of clothing, footwear, alcoholic beverages, and “decorations” in bars, all of which were offensive to many Hindus. HGH has in many ways helped to inform the larger public of the need to treat Hindus and their traditions respectfully as other traditions and those who practice them are treated.
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Grand Janmashtami celebration, 1998
Diwali celebration at Hindi Worship Society, 1998
A Family’s Perspective on the Growth of a Celebration By Vidha Dixit Arriving in the United States as little more than a pre-school student, I didn’t know what to expect from the unfamiliar sights and sounds that hustled and bustled around me. American culture was completely new to me and in everything I saw when I first moved to exas, I searched for reminders of the rich culture I left behind. o my very pleasant surprise, Houston had more to offer than I could ever expect. On a sweltering summer evening during my first year in the US, my parents and grandfather took me to George R. Brown Convention Center to celebrate Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna. It was unforgettable. Dressed in my finest outfit, I entered the halls wide-eyed, taking in the celebration around me. hrough the familiar smell of cooked spices drifting over from the food booths, the engaging sounds of soulful Indian music resonating from the stage, and the smiles of jubilation on volunteers and attendees of the event, I was instantly reminded of the traditional festivals I had grown up with in India. I was thrilled to see such an enthusiastic crowd of people celebrating such an important holiday together. his first Janmashtami experience as a young child fueled my enthusiasm to participate in the community-wide event for years to come.
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Despite the many changes during the past 15 years of my life since that fateful evening, two things have remained constant; my grandfather’s passion for volunteering at the event, and my love for being a part of it, both as a volunteer and attendee. Like clockwork, I can recall my grandfather calling us early in the mornings the weekend before school started, to let us know he was going to help organize temple booths or set up colorful decorations. Soon after my first Janmashtami, my mother and father also joined in volunteer efforts through hands-on work and preparations. Seeing the collaboration with so many organizations during the event and the hard work of my family while I was growing up, motivated me to get involved in any way I could. I had grown up watching my grandfather volunteer at the shoe booth and the excitement on his face as he interacted with attendees made me wonder what was so great about being handed a bag of shoes. I decided to give it a try. o my surprise, I realized I en oyed volunteering at the shoe booth more than anything else. My personal belief is that the removal of shoes is a sign of respect. hrough the shoe booth, I felt that I was
helping to facilitate a temple atmosphere which is so nities to learn about her heritage aside from observing appropriate for the celebration of the birth of Krishna. the traditions of her elders. She had known most of In addition to that, it illustrated respect towards the the founding fathers as a child and was fascinated by hard work and dedication of the committee members how they showcased Hindu traditions with pride. In who had worked tirelessly for months before the event. her words, “Today’s generation in Houston is extremeThe dialogue I was able to have with each person as ly blessed to have numerous temples, classical dance they removed their shoes allowed me to learn more schools, a multitude of Hindu organizations, Hindi about what excited them to attend, and what they were schools and classes, Hindu camps and the many looking forward to that night. After several years of ualified teachers and instructors readily available to volunteering at the shoe booth, I finally realized where impart their knowledge. I am very proud of the fact the smile on my grandfather’s face came from. It that our community is stronger than it has ever been wasn’t just about an exchange of shoes; it was about the service, the conversation, and the mutual love of celebrating the occasion. I enjoyed celebrating Janmashtami so much that I encouraged all of my friends to participate by attending or through volunteering. When one of my best friends who happened to be non-Hindu attended the festival with me, I was honored to show her the program filled with local talent, exquisite colors of the stage, and the toe-tapping tunes during raas/garba. She was ecstatic about celebrating a holiday in such a traditional way and enjoyed everything Three generations together (Radha Dixit, Dr. Sen Pathak & Vidha Dixit) at HGH Youth Awards, 2012 from the piping hot samosas to the live music for the dancers. The excitement I felt and I hope that our rich heritage continues to thrive.” while sharing my culture with someone was unparalMy mother remembers when her father requested her leled. It made me both proud of where I came from to decorate the stage during one of the first communiand enthusiastic about what I could expect from the ty-wide celebrations. event in the future. At that time, HGH did not have the donations or I also wondered how my family got involved in the manpower to create the elegant stages we see at first place. In a conversation with my mother, she told the event today. She and her best friend, who also me that she had been associated with the organizing happened to be non-Hindu, stayed awake all night to committee, Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH), since hand-paint a portrait of Gopal for the backdrop of the its inception 25 years ago. She recalls a group of stage. It amazes and delights her to see how far HGH dedicated Hindu leaders coming together at Hindu has come from its humble beginWorship Society to embark on a new concept, celnings. This has only been posebrating Janmashtami on a grand scale at George sible through community-wide Brown Convention Center. Growing up in Houston in efforts to unite everyone for such the early seventies, she said she had limited opportua blessed celebration.
Vidha Dixit isTier One Scholar at the University of Houston through the Business Honors program. Volunteer with HGH since childhood
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Govinda aala re... Matki Phod By Pawan Jajoo
“Close your eyes, and feel your body swaying. Listen closely to your heartbeat, and when it’s settled, swing the stick with all your might. Listen to the “Whoosh!” it makes as it slices through the air… and “Watch out!” Listen to the chorus of laughter around you, as you’ve missed the “matki,” or in this case, piñata. But it’s all right. Regain your balance and try again. “BAM!” That did it. One more hit later, open your eyes to a symphony of applause, and yell in surprise as a mob gathers at your feet, eager to grab the handfuls of candy raining from your exploit above. Well, what are you waiting for? Jump into the fray; there’s plenty for everyone!” The scene described above happens what
occurs every year, all across India, as children follow suit in the footsteps of the legendary Lord Krishna of Crowd gathered for Matki Phod event Gokul, who, as a child, was notorious for smashing the village women’s pots for the makhan, or butter. It is fitting then, that Sri Krishna’s favorite pastime continues to this day through the innocent hearts and minds of children like us. That said, the Hindus of Greater Houston is proud to be bringing you 25 years of Matki Fod, and we look forward to putting smiles on everyone’s faces for many more years to come.
Pawan Jajoo is a sophomore at Carnegie Vanguard HS, HGH organizi ng the all-time popular Matki Phod
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Janmashtami and its Relevance to Cultural Identity By Ramesh Garg A high achieving and ever more visible community of several thousand of Lord Krishna devotees in the Greater Houston metropolitan area will celebrate for the 25th time, a mega annual event, the Shri Krishna Janamashtami Festival, marking the auspicious incarnation of Lord of the Universe. Shri Krishna Janamashtami, also known and celebrated by many other names in different traditions for the last 5000 years and more, is a special day marked with devotion, iconic religious and cultural performances honoring the occasion. These celebrations reflect the glories and legends connected with Lord Krishna. With traditions so rich, I can truly say that despite tremendous thought and action that precipitated the Houston-held event since 1990, the magnitude of success it has enjoyed ever since must only be possible with god’s blessings. It is with the feelings of being privileged and grateful for the opportunities of being on the team for long time that I recall how the ever thoughtful, Raj Syal, brought forth the idea of a grand scale community-wide celebration in which all Hindu associations of the area would participate. Initial challenges at inception were to connect and communicate with all diverse societies and organizations and convince them to join in for this community wide event. All calls of duty were peacefully managed individually and collectively through several months of preparation. Over the years the collectively organized, community volunteer-driven event has gotten bigger and better. he ’s and ’s saw significant numbers of students from India at various universities across the USA, and some young immigrants as well, the majority being middle class Indians. People like me, and the majority of my friends of Indian origin who otherwise would have been happy and satisfied being religiously liberal and marginal in practice, suddenly
found new challenges of cultural identity. This rekindled awareness and pride of belonging to the most ancient order of faith, and in making some efforts to build collective community strength. The more one learns of the philosophies, religious practices and beliefs of the ancestors, the greater the desire to respect and follow the known traditions based on the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and many more spiritual fountainheads. The recently-acquired awareness of cultural identity, the consideration of their newly born children and pondering their future, feelings of belonging and finding strength in numbers, experiencing solace in the surroundings of temples provided the motivating force to adopt the Janamashtami event. For the brilliant sons and daughters of the hard working and high achieving community, the very important task lies in character building for success in personal life, lofty goals of self actualization, and general welfare of the society. All possible traits required to build strong personal character without arrogance and vanity are rooted in the life stories, legends, and messages connected Janamashtami. If we were to review various business and career success models such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, the basic ingredients needed for a good life’s journey would be qualities like honesty, integrity, determination, discipline, diligence, sincerity, unity, and sacrifice. xposure to such eclectic events as Janamashtami and the resultant purified environment can only help our youngsters continue to seek and achieve greater heights of their own life pyramids. “I am submerged in an ternal Light. It fills every particle of my being. I am living in this Light. The Divine Spirit fills me within and without… ”
Ramesh C Garg, founding member Hindu Worship Society
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Hindus of Houston -Our Humble History, Our Ambitious Visions By Dr. Venugopal Menon On this momentous occasion, when the Hindus of Greater Houston are celebrating the Silver Jubilee, the Grand 25th Anniversary of Janmashtami, it is only appropriate to glance back and contemplate on the beginning of Hindu presence in this great city, its enviable evolution and its enormously exhilarating expansion, when we proudly and collectively revere and rejoice the birth of Lord Krishna. ‘Sanatana Dharma’, the Eternal Righteousness is the philosophy of life guiding the third largest section of humanity. Erroneously addressed as ‘Hinduism’ it is the Faith inspired by divine revelations from ancient sages and seers, its basic principles resting on simple yet the Ultimate Truth. The cardinal axiom of Hindu belief is the universal presence of Divinity in everything that exists. It extols virtuous living based on ‘Dharma’, principles of righteousness, and our lives are guided by the doctrine of Karma, the inevitable yardstick that evaluates our performance, eventually motivating the souls to earn salvation, merging with the Ultimate Reality. The earliest records of Hindu gatherings in Houston date back to the early 1960s. When we left the shores of our legendary homeland and the riches of our religious traditions, most of us were focused solely on expanding our education and establishing
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a career. But when those basic desires were met, when we felt comfortable and content with our professional ambitions, we imminently sensed a glaring vacuum, an insatiable thirst for our spiritual needs. Beyond the urge to meet the devout requirements of adults, we were compelled to provide an atmosphere to recreate a religious setting for our children, our next generation. Being thrust into an alien environment, often facing merciless comments and hostile annotations from fellow students, many of our children were subjected to severe emotional strains and identity crises. As we imposed demands on them to speak our language, eat our foods and act our ways, they realized that to be accepted by peers, they required cultivating a different set of habits and exhibiting other patterns of behavior at school. Realizing the urgency of inculcating our value systems and imparting some fundamentals of our heritage to them it was an impending need for us to create places of worship to introduce them to our ways. We started gathering in small groups in our own residences on weekends and evenings, having prayers, bhajans and recitations, always including our children. Some of the stalwarts of the community, like Kumar Krishen, Sen Pathak, Satish Jhingran,
to go with either one based on their customs, Raj Syal was unique that he would be mowing and cleaning the yard of Sri Meenakshi Temple on Saturday and working on the roof of Hindu Worship Society on Sunday. Hare Krishna Temple was the earliest one to be created in 1969 by Vishnujana Swami, a disciple of Sri Prabhupada (ISKCON) at a downtown location, which was recently relocated into a new, splendid temple in the Northwest. Indian population and Hindu community in Houston began expanding with influx to the southern warmer Houston from the colder areas as well as new migrants arriving. After the initial hardship and struggles that such ventures had to face, and as our in-
Ganesh Temple (Sri Meenakshi Temple Compound Pearland, TX)
Hospeti and Diwan took initiative in arranging such prayer meetings. Irrespective of the states of our origin or mother tongue, Hindus form all over India assembled in garages and living rooms of many homes and prayed, read Bhagavad Gita, sang bhajans, ate pot luck lunches and developed friendship and camaraderie. We named the group ‘ India Family Circle’. Later on it was changed to Hindu Worship Society, the organization registering with its constitution, purchasing a piece of land on Wirtcrest Road and building the temple in 1975. Around that time, there was an offer from Sri Meenakshi Temple in Madurai to assist our community in building a temple as per their traditions and following their Agamas. Devotees from the Southern states of India who were used to those conventions and rituals, accepted that offer and decided to build the temple under the initiative of Sam Kannappan. They bought a piece of land in Pearland in 1977 and Sri Meenakshi Temple was built in Pearland in 1979. Even though most members of the community opted
Sri Meenakshi Temple (Pearland, TX)
Hare Krishna Temple, Houston Hindu Worship Society Temple, Houston Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland (South Houston) Arya Samaj of Houston BAPS Swami Narayan Temple, Stafford ISSO Swami Narayan Temple, Houston Sri Radha Krishna Temple, Houston Houston Durga Bari Temple (Bengali) VPSS - Srinath Mandir Ashtalakshmi Temple- JETS USA Saumyakasi Shiva Temple (Chinmaya Mission) JVB Preksha Meditation Center- Jain Society of Houston Shivasakti Temple on Hillcroft in Houston Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Laxmi Narayan Temple NW Houston Guruvayoor Appan Temple Namadwaar Temple Houston Krishna Pranami Temple, Richmond, Texas Hindu Temple of Woodlands Sri Govindji Gaudiya Mutt, Katy Texas - Proposed Hindu Prayer Society - Proposed
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1969 1974 1977 1990 1998 1999 2002 2003 2003 2003 2006 2007 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2013
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HWS Opening Ceremony (Houston, TX)
fluence along with our affluence improved, several Hindu religious organizations slowly materialized in Houston and cities all over the US . Chinmaya ission, rya Sama , B S Swami arayan emple, Sri Radha Krishna emple, Durga Bari, SS, shta
Shakha had regular meetings and activities including yoga, exercise, games and picnic, as well as inviting speakers to give talks to the members. he Indian students at the University of Houston had an active social agenda and later the India Culture Center was established to address the many needs of the growing Indian community. he idea of creating a common facility for all Indians that was initially considered by ICC, finally materialized as an independent entity and organization as India House. Bal ihar was established in the early eighties under the auspices of ishwa Hindu arishad, and the first Hindu Heritage outh Camp was held in , Suresh atel being its first director. Subash Gupta was the first president of H Houston and Beth Kulkarni was elected as its first woman resident. In , akar Shankranti Utsav was celebrated by H of merica Houston Chapter. Shri Ram Chand Ji aha an came to Houston in and became an active atron in the Hindu community and started performing edic Sanskars. His efforts brought forth the founding of rya ratinidhi Sabha and later the establishment of rya Sama in . His son Dev aha an, Rita and Sunil ehta and several volunteers worked towards the steady growth of rya Sama , creating its Dayanand nglo edic ontessori School and the D library, the organization placing emphasis on ed-
Narendrabhai, participating in the Shilanyas of B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston in year 2000
Lakshmi emple and several others were constructed by devotees who subscribed to their particular needs. ( lease see the attached list). s the initial temples were being built, and around the time ‘ mergency’ was declared by Indira Gandhi in , few Hindus, concerned about democracy and Hindu culture in India assembled and established a monthly Shakha under Bharatiya Swayam Sevak Sangh (BSS). Under the leadership of Sharad min and Ramesh Bhutada, the
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BAPS (Stafford, TX)
ucation and community service projects. conquest we have laboriously earned against all the Another milestone was established by Padmakant challenges that we endured has to be bequeathed to Khambhate in 1994 as the Voice of Sanatan Hinduism our legitimate followers. It is time that the new genstarted airing on 1460 AM every Sunday morning from eration, who are free of our inhibitions and reticence 9 am to 12 noon. The broadcast covers a variety of takes over the reins and marches into the future with a topics about Hindu Dharma and its interests and in- different focus and new set of objectives. vites participation of the various Hindu organizations The most encouraging establishment, the Hindu in Houston. American Foundation is the future of Hinduism here In 1991, Raj Syal took initiative along with the help to ensure that we get established and recognized here of Hari Kewalramani, PC Sharma, Ravi Goel, GS Go- beyond our temples and festivals. Their agenda is to palakrishna, Garg, Dilip Mehta, Padmakant Khambha- help our religion step out of the Hindu hive to engage ti, Beth Kulkarni, Sharad Amin and others to establish the broader culture, to forge a distinctly American Hinthe entity of Hindus of Greater Houston. It was their du identity and be tightly woven into the national fabinitiative to unite all the Hindus of Greater Houston to ric. Rishi Bhutada, a Houston born, our own active collectively celebrate Janmashtami and Ram Navami member of HAF along with many American Hindus together. The effort are involved with has succeeded in promoting pluralthe most amazing ism and mutual way, the festivities respect, accurate improving each year understanding of and drawing more Hinduism, human attendance and rights issues, polreaching its Silver icy making and Anniversary, that we several objectives are celebrating this of our broader inyear. terests. Hindu As of last year, an Students AssociAdvisory Board for ation in various the Hindus of Greatuniversities are er Houston was helping to create a created with reprebetter understandsentative members ing about our faith from different orand expelling misISKCON Temple (Houston, TX) ganizations and to conception in the function as a link between the various groups. From main stream. the very humble beginnings almost half a century ago, Hindus in America are doing extremely well in varithe Hindus of greater Houston, through hard work and ous spheres of life, be it in academic excellence, ecosheer determination have accomplished an enviable nomic achievement or social performance. It is our legacy of success and unity of purpose. The tribute desire to make it known that all such accomplishments and repute go to the early activists who ventured and are basically founded and nurtured by our rich tradipersevered against many odds to reach its present tions, the fundamental Vedic principles that are the unstatus. derlying guidelines of our way of life. And with that exBut our descendants have work to do, goals to pectation, we remain optimistic reach and aspirations to be accomplished. As we that ‘Hinduism’ is bound to be look into the future, the horizon looks bright, extremely understood, accepted and repromising, intensely ambitious and enormously com- spected precisely for what we petent. The status that our immigrant generation has stand for and who we are, in established for our faith in the land we domiciled, the our new land of domicile.
Dr. Venugopal Menon is the Founder Member, past Chairman, past Advisory Council Chair and Adjunct Director of Sri Meenakshi Temple
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Akhil Chopra -He Lived to Serve From the archives khil came to the United States in and came to Houston in June 2002 as a summer intern at Star Pipe roducts from University of exas, rlington. Impressed with his hard work and dedication, Star Pipe offered him a For sure Akhil knew how he full-time position. While working at Star wanted to live and lived a meanPipe, he completed his Masters in MS in ingful life, a life that had more Information Systems in ay from width than length to it. Akhil was the University of St. homas, Cameron shot in cold blood on the unforSchool of Business, Houston, exas. tunate afternoon of 11th August khil loved writing. He wrote more 2005 while meditating in Bishop than 50 articles on Computers, BusiJoseph A. Fiorenza Park, on AshAkhil Chopra in pensive mood ness, olitics, hilosophy, Health ford Point (not far from Star Pipe and dventure for dailies like India offices) in Houston. He apparently was shot ust for a walbroad , he imes of India and he Indian xpress . let. he news of khil’s gruesome murder left his family, khil was also proficient in playing musical instruments friends and peers in great shock and deep sorrow. At his like the piano, harmonica, ban o and the flute. ondmemorial service held at Keshav Smruti Community Cenly called as Krishna ahara by his neighbors in India, ter at Star Pipe Products, over 400 people from various he touched many hearts e ually in India ( anmbhumi) and ethnic backgrounds, age groups and occupations were in in US (karmbhumi). It is no surprise that his co-workers, presence and over two dozen gave their eulogies. friends and neighbors, both merican and Indian, loved khil Chopra was born on th ay , had his enand admired khil for his amiable ualities and dedication tire schooling and completed his graduation in Business to all the pro ects he undertook. dministration in the year from K S School of Busihough only , Chopra had made a name for himself ness anagement, Gu rat University, hmedabad, India. as a contributor to Houston’s Indian community. khil ackhil had a meritorious academic stint that won him many tively served non-profit organizations such as Hindu Stuawards including but not limited to the National Merit dents Council (HSC), Hindus of Greater Houston, Hindu Scholarship in India. Swayamsevak Sangh, Indic Culture nd raditions Sem-
“T he question is not whether we will die, but how we will live” J oan Borysenko —
Rama Rao receiving First Akhil Chopra award in 2007 from Ronen Sen, Indian Ambassador to USA
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Maneesh Mehra receiving Akhil Chopra award in 2008 from Swami AtmanandJi
Vasudev Singh receiving Akhil Chopra award in 2009 from Renu Khator, Chancellor and President of University of Houston inars (ICATS), India Development & Relief Fund, Samskrita Bharati, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anushandhana Samsthana (SVYASA Yoga), Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) and several Hindu temples in the Houston area. He was also involved with helping homeless SEARCH for a shelter in downtown Houston, regular blood Jayakumar Srinivasan donations and twice making the in 2010 MS150 Multiple Sclerosis charity bike ride from Houston to Austin, a 150 mile journey. He worked with the Hindu Students Council, and volunteered for a variety of local groups offering education programs for children and young people. A talented media-person, Akhil dedicated his life to spreading goodwill and interfaith harmony. He was a key media coordinator for Global Dharma Conference 2003, held in New Jersey. He took lead role in organizing Houston Janmashtami festival. Varun Mehta and Ramya Ravi in 2011 A very spir-
itual and profound scholar for his age, he was also a talented and dedicated certified yoga teacher. While also being a vegetarian, he fasted every Saturday but continued helping individuals and organizations even while fasting. Akhil’s cherished dream was to learn how to read “Upanishads” in original Sanskrit script, which he had recently begun by means of corre- Kirti Dogra in 2012 spondence courses. Akhil is survived by his father Ashok Chopra, mother Uma Chopra, brother Nikhil Chopra with his extended family, wife Mamta Chopra and their three-year old child Aryan Chopra in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The family misses him gravely and the world definitely is a poorer place today Viswarupa Nanjundappa and Smitha without his angelic Malliah in 2013 presence. Hindus of Greater Houston instituted an annual service award in the name of Akhil Chopra to honor his legacy of selfless service to humanity. he first of this annual award was conferred on Late Rama Rao in year 2007. Since then the award has honored Maneesh Mehra in 2008, Vasudev Singh in 2009, Jayakumar Srinivasan in 2010, Varun Mehta in 2011, Kirti Dogra Mrs. Uma Chopra (mother of Akhil in 2012, and the Chopra) and recipient of First Akhil couple Viswarupa Chopra Memorial Scholarship in India Nanjundappa & Smitha Malliah in 2013. For more details about the recipients, please visit http://www.akhilchopra.com A Memorial Fund has been set up under Sewa International – Akhil Chopra Memorial Fund, The Memorial Fund will benefit the charities which khil supported, along with his families wishes.
Portions of this article comprises of text taken from the website http://www.akhilchopra.com, where in the contributions were made under the titles, Akhil Chopra _ A Tearful Homage; Akhil’s Childhood, By Nikhil Chopra; Akhil Chopra Memorial Scholarships; Prominent Hindu activist Mr.Akhil Chopra shot dead in US Park, Source HT; Hindu slain here was admired by friends for his faith and service, by Tara Dooley. It also includes interactions with distinguished residents (Vijay Pallod, Girish Naik, Kalyani Giri, Krishna Giri) of Houston who had known Akhil Chopra from close quarters.
Ravi Sharma is member of Hindus of Greater Houston and Hindu Worship Society
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Why Did HGH Felt The Need To Recognize Hindu Youth In Community By Richa Dixit Since last four years, Hindus of greater Houston has been or other organizations. When you find something you enjoy, recognizing the Hindu youth for their contribution to the Hinyou will make time for it and at the same time help the Hindu du community It is pertinent that we encourage the Youth as community. “ they are the future leaders of the many Hindu organizations “It was an honor to experience and to attend the Hindu’s and Temples that we have built in our community. of Greater Houston’s Awards event which allowed me to The Hindu Youth award represents the Youth and the meet and interact with some of the future leaders of our work they do, in their own capacities, in the Hindu comcommunity. Everything from meeting the inspirational Tulsi munity. This award recognizes the youth who demonstrate Gubbard to listening to the awardee’s wonderful stories “ outstanding “Sewa Bhav” towards the society, achieved “It was nice to see a lot of interest in community service academic excellence and be a role model to other youths in among the Hindu youth in areas ranging from education to the Hindu community . The Youth Award creates a platform health-care at very well-organized and attended Hindus of for youth from different Hindu organizations to come togethGreater Houston youth gala” er and share their experiences and inspiration with the rest “This award gala was full of inspiration, from listening to of the community. other youth leader stories to the speech by Tulsi GabbardNOMINATION AND SEwho is so relatable to the youth, LECTION PROCESS since she has achieved so much Every year we had overat such a young age and is conwhelming response of Youth tinuously moving forward. Her nominations from different story and her thoughts of workorganization and Temples. ing towards her goal constantly This clearly indicates that and serving without worrying our youth are taking pride in about the outcome has inspired their Hindu beliefs and are me to do the same.” committed to spread aware“I was honored to receive the ness of the Hindu traditions youth appreciation award and and culture to the mainwas delighted to be a part of stream society. an event where I could share Youth Volunteers between my story and hopefully motithe ages of 16 to 30 are Youth Award Recipients with US Congress Representative Tulsi Gabbard vate other youth to serve their nominated for this award. community. Youth can have a & HGH President Sharad Amin, 2013 The nominations are evaluhuge impact in bringing about a ated based on nominee’s leadership capabilities, efforts to change in this world, if only they can realize and manifest make an impact on society through creative social change, their own full potential. I was very happy to meet so many commitment to serve the Hindu community in future, etc. young people who are doing just that and are willing to help Special consideration is given to activity at the grassroots other youth to do the same. Hindus of Greater Houston are level, as it best illustrates the broad impact that a single indoing an exemplary job to promote a sense of service in dividual can have by inspiring across the Hindu community. youth, I really appreciate their efforts.” The Awards Committee appointed by the HGH Board of DiMore than anything the Hindu Youth Award has served as rectors selects the most deserving youth candidates for this an inspiration for the youth to get up and work harder to carhonor. On an average there have been seven to eight award ry strong Hindu values forward and unite the community. In recipients every year from differnet temples/orgnaizations addition, many Hindu organizations have internally started such as Meenakshi Temple, Arya Samaj, SEWA Internationto appreciate, evaluate and motivate their dedicated volunal, Hindu student’s Association, Woodlands Temple, Hindu teers based on the criteria’s set by the Youth Award. Swayamsevak Sangh, ISCKON, VPSS , Gayatri Pariwar , This year the event was hosted Ekal Vidyalay etc by Arya Samaj of Greater Houston. Below are some quotes from past winners: With the input of Advisory board as “It was an honor to receive the Youth Leadership Award of this year , the event will be hosted from Hindus of Greater Houston in a capacity packed room. by different temples. Next year it will I encourage the youth to find something they enjoy doing be hosted by Chinmaya mission of and find a task/project where they can help the local temple Houston.
Richa Dixit, Youth coordinator for
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), Greater Houston. Volunteer for SEWA
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Janmashtami 2014
Hindus Lifetime Achievement Awards
Dr Sen Pathak receive the life time achievement award from Mayor Annise Parker
Kokila Shah life time achievement award by Swami Muktanand
Raj Syal
Dr. S.G.Appan
By Thara Narasimhan A few will have the greatness to shape the future with a vision and venture into pioneering efforts for the beneďŹ t of the society. Hindus of Greater Houston for the past several years have recognized those individuals who have contributed immensely to the community. It is the celebration of such individuals that lifetime achievement awards are extended to honor them with recognition. Hindus of Greater Houston considers it as the most impeccable moment to cherish two individuals who are seless in the demeanor and humanitarian in their outlook. his year Hindus of Greater Houston will honor R J S L and S.G. with Lifetime chievement wards. rue to the saying if the roots are strong the fruits are sweeter , Hindus of Greater Houston as an organization has grown strong with the rudimentary principles on which it was founded.
Raj Malani giving life time achievment award to Suresh Patel
Dev and Sushma Mahajan receive the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Hindus of Greater Houston from Swami Vidyadishananda Giri or the past years likeminded individuals have served in this organization with camaraderie and dedication. Hindus of Greater Houston this year also celebrates young and free spirited individuals who have also contributed to the Houston community. R DH DI I , R HUL DI D RISHI BHU D . he three individuals have been an inspiration to all for their courage of their convictions and motivation to stand up to act on what they believe in. It is believed that when traditions work together they are much better e uipped to address the most urgent global issues that we face today. Hindus of Greater Houston oyously celebrates the momentous occasion of honoring our awardees in the Silver Jubilee year of Janmashtami festival in Houston.
Thara Narasimhan, President of Samskriti (Society for Indian Performing Arts). She is associated with Hindus of Greater Houston for eight years and is the current Secretary on the Board of HGH.
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To Our Heirs and Their Hearty, Harmonious Horizons 25 Years of Collective Celebrations of Janmashtami By Dev Mahajan & Dr. Venugopal Menon s we reflect on the glorious Silver Jubilee and the grand nnual Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations in Houston, I applaud the efforts of founding members Ramesh Bhutada (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh), Beth Kulkarni ( merican-Hindu Community and Hindu temple of oodlands), Devinder aha an ( rya Sama of Greater Houston), Jugal alani (India House), Gaurang anavaty (Chinmaya ission-Houston), .C. Sharma (Hindu orship Society) and Dr. Gopal Krishna (Sri eenakshi emple Society). hirty years ago, there was hardly one big Hindu temple in existence in Houston. he uni uely sensible concept of the brilliant founders, to observe our most celestial event as a united group, brought Hindus from all walks of life and different beliefs together on to a single platform. his celebration became a great testimonial of our unity, attracting and connecting members from the many temples and organizations following Hindu practices through various traditions, as is typical of our profound aith. hrough the years, the sacred commemoration of Lord Krishna’s birthday has gathered momentum, growing in participation and splendor, establishing and solidifying the symbolic unity of Sanatan Dharma, in this new land of our domicile. ver the past years, the Hindu community in Houston has thrived and matured through several changes. any ma or temples and Hindu entities came into existence. n th December ,
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Janmashtami 2014
HGH in their true wisdom formed an dvisory Board consisting of heads and key members from various temples and organizations, thus fostering unity and harmony. he collaborative endeavor has helped to inspire the Hindu youth and resolve some critical issues that individual temples were unable to do by themselves. he dvisory Board consists of members from rya Sama , B S, Chinmaya ission, HSS, Hare Krishna emple, Hindu orship Society, India House, Sri eenkashi emple and SS, to name a few. he HGH dvisory Board developed the following mission statement in order to focus on its ob ectives and goals to uphold the lofty ideals of ‘Sanatan Dharma’ ( ternal Consciousness), to respect the divinity in all humans, to promote Hindu solidarity, to inspire Hindus of the splendor of our convictions, to propagate understanding and dispel misinformation about our faith, to provide guidance and to function as an umbrella organization protecting the needs of all the Hindus in the greater Houston area and beyond, to coexist with camaraderie and compassion with factions of other faiths. e are very encouraged by the active partici-
From left: Devinder Mahajan, Gaurang Nanavaty, Sharad Amin, Ramesh Bhutada, Beth Kulkarni, P.C. Sharma pation of the Advisory Board members to help HGH achieve its objectives and goals. The Advisory Board’s decision to hold the Hindu Youth Award Gala in one of the temples each year by rotation bore excellent results. This year, the Gala held in Arya Samaj gave the Arya Samaj an opportunity to showcase their activities while saving HGH much of the expenses in the process. Next year the Gala is to be hosted by the Chinmaya Mission. The youth award event itself is providing a great incentive for our future generations to feel proud of their rich heritage and culture. Envisioning the future, regardless of whether it is through an organization, community or country, is entirely entrusted to its youth, the younger generation. Unless they are properly nurtured and groomed to grow proud and confident, the stability would remain at stake the competence and earnestness would not serve the desired purpose. With such an objective in mind, HGH is emphatically invested in offering all the encouragement and resources that are needed to foster the growth of our youth. The HGH website provides a forum to post the activities of each temple so that the public can be informed
of, and benefit from the services provided by each temple. Further improvements will be rendered to the HGH website to make it more effective and productive. A few years ago, there was no representation from the Hindu faith in the Interfaith Ministry, the most significant and successful organization that represents the interests of all the several faiths. Now, the Hindu faith is well represented in every facet of IM. Arya Samaj hosted a very successful conference of Women of Faith that showcased our rich heritage and values to people of other beliefs. HGH members hosted dinner dialogues and financially contributed to I fund-raising Galas. Hindu youth are active participants in iLead program focused to develop the leadership skills among the younger generation. HGH has represented the collective interests of our Faith in dealing with sporadic situations where Hindu students at some schools were subjected to discriminatory abuses and acts of bullying, as well as instances of our faith being discriminated. orking with the generous guidance and support from entities like DL and Jewish Community Center, HGH was able to resolve such issues and set positive guidelines to prevent such
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occurrences in future. HGH will be in the forefront to lead some activities that project a positive image of our faith. We have participated in fund raising efforts and collected food for the Food Bank during Diwali celebrations; we have engaged in a Blood Bank drive, and joined in charitable projects such as the March of Dimes and MS 150. It is our sincere intent, that in working to-
gether, HGH will be able to create a sensible understanding of our reflective faith in the mainstream, dispelling misconceptions, promoting goodwill, helping the needy, mutually enhancing the wellbeing of all, and thus working towards the profound sentiments of Sanatan Dharma. “Lokaa Samasthaa, Sukhino Bhavanthu”, meaning, “let the entire humanity prosper and be at peace”.
Dev Mahajan is the President of Arya Samaj & Vedic Center, Houston and Chairman, Board of Advisors, HGH
Dr. Venugopal Menon is the Founder
Member, past Chairman, past Advisory Council Chair and Adjunct Director of Sri Meenakshi Temple
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s r e d a e L g n u o Y f o e c i o The V By Rahul T. Pandit, M.D. The Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) have been bringing together the Hindu community for 25 years in celebration of Janmashtami. In one evening, a religious celebration invokes fun, food, friends, festivities, and even some fanfare as the audience, performers, keynote speakers, and puja bring the evening to a close past midnight after the hour of Lord Krishna’s birth. y first experience with this event was in bringing a photo exhibit on the plight of the Kashmiri andit community, to which I belong, for display. his group welcomed this exhibit consisting of over photo panels and re uiring a lot of space, without hesitating about interfering with the other booths and organizations. HGH was instrumental in bringing dignitaries from the Houston political community to the booth to learn about an issue of which they knew very little. ne of the hard workers in helping promote this exhibit was the young and ever so humble r. khil Chopra. During his seva for my organization and HGH overall, he encountered a shocking and untimely passing. Hindus of Greater Houston did all they could to support his family who was still in India. Soon after this tragedy, HGH honored him by announcing the annual khil Chopra award for those performing the greatest good for the Hindu community of Houston. n organization whose volunteers work selfless-
ly, always for the greater good without a single bother about their own name recognition, impressed me greatly. hen teenagers and other youth willingly and quite adeptly secure your shoes upon entry and guarantee their safe return upon exit, inspires one to believe that our unique religious and cultural values in this country can truly develop without confusion or loss of our Hindu identity. The seeds of this identity are sown in the youth who, despite having so many other options to spend their Saturday evening, happily give their time to help Janmashtami succeed. s our three young children grow, we bring them to en oy the festival and to meet their friends who are also attending. It is becoming a social event for them just as I had heard it was over years ago with the parents of those very children. Seeing an event pass from one generation to the next truly reveals how much of an impact it makes in our lives. Our children have visited booths, dressed up as Krishna, eaten good food, learned to perform dandiya-raas, and hung out with friends in an environment they can truly call their own. I have en oyed performing bha ans for this event with close friends, when we all can take a break from our busy lives and en oy performing with Bhakti for Bhagwan. Janmashtami truly is a feast for the body, mind, and soul.
Rahul T. Pandit, M.D., Past-President Indo-American Kashmir Forum Founding Director of Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT-USA) By Rishi Bhutada he Hindu merican oundation is proud to commemorate Hindus of Greater Houston’s th nniversary celebration of Janmashtami. H and Hindus of Greater Houston have had a unique partnership over the past few years, and we at H have been thankful for the support provided by HGH. HGH has co-sponsored H ’s Houston screening of the film he Human Boundaries, which chronicled the terrible conditions of akistani Hindu refugees, and H ’s event featuring . aytha oorthy, leader of HI DR , a Hindu organization protesting against the discrimination of Hindus in
alaysia. HGH volunteers have also assisted at H ’s fundraising events. Hindus of Greater Houston has also partnered with H on local advocacy work, in regards to school bullying and with assisting a local akistani Hindu family in distress. ogether, we have created partnerships with other organizations, such as the nti-Defamation League. We are thankful for the support given by HGH, and congratulate them on 25 years of grand Janmashtami celebrations!
Rishi Bhutada, is counselor, volunteer, and three-time director of the local Hindu Heritage Youth Camp
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Janmashtami 2014
HGH Leaders and Volunteers
-Up and Personal Prabhaat C Sharma, is President of Hindu Worship Society, founding member of the Hindus of Greater Houston and serves on its advisory board. Coordinated Janmashtami celebrations for the initial five years. A devout Hindu, living his dharma by selfless services to Hindus of Houston. A mechanical engineer from the IIT Kharagpur, served with companies of high repute in an illustrious career that spans over 35 years. He lives in Houston with wife Jaya , son Puneet and grand children Kiran and Garik
Raj Syal, a founding member of Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) in 1990, instrumental in jointly establishing India Culture Center in Houston in 1973. Hails from village Bilga in Punjab close to Ludhiana. After graduating from DAV College, Jalandhar, Punjab, he started teaching . Later moved to USA for education. After his B.S. from Texas A&M and Masters from the University of Houston. He joined Texas Highway Department after graduation in construction and design in 1960.
Padmakant Khambati, founder of Sanatan Hindu center in 1986. Cofounded Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) in 1990 after an informal chat with his close friends Raj Syal, P.C.Sharma in 1988, about celebrating Janmashtami on a wide scale, hence the birth of HGH. He was key person in helping with Houston civic facilities for the Janmashtami function for the initial few years. Launched the first Hindu radio program in USA, Voice of Sanatan Hinduism since 1994. Retired Engineer from City of Houston.
Dilip Mehta, President of Hindu Mahasabha of America (HMSA) and past president of VHPA Houston Chapter. Started Hindu Club at University of Kansas in 1966. Cofounder of Chinmay Mission –US. With over six decades of selfless service experience towards Hindu Dharma sustainability, preser-vation and protection, he has immensely contributed to multiple Hindu organizations. A M.S. in Physics from Northeastern University, Boston ), he is an educator by profession
Dr. Sen Pathak, a founding member of Hindus of Greater Houston in 1990, Dr. Sen also supported building up of various new temples in Houston and till date is active in his support to Vishwa Hindu Parishad youth camps. Earned his PhD in Mammalian Cytogenetics in 1967 from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Held many prestigious positions in top institute such as M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Baylor College of Medicine.
Beth Kulkarni, a founding member of the Hindus of Greater Houston in 1990, stayed active with various core function of Janmashtami celebrations for following many years. Dedicatedly, she worked for organizations such as; Meenakshi Temple, Hindu Temple of Woodlands, HSS. Recognized by organizations like Indian Culture Center, VPSS, BAPS, HSS for her services to Hindu faith. Beth held strong belief in ‘seva’ to understand and live the Hindu way of life. She likes to teach Hindu philosophy and practices to non-Hindus and spent quality time with her grand children. Dev Mahajan, a founding member and COO of the Arya Samaj of Greater Houston and Vedic Cultural Center since its inception in 1991. Chairman, Board of Advisor to Hindus Of Greater Houston cofounded many other institutes of prominence such as Mahatma Gandhi Library, Patanjali Yogpeeth (USA), Jeevan Prabhat Trust. Earned numerous laurels for his leadership roles from various organizations. A civil engineer by profession, his illustrious career spanned over 40 years. Married to Sushma Mahajan with two daughters and five grand children,.
Ramesh C Garg, a founding member of the Hindus of Greater Houston in 1990, he stayed active as one of the main functionaries of Janmashtami celebration for the next 17 years. An engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College and University of Kansas, and a business graduate from UH, he served with multinationals in leadership roles in a career spanning over 35 years. Lives in Houston with Kiran, two sons and and four grand children. Sharad S Amin, founding member of Hindus of Greater Houston in 1990 and its current president.. He is a motivated speaker and likes to mentor youth for community services. Actively engaged in organizing successful youth camps year after year. His message for fellow Hindu Houstonians is that we should be proud of our great heritage and festivals. Celebrating festivals together is beginning, staying together is process and working together is success
Dr. Venugopal K Menon, involved with Hindu Worship Society in early 70s, to Meenakshi Temple as a Founder, then its Chairman and remained involved all along about Hindu interests. Invited to be on the Board of Advisors of Hindus of Greater Houston and Board of Directors of ‘Institute of Spirituality and Health’. Retired from Medical practice, Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, ‘Be proud of our profound heritage, be privileged to understand and propagate our time-honored Vedic wisdom,.
Dr. G. S. Gopalakrishna, was one of the founding members of HGH. Additionally, he has served as chairperson and secretary of Sri Meenakshi Temple. His has always been the voice of reason and one to bring people and temples together. He has an interest in helping non-Hindus learn about our traditions. Dr. Gopalakrishna is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist, teaching and practicing at Baylor College of Medicine.
Swatantra Jain, He is the founding member and Chairman of JVB Meditation Center Houston. He is also serving of the Board of Interfaith Ministries of Houston. He was the past President of Pratham USA, currently serving as Pratham USA CFO, and a board member of Magic Bus charity organizations. He is the partner of Vinmar International Ltd, a successful global company marketing plastic and petrochemicals. He has been honored him with community leadership award by various organizations.
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HGH Leaders and Volunteers -Up and Personal Gaurang M Nanavaty, Acharya Chinmaya Mission, Houston. His association with Hindus of Greater Houston goes back to mid 80s and presently serves on the Board of Advisors to HGH. He dedicates his time and energy in conducting Satsanga-s, leading Vedanta study groups, and organizing and managing CMH activities. Being one of us, he understands the challenges faced by householders and aptly guides us on our spiritual path. He worked in Water Treatment industry for 30 long years
Ramesh Bhutada, founding President of SVYASA (Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana) Research Foundation and is a supporter of the Southwest Vipasana Meditation Center, he is serving as Vice President of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS). He is also on the Board of Advior to Hindus of Greater Houston. He is CEO & Chairman of Star Pipe. He has been involved in various volunteer organizations dealing with youth, Yoga and Meditation. He lives in Houston with wife Kiran, son Rishi and 3 years old grandson Sahaj.
Jugal Malani, President ‘India House’, is no strangers to the tradition of serving humanity. He is wellknown entrepreneurs and pillar of the community and have donated generously, and sometimes anonymously, to various causes such as, Ekal Vidyalaya for promoting education among India’s tribal poor, Sewa International for Katrina Relief, Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation work of Bhutanese refugees in the USA; H.H.Dalai Lama’s Tibet Fund to support health, education, community development and cultural preservation projects for Tibetan refugees. He is CEO of the Unique Group of Companies
Dr. Hansa Medley, member on Board of Advisor to Hindus of Greater Houston. In 1986 she moved to Houston and started her service in ISKCON temple. She has served on the board of ISKCON temple of Houston since the early 90’s and with Food for Life in the 1980s. She has served with the Decade of Non Violence & Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. Currently she serves ISKCON as the Director of Outreach, a member of the Vaisnavas CARE Team, pujari, teacher & physician. Born of Gujarati parents, she (Guru Bhakti Dasi) is originally from the Fiji Islands . She is married to Peter Medley (Sarvabhauma Dasa).
Ramesh Parikh, was born in 1945 in Mansa, India to Maneklal & Chandanben Parikh. Got his MS in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Married Sudha Parikh in 1973. Have two sons Manish 1974) and Mehul, and twin daughters Monika and Minal. In 1981 he started a modest business, Sara International which has grown into a successful business with the help of the Houston Indian Community. Over the last 35 years Ramesh Parikh has devoted precious time of his life to the Indian community. He settled in Houston, TX in 1979 and loves spending time family including his two daughter in laws Ami and Sapna and four grand children Tulsi, Savan, Aria and Surina Parikh.
Dr. Ravi Tamerisa, Founding member Sri Meenakshi Temple Society and assocaited with Hindu worship society before that. Active in Telugu Cultural Association and is also member of Ashta Laksmi temple. On the Board of Advisory to Hindus of Greater Houston. Strongly believe in Hindu culture and all it has to offer. He did his Anesthesia residency at Baylor College of Medicine and then joined at St. Luke’s hospital as Staff Anesthesiologist in 1977. Has three daughters all married and eight grandchildren.
Radha Dixit, Former Secretary of Hindus of Greater Houston from 2007 to 2009 . She has been associated with Hindus of Greater Houston since its beginning (as a 19 year old youth). A regular at Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha temple, she also volunteers with the Indian American Cancer Network (herself a cancer survivor). She is very proud of the fact that our community is stronger than it has ever been and hope that our rich heritage continues to thrive. Graduated from University of Houston in 1992 in psychology. Settled in Houston with husband Bijay and daughter Vidha and son Armaan.
Bijay Dixit, volunteer with Hindus of Greater Houston since 2004. He is also member of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston since 2004, actively participate in India House, Pratham USA, Indian American Cancer Network and Magic Bus activities. He is official photographer for IACCGH and IACAN. He is strong supporter of conservative ideology. He is freelance photographer by professions a certified picture framer. He has been supporting Janmashtami event for many a yeas now. Lives in Houston with wife Radha Dixit, daughter Vidha and son Armaan
Dharminder Dargan, Online Media Coordinator for the Hindus of Greater Houston. He takes keen interest in community support activities and youth program development. He initiated Youth Sports Day, in Houston and actively supports various community, Interfaith and other charitable organizations An engineer by profession, he is Vice president of Cyber Security and Risk Management. Holds Masters in software system and an Engineering degree with specialization in Electronics and Telecommunications.
Swapan Dhairayawan, a regular at Janmashtami celebrations, he started volunteering with HGH activities since 2011 as a coordinator for Hindu Youth Award. Chief Trustee and Past President of India Culture Center (ICC). Treasurer with the Indo American Chamber of Commerce for the past 3 years. Advisor to the Foundation for India Studies for the past 8 years. Advisor to the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston for the past 3 years. President of the International Hindi Association, Houston Chapter. He is a practicing CPA in Houston for the last 10 years.
Richa Dixit, is ‘Joint secretary’, Youth coordinator with Hindus of Greater Houston and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS). SEWA for Hindu organizations is her passion. Been involved in various Hindu activities since childhood. Her current role in HGH is Coordinator for Hindu Youth Award and Volunteer coordinator for Janmashtami. An engineering graduate, she works for Oil and gas Industry in Houston.
Thara Narsimhan, President of Samskriti (Society for Indian Performing Arts). She is associated with Hindus of Greater Houston for eight years and is the current Secretary on the Board of HGH. Involved in many community activities, anchoring radio segment for Sri Meenakshi Temple Society on Voice of Sanatan Hinduism radio program.
Nikita Zamwar, I am going to be a junior at University of Texas at Austin. I am double majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science. I have been attending Janmashtami since I was seven and I have been a volunteer since the last couple of years.
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Janmashtami 2014
Arvindlal S Shah, is volunteer with Hindus of Greater Houston for the past 10 years. He is volunteer with SEWA International and Sanatan Hindu Center. He served as Secretary in Senior Citizen Association (ISCA). He always volunteers for Janmashtami advertisement and other HGH programs. He dedicatedly puts them around the city and hand delivers them in various organizations. At the event night, he is in-charge of shoes section and always been very meticulous in ensuring people get back what they came wearing. He is a civil engineer by profession. He helps Bhutanies people for their personal, professional and medical needs.
HGH Leaders and Volunteers -Up and Personal Sushma Pallod, volunteer for Hindus of Greater Houston for past 24 years. Her main forte was to coordinator costume contest in association with youngsters Kavita , Bharat and Namita. The family also volunteers for Hindu heritage camp.She believes that Janmashtami celebration is very unique as it gives opportunity for every one to attend and enjoy. She wishes happy Janmashtami to all
Vijay Pallod, volunteer of Hindus of Greater Houston for past 24 years. In-charge of media battery for all HGH functions and Public Relation Officer. He has been at the forefronts of many a tirades that Hindus of Houston had to take to defend their faith and value system. Married to Sushma Pallod and blessed with three kids; Kavita , Bharat and Namita. In his leisure time, he likes to play ping pong , swim and bike riding.
Shital Rathi, associated with HGH for Eleven years. worked as books keeper with Ekal Vidyalaya foundation of USA. She has been serving Janmashtami event as a Costume Contest Coordinator. Witnessed , how this organization has grown is last decade. What she like most about Hindus of Greater Houston is , it adds to the dynamism of Houston and represent the best of IndiaMusic , Arts and volunteering for Social cause
Girish Rathi, associated with Hindus of Greater Houston foe Eleven years now. Served as media Coordinator. He likes that HGH is not a separate entity or group of people, It is made up of individuals who are already part of temples and organizations but strongly believe in the unity and strength of coming together as one whether to celebrate a special festival or to come to each other’s aid. He is Sr. Product Manager at Star pipe Product
Bhagwan Manickchand Bhutada, Associated with HGH since 2005. Member Hindu Swyamsewak Sangh – Swyamsewak from Child hood & Responsibility of Keshav Smruti Scheduling from last 10 years in USA, In VHP volunteer from 2005 in USA, Brahmakuaris from last 17 years & from 2005 in USA, Volunteer in MMNA - Received Man of the year Award from MMNA in 2013 for self less service in community.
Sangita Bhagwan Bhutada, Volunteer in TELICA – Telfair, Sugar land from 2009, Brahmakumaris from last 17 years & from 2005 in USA, Volunteer in Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America from India & from USA 2006. Volunteer VHP from 2006. Volunteer in temples. Associated with HGH since 2006, Festivals like Janmasthmi are a good way of keeping our culture alive and spreading it.
Partha Krishnaswamy, Joined Hindus of Greater Houston some seven ago as the Vice President under the charismatic leadership of Girish Naik. Also, President of Bharathi Kali Manram, a tamil cultural organization in Houston, and founder member of the Katy Indian Cultural Association. Professionally, the Vice President of FloaTEC a company engaged in deepwater offshore technology in the Oil and Gas sector. He feels honored that Hindus of Greater Houston has bestowed their trust and confidence in him.
Indrani Krishnaswamy, served as a board member of several organizations like Bharathi Kalai Manram, ICC, Houston Kannada Vrinda etcis. A graded artist of the Bangalore Doordarshan and have performed extensively is India, UAE and USA. Looks forward to performing at Janmashtami event. Settled in Katy, Texas with husband Partha and two sons, Srikanth and Raghuram, both graduates from Texas A&M.
Vinod Mantri, Treasurer. with Hindus of Greater Houston from 2008. Chartered Accountant by Profession. Working as Financial Analyst. In leisure time, he likes to Reading Books, Networking, Traveling. Let us work together and make Hindu community stronger and better for our next generations.
Chandrakant Patel, fondly known as Charlie to his close friends has been a Houstonian for the last 15+ years. Been involved in community service since 2010 and started at India Culture Center (ICC) as a voluntary Director. Presently he is the President of ICC Houston. He also volunteers at IHA & HGH. live in Kingwood with wife Deepty, son Kishen and daughter Diya. They. He strongly believes in giving back to the Community & his spirit is strongly rooted into Indian culture Nisha Mirani, has been a Houstonian for the last 30+ years. She has been on the Gujarati Samaj of Houston Board since 2008, Vice President of the Samaj for 2 years and President for 2 years. She is also ICC Director and volunteers with other community organizations like IHA & HGH. Lives in Sugar Land with husband Bharat, daughter Puja and son Pratik. She strongly believes in cooperation & joint efforts can make a strong bonded Indo American community.
Sanjay Jajoo, Sanjay Jajoo is an active community member and is the Special Events Co-coordinator on the HGH committee. His association with Janmashtami began as an 1st time attendee in ‘01 and grew when he friends built a life size Krishna Janma Jhaanki for the ‘04 celebrations. He was instrumental in bringing the immensely popular phoolon ki holi drawing a record crowd to the event. He is a finance professional. Blessed to be associated with HGH & raising 2 brilliant kid’s in this beautiful, vibrant Houston community Achalesh Amar, a name ubiquitous with any and all activities pertaining to Hindu faith in Hosuton. Key coordinator and active volunteer for Hindus of Greater Houston, VHPA, Hindu Swyamsevak Sangh (HSS), Global Indians for Bharat Vikas (GIBV). He believes that Hindu faith is one of the most flexible, accommodating faiths and the proliferation of the faith would help Houston become a more spiritually and intellectually balanced society. Lives in Pearland with wife and two daughters. Girish Naik, He is the current Director of India Cultural Center (ICC). Past-President of HGH. He supports many organizations. He and his wife have been supporting VHPA youth camp for past many years. He is also good actor. He has played different roles in Hindu and Gujrathi dramas. In his leisure time likes to play ping Ping.
Janmashtami 2014
49
Wish you a from
William D Real Diamonds Newman from
Cy-Fair Heart and Vascular Center Wishes You a Happy Janmashtami!
Chaitanya Shah, MD, FACC, FACP
281-894-4327
11307 FM 1960 Rd. W Suite 125 Houston, TX, 77065
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