Krishna Vavilala was among many Indo-Americans who mourned the loss of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. -- PAGE 9 Indo American Conservatives of Texas (IACT) held a prayer meeting in support of former President Donald Trump. -- PAGE 8
Dr. Vivek Kavadi is appointed CEO of Oncological Society. -- PAGE 5
Tagore Society of Houston celebrated its 50th anniversary through ceremonies and musical events at the Tagore Grove, Taagore Peace Concert, and Durga Bari.
50 Years spreading music, literature and arts in the heart of texas and beYond
Celebrating Golden Jubilee of Tagore Society of Houston
By PartHa saratHi CHatterjee
Houston: Tagore Society of Houston (TSH) a cultural organization in Space City, Houston, celebrated its Golden Jubilee on the weekend of July 19-21. It was established in Houston, in 1974, with the sole purpose of disseminating the universal ideas and philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore and his humanistic ideals.
TSH started the celebration with opening ceremony at Tagore Grove on Friday. Honorable DC Manjunath, Consul General of India in Houston, planted a tree as part of the Earth Day and Plant For Mother initiative by Government of India.
Headline for Saturday was the Tagore Peace Concert by Prasanna and his world-renowned musicians – Grammy Award winner Rodney Holmes and Steven Jenkins, who created magic of Jazz, Carnatic and Bengali music fusion. Talented Houstonians – second-generation Americans and established artists – did a fantastic job with Tagore dance drama – Chitrangada. The literary session was headlined by a Keynote speech titled “The Essence of Tagore” by distinguished thought leader Dr. Partha Sarathi Ghosh, which was followed by a roundtable - “Examining the Infinite Genius of Tagore” - where experts talked about the versatile genius of Tagore and how we can carry his legacy and spread his message forward. An Arts exhibition presenting creative art of local Houston artists was a visual delight, showcasing immense talent of the Indian diaspora.
On Sunday, at Houston Durgabari Society, premier partner organization, Tagore Youth Symphony demonstrated the immense talent of the local youths, who performed so admirably together. Stirring group renditions of Tagore songs were presented by the local Bangladesh organizations BAH and BASGH. Saraswati Baul gave a soul inspiring rendition of Baul – Bengali folk music on Sunday. An energetic band of young musicians gave a modern rock version of Rabindrasangeet, which brought the crowd to their feet. An incredible display of creativity and musical ability. Noted local artist Gopal Seyn sketched a portrait was done as the music went on. The finale was a mesmerizing rendition of Rabindrasangeet by the renowned exponent - Kamalini Mukherjee.
Before the event, a commemorative book on Rabindranath Tagore was launched on the occasion by West Bengal Chief Minister, Shri Mamata Banerjee. Fruit of incredible literary effort, it is a collector’s item – perfect for the coffee table, spreading the richness of Tagore’s cultural genius and can be bought from TSH.
TSH has achieved some key milestones during its golden 50 years - hosting North American Bengali Conferences (NABC) – 1996, 2006 and 2015, celebration of Tagore 150th anniversary, installation of first full figure statue of Tagore in North America in 2013 and inauguration of unique open air Tagore Memorial in 2023 and others.
Half a world away from home, after 50 years, going forward, TSH will spread the message of universal love and borderless world, being the voice of peace and love.
The Tagore Society of Houston, through the dedication of its members, volunteers, directors, and past executives, has made the dream possible of keeping our culture and heritage intact halfway across the world. To close out the festivities, President Dhruba Ghose thanked all the members, volunteers, directors, and past executives of TSH, and partner organizations like Houston Durga Bari, BAH, BASGH, and others.
Opening ceremony at Tagore Grove with planting of a tree as part of Earth Day.
Music and dance performers gathered on stage for a group photo.
Dr. Vivek Kavadi is CEO of Oncology Society
WasHington DC: The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) announced today that following a nationwide search, Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO will become CEO of the Society effective November 1, 2024. Dr. Kavadi will succeed Laura Thevenot, who previously announced her intent to retire after leading the organization since 2002.
Dr. Kavadi, a radiation oncologist and ASTRO member since 1994, ascends to the role from his current position as Chief Radiation Oncology Officer for The US Oncology Network, where he oversees strategy, operations and clinical service delivery for a network of 200 physicians,
From 2003 to 2020, Dr. Kavadi served as Regional Medical Director for Texas Oncology, where he managed a 60-physician practice in the Houston region. Since 1995, Dr. Kavadi also has maintained a clinical practice as a radiation oncologist for Texas Oncology, where he specializes in breast and prostate cancers.
In 2019, he was recognized by ASTRO as a Fellow for his service to the Society and his contributions to the field of radiation oncology.
“We are so pleased to have Vivek lead ASTRO at this key time for the specialty,” said Jeff M. Michalski, chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors. “The appointment of a physician from our specialty with first-
hand experience of the challenges that practicing physicians face each day marks an important milestone for ASTRO. Vivek’s deep understanding of the field, as well as his operational and business acumen, makes him an ideal fit for our Society. His expertise will be valuable as we navigate the legislative landscape with the recent introduction of the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) ValueBased Payment Program Act as well as a myriad of issues important to our 10,000 members.”
“I am deeply honored to step into the CEO role at ASTRO to help advance our wonderful specialty,” said Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO. “I do not take the challenge of leaving my current role in community cancer care to lead a national organization lightly. I know I will be at the helm of a healthy, thriving organization, and I am committed to fostering further collaboration, scientific advancement and excellence within our specialty.”
Dr. Kavadi obtained his MBA from The Wharton School, his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Rice University. He completed his radiation oncology training at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he was chief resident and served on the faculty.
Dr. Kavadi is the son of long-time Houston residents Sharad and Sudha Kavadi. He is married to Madhavi and has three sons: Raj, Samir, and Amit. He is also an avid volleyball player.
http://www.triggerscricket.com/index.php/about-tb
Dr. Vivek Kavadi
IACT Holds Prayer Meeting in Wake of Trump’s Miraculous Escape
Houston: The Indo American Conservatives of Texas, swiftly reacting to the assassination attempt on the former President Trump, organized a community meeting of prayer and hope, while the seminal image of the miraculous escape of Trump with blood oozing from his cheeks is still haunting the minds of many.
Fittingly, the meeting featured Sakki Joseph delivering the Christian prayer and a priest from Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, Yadagiri Swamy, offering Hindu prayers. The Hindu prayer invoked the God almighty that “May we be nourished; May our intellect be sharpened; Let there be no animosity among us. Om, peace, peace, peace.”
On Tuesday, July 16, community members gathered at the Indian Summer Restaurant in Sugar Land under the IACT banner to show their solidarity, pray for the victims and condemn the assassination attempt. It was also an avenue to express their hurt feelings and to pour out their pent-up frustrations.
Indian community members Col. Raj Bhalla (Retd.), Subhash Gupta, Kumari Susarla and a representative of Hindus for Trump, Anant Srivastav, spoke at the event.
Among elected officials Fort Bend County Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, County Court-at-
Law Judge Dean Hrbacek, District Court Judge Chad Bridges, Sugar Land Council Member Carol McCutcheon, James Pressler, District Director for State Rep. Gary Gates, spoke. Also, Fort Bend County GOP was represented by Eddie Zuniga, community outreach Director.
The common sentiment among the speakers across the spectrum was that Trump’s life was saved by divine intervention.
Col. Bhalla, 93, a respected member of the community at large, describing the scene as horrendous, attributed Trump’s own karma for escaping the bullet.
“Here is a man whose heart is at the right place and he did what is right for the country. Some providential power, that almighty God, saved him. And, of course we are grateful for that, but at the same
time, we are a bit sad that another person met untimely death. Our prayers and good wishes go to the family and also to the injured. Let them have quick recovery,” Bhalla said.
Kumari Susarla, who was watching the rally in Pennsylvania at the time Trump was being shot said she was very emotional.
“I could not believe what was going on, actually I froze. I could not believe what was going on, my eyes were seeing but my brain was not registering. Once he got up and started showing his fist that is when I realized, I was not breathing until that time,” Kumari said. “So we pray and I hope you all continue to pray for his wellbeing. She quoted a Hindu saying, “If you protect dharma, dharma will protect you. So God will be taking care of him and I know
Trump is doing the right thing because God had protected him. So go ahead and start telling your friends, your family, wherever you can talk. Get them to vote for Trump and we will win,” Kumari added.
Anant Srivatsava echoed others in saying that Lord Krishna intervened in that Trump turned his head around just for a second.
He read a statement on behalf of Hindus for Trump: “Trump, who survived a ghastly assassination attention. We believe in our president who will defeat these wild forces that don’t like the liberty, equality and faith for all. Again, we stand in solidarity with President Trump and his family and Democratic values and condemns this senseless division and violence has no place. We urge all our Americans brothers, pray for the well-being of all.”
Hindu community leader Subhash
Gupta said when he got the news he was in utter shock.
“I simply could not believe it. There is no room for violence. Zero tolerance for any such violence. Thank God, President Trump was safe; it has to be god’s intervention that he just turned his head around for that second. On behalf of Ekal Vidyala, Sewa International, Texas Hindu Campsite and Hindu Swyamsevak Sangh, we stand for conservative principles and family values. We condemn this violence. This kind of act should not be tolerated by anyone,” Gupta said.
The meeting was conducted by Ramesh Cherivirala, a founding member of IACT, in the absence of President Bijay Dixit, who could not attend due to a prior commitment.
Swapan Dhairyawan, IACT Treasurer, proposed the vote of thanks.
“Each one of you, came with kind of sadness, some frustration. But now we are going out from here with lots of energy. Energy that is what is needed from now until November,” Dhairyawan said and asked all present to pledge to go out and vote and urge others to do the same in November.
OBITUARY
Commodore Rajan Vir : 1930-2024
Pune: Commodore Rajan Vir, a Director of Equator India, and Father of Equator President Atul Vir, sadly left for his heavenly abode on July 20th, 2024.
Commodore Vir was born in Jammu in 1930. He studied in Lahore at the well-known Government College, and later graduated from East Punjab University with Botany and Chemistry as major subjects. He was selected for the Royal Indian Navy in 1949 and went to England where he was trained at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.
He was a Korean War veteran, having served as a Midshipman on board Aircraft-Carrier HMS Glory in 1951. On returning to the Indian Navy in 1953, he served on board several ships, including the Aircraft-Carrier Vikrant, bringing it to India from UK. He commanded two ships, the Frigate INS Kuthar and the Fleet Tanker INS Deepak.
Commodore Vir served as Naval ADC to the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad. He was also the Naval Attache at the Indian Embassies in Indonesia and
Singapore playing key roles during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. He subsequently held senior appointments at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, as the Director of Naval Intelligence and the Director of Personnel Services.
Commodore Vir retired from the Indian Navy in 1978 and thereafter joined the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) as a seagoing Captain for 13 years.
During this time, he commanded ten merchant ships of different types, including tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and a passenger ship.
After retiring from SCI, Commodore Vir founded the Indian Maritime Foundation, a non-profit organization with its aim to raise awareness of the oceans and rekindle maritime consciousness. He retired as President Emeritus at the age of 90.
Commodore Vir was also an active member of Rotary for more than thirty years and held several assignments in his Rotary Club as well as in the Rotary District.
The life of Commodore Rajan Vir is an inspiration to all those he has left behind and worthy of emulation by those who strive for excellence and fullness in life.
On behalf of the Management and Staff of Equator we offer our heartfelt condolences to Atul, Arti, Amrita and Avi, Sister and Director Naina Vir, Brother Rahul Vir and their extended families. We pray that they face the irreplaceable loss with courage and fortitude.
Indo American News
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Remembering Sheila Jackson Lee
Dear Editor:
Our Indian community will deeply miss longtime Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who passed away at age 74 on July 19th due to pancreatic cancer. Sheila was a cherished friend of our community in Houston, always extending her support even to those outside her 18th Congressional District. She often attended our events, generously bringing and reading Congressional proclamations herself.
One memorable occasion was the dedication ceremony of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Hermann Park, Houston, Texas, on October 2, 2004. At this event, Sheila highlighted Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and its significant impact on the global struggle for civil rights. She emphasized the relevance of Gandhi’s principles in contemporary issues and drew parallels between Gandhi’s efforts and the American civil rights movement. Congresswoman Lee praised Gandhi’s legacy and encouraged the community to continue embracing his teachings of
peace, justice, and non-violent resistance.
Sheila Jackson Lee’s presence and support have left an indelible mark on our community, and her dedication to the values of peace and justice will always be remembered.
