[Assam] Washington DC's Indians: HPI, October 19, 2006

Fri Oct 20 14:08:32 PDT 2006

Dear friends and well wishers,

  Happy Diwali!! -the festival of lights and prosperity.

   Info on Indians in DC and their cultural antics is interesting.

  Umesh

Hindu Press International <hpi.list at hindu.org> wrote:
  From: Hindu Press International <hpi.list at hindu.org>
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:39:27 -1000
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: HPI, October 19, 2006

             October 19, 2006 

   Trafalgar Square Hosts Divali Festivities  
   Malaysia Hindu Sangam Sends Deepavali Greetings  
   Washington D.C. Area Sees a Significant Indian Population Growth in the Last Five Years  
   Hindu Student Council Holds Successful Annual Meeting in Boston

    1. Trafalgar Square Hosts Divali Festivities  www.london.gov.uk
  LONDON, ENGLAND, October 19, 2006: Divali was celebrated October 15 in Trafalgar Square, London, by 20,000 people. Organized by the Mayor of London and the Divali in London Committee, chaired by Nitin Palan, the number of celebrants has increased 5,000 each year. Raghav, Hunterz and Kalakaar provided musical entertainment. Groups from the Saraswati Dance Academy, Brahma Kumaris, BAPS Swaminarayan School, Bombay Dance Club, Metropolitan Police Hindu Association, Sai School of Harrow, Kutch Leva Patel Community and the Brent Hindu Council gave dance performances. A Ram Leila play was presented by the Hindu Council of UK.

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    2. Malaysia Hindu Sangam Sends Deepavali Greetings  info at hindusangam.org.my
  KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, October 19, 2006: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam sent out the following press release:

"The present day life is filled with much stress and tension in a fast-paced, action-orientated life. The arrival of festive season is always most welcome and what more a week-long Deepa-Raya festive holidays! The entire nation will have the opportunity to be with their respective families thus being able to enjoy the closeness that can be found in a loving family. The Malaysians are celebrating Deepavali and Hari Raya Aidilfitri very close to each other's for the third year in succession. This very unique form of celebrating the festivals in a multi racial Malaysia gives the opportunity to the different communities to reflect their thoughts to understand each other so as to enable them to live in peace and harmony. A very good gesture experienced this morning (19th October 2006) was the goodwill gesture by several Muslims NGO's coordinated by Islamic Information and Services Foundation handing over hampers and cash donations to Madam Kalliammah and daughter Dineswary, the
 wife and child of the late Murthi at the MHS office. A common prayer this festive season is to, irrespective of race or religion, pray to the Almighty God to free us from evil thoughts of arrogance, greed and hatred and let us all have thoughts of peace and harmony for national unity in this beautiful country of ours. The Malaysia Hindu Sangam wishes all Hindus a very Happy Deepavali and our Muslim Friends a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri."

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    3. Washington D.C. Area Sees a Significant Indian Population Growth in the Last Five Years  inwww.rediff.com
  WASHINGTON, U.S.A., October 10, 2006: In the past five years immigrants from India have settled in the Washington metropolitan area increasing their population from 70,000 to 107,000. These statistics are from a media report published by the Washington Post. The report further added, "Foreign-born Indians now rival Koreans as the area's second most populous group. That growth naturally has smoothed the cultural transition for Indians; some joke that there are more Indian cultural events in the Washington suburbs than in Mumbai." Quoting Indian-Americans in the area the Post report explained, "And as India sprouts Western-style shopping malls and gleaming outposts of US companies, a small but growing number of Indians -particularly affluent male technology workers and retiring baby boomers - are leading dual lives in the countries. " The Post also said that this most recent growth is the result of skilled workers, foreign students and family members, including many parents
 of immigrant professionals. "In the 1960's and 1970's the first wave of Indian immigrants came to the U.S. with stellar academic credentials. Those who stayed in America later brought their relatives in the 1980's leading to the second wave of immigration. This was followed by a third wave in 1990's when the American technology industry surged. The Washington region census figures showed 72% Indians had a bachelor's degree or higher, and their median household income was more than $75,000," the Post report expounded.

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    4. Hindu Student Council Holds Successful Annual Meeting in Boston  www.hscnet.org
  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, October 5, 2006: "The past and future are but the essence of our existence." These words by Swami Tygananda of the Boston Vedanta Society resonated with the attendees at Hindu Students Council's 2006 Annual Meet, recently held on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus. The three-day meeting, from September 29 to October 1, brought together participants from all over the United States to discuss HSC's future goals and bond together while learning about Hinduism.

The meeting started off with the participants joining the MIT chapter's weekly Friday satsang on the Bhagavad Gita delivered by Swami Tygananda. After a relaxed Friday evening, attendees started Saturday morning at full speed, with discussions on HSC's future and a presentation on how to build and maintain a productive team. After a satisfying lunch, the participants tackled tough issues relevant to Hindus through a presentation on Hindu-related human rights issues, sparking a lively and insightful debate about the role of HSC members vis-a-vis Spirituality versus Activism.

The attendees also got another chance to hear from Swamiji, as he spoke on how Swami Vivekananda could be a role model for the youth in this day and age. "I felt very honored to hear Swamiji speak, because he helped us make sense of how our daily rituals connect with our past and our future," said Sheena Sood, chapter president at Emory University. After Swamiji's talk, the attendees received a healthy dose of Bhakti Yoga by participating in a puja organized by MIT's HSC. The day ended with a dinner where the attendees got to meet and interact with the local Hindu community leaders from the Boston area.

Sunday morning provided a chance for the Meet's attendees to look at HSC's goals for the year. Nikunj Trivedi, president of HSC, presented the theme for the upcoming year, "Reach Out, Recruit, and Retain," as HSC embarks on a campaign to increase the number of chapters and volunteers performing various tasks all over the organization. Though the last day was marred by heavy rain that caused a few disruptions, attendees still came away with a feeling of clarity and accomplishment. Jilna Kothary, a chapter officer at New York University, remarked, "The Annual Meet was the perfect blend of religious, cultural, and social activities for Hindu youth, away from the pressures of student life." With the 2006 Annual Meet completed, Hindu Students Council looks forward to the coming academic year and the promise of strengthening an already v ibrant organization.

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