23rd Brahman Samaj Convention in Houston Attracts a Global Audience

Senior BSNA members with Kavis after the grand Kavi Sammelan.

Senior BSNA members with Kavis after the grand Kavi Sammelan.

HOUSTON: The 23rd Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA) Convention and its Silver Jubilee Celebration, and 8th Global Brahman Convention (GBC), was held in Houston from July 27–29, 2018. The program started with lamp lighting ceremony by BSNA youth in presence of Dr. Sen Pathak and Dr. Shrikant Mishra and President Dr. Keshav Shukla and the core organizing committee. Then followed a grand Hasya Kavi Sammelan by kavis from India: Dr. Suresh Awasthi and Dr. Kirti Kaley.

Saturday July 28 commenced with a power yoga session followed by Bhajans early morning. The convention was formally inaugurated with Vedic Mantras, lamp lighting and Brahm Vandana by senior BSNA patrons. Dr. Keshav Shukla delivered the welcome speech, which was followed by the keynote speech from Dr. Shri Kant Mishra, President of GBC. After the keynote speech, Youth chair Abhay Dubey presented the Importance of Janeu, followed by Dr. Sen Pathak’s emphatic presentation on Healthy Ageing.

During the pre-lunch session, several BSNA members participated in panel discussions on Brahmanic values and relevance in today’s context. Discussion on Stress/Anger Reduction & Management in Youth/Adults via Spirituality, Yoga, Ayurveda and Modern Medicine drew significant youth participation.

Other post-lunch notable panel discussions included topics on Business (moderated by Sanjay Pathak and panelists Vashishth Sharma, Devesh Pathak and Sanjay Tiwari) and Healthcare (moderated by Dr. Swapan Dubey). In the post-panel discussion, there was an impressive question and answer session with physicians including Dr. Shrikant Mishra, Dr. Vinod Mishra, Dr. Hans Ghayee, Dr. Ragini Miryala, Dr. Ramesh Hariharan and Dr. Ramesh Krishnan.

These panel discussions were followed by a discourse by His Holiness Shri Roopchandra ji Maharaj and concluding presentations for the night by Dr. Sukrit Mukherjee on Scientific Interpretation of Some Religious Practices.

BSNA President Dr. Shukla awarding Life Time Achievement award to Dr. Shrikant Mishra (left) and Dr. Sen Pathak.

BSNA President Dr. Shukla awarding Life Time Achievement award to Dr. Shrikant Mishra (left) and Dr. Sen Pathak.

Saturday dinner was followed by the presentation of dances from youth and dramas by local BSNA professional actors such as Kusum Sharma and Master ji, thumri by Dr. Lakshmi Shankar Dube and Bollywood Songs by Mrs. Jayesha Mukherjee accompanied on tabla by Dr. Sukrit Mukherjee.

The award ceremony and youth recognition were the highlights of Sunday morning session wherein contributions of all the volunteers were acknowledged and recognized with plaques and certificates. Special efforts of Food Committee led by Suman Pathak, Vibha Goswami and Chetna Upadhyay in providing fabulous food were appreciated by all attendees and recognized by patrons. The most notable recognitions were Life Time Achievement awards to Dr. Sen Pathak, Mr. Akkaraju Sarma, Dr. Shrikant Mishra, Yoga sessions by Yogi Arun Tiwari, discourse by Swami Roopchandra ji Maharaj, Bhajans and cultural programs by Vandana Dadhich, etc.

The Convention provided an excellent opportunity for all to network, remember their roots and exchange ideas on various topics. The Convention Director Mrs. Abha Dwivedi and the convention committee volunteers worked tirelessly to organize the convention and ensure comfort of the delegates.  The convention was adjourned Sunday July 29th noon with a luncheon and the vote of thanks by President Dr. Keshav Shukla.

Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA), founded in 1994, is a not-for-profit, cultural, educational, religious and charitable organization, serving the needs of Brahman Community and Hindu community at large in North America.