Kaushalya Devi: Reflections from Her Eldest Son – Vijay Pallod
We all address them differently – sometimes mother, sometimes Ma, Mataji, Kakiji, or as the new generation says it – mom. For many of us, it’s also a word that indicates our deep respect, gratitude, and love. There is no doubt in my mind about the rock-solid role my mother Kaushalya Devi played in my […]
Nita Mehta, a Tireless, Cheerful Community Worker Passes
Nita Mehta 1929-2017 HOUSTON: Even as the years slowed her down physically, her spirit was indomitable and she marched on, finally with the aid of a walker, which she said “was a necessary nuisance”. After her husband Padmakanth grew feebler, she would often drive him to meetings and around town. Until a few years ago, […]
An Expert on Geotechnical Science, Dr. Vasant N. Vijayvergiya, 81, Passes
HOUSTON: He had an easy going manner and smile and an infectious way of engrossing people. When he started his own consulting firm in a small office just south of Bellaire near Hillcroft, he was cheerful about his prospects and happy that he had taken the leap from corporate life. The dint of his expertise […]
Asghar Ali Alibhoy A Zest for Life, Family and Community | 1945 – 2017
HOUSTON: Asghar Ali Alibhoy was a founding member of Club 65, a social club for Indian senior citizens, and served on the leadership committee from its inception till his death. He was informally known as the Party Man. He meticulously planned every meeting, every picnic, every special event, and was in-charge of food and entertainment. […]
Sundru J. Malkani: Engineer, Bridge Enthusiast and Spiritualist
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Most people knew Sundru Malkani was very fond of tennis and bridge and he offered free lessons to anyone who approached him. He coached his sons in tennis and chess, which are treasured memories for them. Malkani even coaxed many of his friends into playing bridge well, a game that he […]
Ramakant Nagar, Journalist and Community Sevak
NEW YORK: For years, at most community functions in the Houston area, he was always available with his favorite camera in his hand and a big welcoming smile. He would also have copies of his periodical and later directory, the AsiaAmericaDigest, which listed almost all the desi businesses he could track and was the precursor […]
Preeminent Scientist Dr. Yashwant Karkhanis Passes Away
By Prakash Waghmare FANWOOD, NJ: One the most preeminent scientist of Indian origin, Dr Yashwant Karkhanis, peacefully passed away on March 23, 2017 at his home in Fanwood, N.J. after a brief hospitalization. He was 86. He is survived by his wife of 56 yrs, Nalinee, children Nitin and Anita, nephew Sanjay and four grandchildren. […]
Legendary Entertainment Pioneer, “Dastaan” Farooq Ahmed Khan Passes
HOUSTON: For many old-time desis who came to the Bayou City in the early 70s, the first real connection with the Old Country in an age of analog media – (not the digital internet one we know now) – was at the two-screen Desi Cinema at the corner of Westheimer and Fondren. Shalimar theater was […]
Ramesh Manek, 68, an Architect for whom Family Came First
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: There is a picture of Ramesh Manek in a white shirt, smiling broadly besides a yellow sign on a busy street in Abu Dhabi in the middle of the afternoon. “Men at Work” reads the sign, but it may as well have been referring to Manek, who was the hardest […]
Illustrious Tabla Maestro of Houston Passes Away
HOUSTON: Dexter Raghunanan was a highly accomplished tabla player based in Houston, Texas. He was one of the most distinguished Indian Classical artistes to originate from Trinidad W.I. Dexter was originally from Mon Repos, San Fernando. He always had a great penchant toward percussion as a child. His paternal grandmother recognized his innate talent and passion for drums bought him his first […]
Anita Mantri 1986-2016
Anita Mantri passed away on November 10, 2016. She was the shining star for her parents, long-time Katy residents Vishakh and Shubha, her sister Trisha, and grandmother Kumud Vaidya. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science from Rice University in 2009, Anita was accepted into the M.D./Ph.D program at Texas A&M College of […]
In Loving Memory of Sanjay Gupta (10-29-1969 to 11-02-2016)
By Vanshika Vipin HOUSTON: Sanjay Gupta, a loving, caring, always smiling individual, known for spreading laughter and happiness, passed away on Wednesday, November 2 in Houston, Texas, after a battle with Cancer. Hailing from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (India), Sanjay was a long time resident of Houston. He was a beloved husband, son, friend but most […]
Leela Devi Kamnani 1938 – 2016
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: On special days, and especially at Diwali which was celebrated at the store, Leela Devi Kamnani greeted people with a wide and friendly smile at India Jewelers on Hillcroft at the Southwest Freeway. She always had encouraging and warm words to say to all the people who had become friends and […]
Dr. Sumant Malhotra Optimist and Devoted Friend 1976-2016
HOUSTON: Dr. Sumant Malhotra, an optometrist devoted to family and a legion of friends who all packed into the hall, was eulogized in a standing room only funeral service at the Winford Funeral Home on the city’s southwest side on Monday, October 3. He was almost six weeks shy of his 40th birthday when he […]
Goodbye to Lord Ganpati 2016
By Runmee Barbara HOUSTON: On the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a big ritual ceremony is performed every year by devotees of the Indian community in Houston. This year also enthusiastic religious followers assembled to celebrate and bid adieu to Lord Ganesha at Shiv Shakti Temple in Hilcroft. Devotees from in an around […]
A Guiding Light Passes, and there is Sorrow, and Also No Sorrow
By Jawahar Malhotra STAFFORD: The news that the Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) of Swaminarayan sect had passed away in Saurashtra in Gujarat’s Botad district on Saturday evening, August 13, at 6pm Indian time spread like wildfire among the congregation here which was just waking up. […]
Ashok Dhingra 1946 – 2016: An Architect of Community Togetherness Passes
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: When he was just an architectural student at the University of Houston, the thin 26 year-old young man from India already stood out for two things that stayed with him throughout his life: an easy and infectious smile and laugh and a thick and wide chevron moustache that covered the top […]
Dr. Avinash Chandra Parti 1941-2016
Dr. Avinash Chandra Parti passed away peacefully on April 17, 2016 in Sugarland, Texas. Dr. Parti was born in Jalandhar, India on July 10, 1941. He received his medical degree from the Government Medical College of Patiala, Punjab. Before moving to the United States, he practiced as a registrar in Amritsar, India. He practiced as […]
Meena Agrawal
It is with great sadness we inform you that Meena Agrawal, Treasurer and Board Member of IACAN passed away on Saturday, April 23, 2016 around 8 PM. On Wednesday, April 13, 2016 evening she experienced respiratory and heart failure. She was rushed to The Methodist Hospital, Sugar Land. She was in coma and never recovered. […]
Shobha Seth Wenger
Shobha Seth Wenger passed away on Monday, February 15, 2016. Born and raised in India, she acquired a BA ( Hons) degree in English Literature and a Masters in Psychology. Shobha came to Houston in 1971 with her daughter, Sujata. In 1979, she married Alan Wenger, and they were married for 30 years until Alan […]
