Beloved Community Advocate Sonal Bhuchar, 58, Dies
SUGAR LAND: Sonal Bhuchar, 58, passed away peacefully in her home on April 20, 2019 after a valiant battle with lung cancer. She was surrounded by her family. Sonal was born in Mumbai, India on June 30, 1960, to Ramesh and Manju Parekh. She earned her education and studied to practice physical therapy in Mumbai […]
Serene Lady Champaben Gandhi Slips Away Quietly and Quickly on Her 82nd Birthday
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: She would always be at her daughter Manisha’s side, accompanying her on many community functions and she would relish those events, sitting quietly by herself or with some other elderly ladies whom she had come to know. Often she would come dressed in fine, bright colored sarees and say a few […]
Kamna Sharma Remembered as a Jovial Spirit with a Smile
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: Her younger son Mayoor, 35, remembered her as the adoring mom whose loving arms he could jump into from the school bus after a particularly traumatic incident in school. This Major in the US Army Reserve with two tours in Iraq fought to hold back the tears even though the dark […]
Stunned Community Mourns Victims of Murder-Suicide
SUGAR LAND: The news of the Indian American couple’s death in an apparent murder-suicide at their home in Sugar Land has left the community in deep shock as friends and family looked for answers. On Monday, February 18 morning, the police responded to a 911 call to the home in the Telfair subdivision 6 am, […]
Mandir ki Maaji Bestows Last Blessings on Her Admirers
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: If you are in Little India on any day or night and want to get some blessings, all you had to do is visit the temple on Hillcroft behind the first row of shops, almost behind Karat 22 Jewelers. It is small and cozy and until recently, sitting by the entrance […]
Kochamma Mary Philip, 81, Passes
HOUSTON: Mary Philip, a long-time resident of Houston, passed away on Monday, December 17, 2018 surrounded by family in Manchester, New Hampshire. She had moved there in 2015 with her husband to be live with her youngest daughter Annie and her family. She was born on July 13, 1937, in Kozencherry, Kerala, India to Theketh-Valluparambil House, […]
Sant Nirankaris Lose Another Guru in Two Years
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: It was only two years ago that she had taken over as the chief of the Sant Nirankari Mission after the unfortunate and totally unexpected death of her husband Baba Hardev Singh in a car accident in Canada in May 2016. On Sunday, August 5, Mata Savinder Hardev, more affectionately referred […]
Rasikbhai R Patel
December 8, 1928 – July 21, 2018 HOUSTON: Rasikbhai R Patel, a loving and caring individual known for spreading laughter and happiness, passed away on Saturday, July 21 in Houston, Texas. He was Born in India and migrated to USA in 1981. He resided in Houston since 1982. He is survived by a loving family […]
Sanjay Grover, a Gentle Soul Passes Unexpectedly, 1972-2018
MISSOURI CITY: Tragedy struck the Grover family again when their youngest son, Sanjay, 46, suddenly passed away while watching television at his home in Olympia Lakes, Missouri City. He had returned home from work and apparently suffered a massive heart attack, though he never exhibited any prior symptoms. A few years ago, the Grover family […]
Dr. Satish Gopal Jhingran (1935 – 2018)
When he came to Houston in 1968, he was among a handful of Indian families which had settled in the area and bonded together for life. Many still fondly remember the Indian movie screenings they would hold at the Agnes Arnold Hall at the University of Houston. And they went onto forge cultural and religious […]
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 […]
