Tamil Chair at Harvard University
By Vidya Sridhar HOUSTON: Harvard University has accepted a proposal to set up a “Sangam Tamil Chair” in the Department of South Asian Studies with the focus being on Tamil Sangam Literature and all Tamil literature influenced by it. Tamil language has ancient literature dating back to around 300 B.C. Tamil is one of the […]
MahaShivaratri Celebrations at The Hindu Temple of the Woodlands
By Beth Kulkarni THE WOODLANDS: The Hindu Temple of the Woodlands (HTW) held a magnificent celebration of MahaShivaratri, the night of Shiva, on February 24, continuing until Saturday morning at 8 am. The celebration began at 8:30 a.m. on Friday with Rudra Abhishekam. The Abhishekam, or bathing, of Lord Shiva was done with the traditional […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Besan di Pinniyan (Gram Flour Sweet Balls)
By popular demand from many readers, below is a reprint of Mama’s Besan di Pinniyan recipe, which is a tasty sweet to make especially during days of cool weather. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions. Pinniya are extremely popular in the Punjab during the cold weather months. It is very common to […]
Renowned Geologist Donates 100 Year Old Journals to OIL
RICHMOND, TEXAS – Norman Kent, a renowned structural geologist, has donated 100-year-old AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists) Bulletins/Journals, along with numerous geology books to OIL’s (Oil India Limited) Library in India. Kent, of Kent Geoscience Associates, has had extensive international experience in projects with complex geological plays in various countries like India, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, […]
The Great Night of Shiva at Hillcroft
By Vanshika Vipin Varma HOUSTON: Maha Shivratri is a popular Hindu festival that is celebrated every year in reverence of the Lord Shiva. It is a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for protecting us from annihilation. Religious penances are carried out to gain boons through the practice of meditation and chants of “Om Namah […]
A Blissful Sivaratri at Saumyakasi Sivalaya
By Satchitananda HOUSTON: Siva means auspiciousness. On February 24th 2017, as Houston celebrated Mahasivaratri, a day that is most auspicious to Siva, thousands of devotees of the Houston Indian American community had one venue on their minds and calendar – Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya. In that iconic linga-shaped temple located within the premises of Chinmaya […]
Krishnamurthy to Head Sankara Nethralaya OM Trust
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: With the start of the new year, local community activist and philanthropist Leela Krishnamurthy has been selected to head the Sankara Nethralaya Ophthalmic Mission Trust, a national non-profit in the US, which was established in 1988 to support the highly regarded charitable, not-for-profit Sankara Nethralaya, Ophthalmic Hospital, in Chennai, India. The […]
Maha Sivarathri Celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple
By Muthukumar & Sriram PEARLAND: Maha Sivarathri is celebrated on 13th night (waning moon) and 14th day of the month Phalguna (Magha). Sri Meenakshi Temple gave their devotees a very unique and rare opportunity to make a holy pilgrimage to five important Siva Kshetras (Panch Bhootha Sthalams), all under one roof, to experience the divine […]
YLDP: Leadership the Muscle
By Arshia Batra HOUSTON: On February 4, a group of young aspiring leaders filled a conference room in India House and were asked: Is Governing Possible? In a matter of 45 minutes, we had the opportunity to hear one whole semester worth of government, from former Mayor Annise Parker herself. As the former 61st mayor […]
Arya Samaj for Houston Food Bank
HOUSTON: Arya Samaj Greater Houston organizes its annual Food Drive for the Houston Food Bank. Its members enjoy food every Sunday together after the weekly Satsang, called Rishi Langar’s Preeti Bhoj. But this time of the year is slightly different for them when they spare a thought to the recurring pain of the hungry people […]
FIS Scores Partnership with SAADA
HOUSTON: Philadelphia,PA based South Asian American Digital Archives (SAADA), a non-profit 501(c3) organization has sought partnership with Houston based Foundation for India Studies (FIS) to create a more inclusive voice to South Asian Americans at the national level by documenting, preserving, and sharing stories that represent Indian immigrants’ unique and diverse experiences. SAADA’s existing partnerships with Asian Indian […]
Diversity of Beauty Queens at Creole Heritage Festival
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: The Bayou City was home to the fourth annual Houston Creole Heritage Festival this past Saturday, February 25 which featured a Mardi Gras Parade held downtown at Discovery Green. The lively and colorful all day event was presented by the Houston Shop Ministries to celebrate the food, music and heritage of […]
Abuwala Seeks Support for Yale Medical Outreach in Peru
By Jawahar Malhotra MISSOURI CITY: Nafeesa Abuwala, is a pre-med sophomore at Berkley College in Yale University majoring in Cognitive Science and in the Global Health Studies program, hoping to graduate in 2019. She is originally from Missouri City where here parents live and her dad Ammar has a travel agency, Reliable Travel & Tours. […]
Golden Moon Festival: Gaura Purnima 2017
HOUSTON: Gaura Purnima is a festival that celebrates the divine appearance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Navadwipa, India. Gaura Purnima means “Golden Full Moon”. The name signifies that Lord Chaitanya took birth at time of full moon and He blesses everyone with the moonlike rays of His teachings. Lord Chaitanya is non-different than Lord Krishna […]
Sightseeing in India Off the Beaten Path: Pune’s Medieval and Maodern Attractions
By Pramod Kulkarni On the Road: This is the fourth episode describing my wife Jyoti and I’s visit to India during Dec.-Jan. 2016. After a nine-day trip in Gujarat, we spent four days in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra, visiting family and friends, and taking in some of the sightseeing attractions. Rather than describe […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Choliya da Snack (Green Chickpea Snack)
Most young people in the US are familiar with safayd chole (white garbanzos or chickpeas) since they are served often at restaurants and private parties. Usually they are eaten with white rice or some form of roti (Indian flat bread). Boiled chickpeas are even served in many mainstream American restaurants as an item to be […]
Honored by His Mother Land, Adored by His Adopted City
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: After all the accolades from ten speakers, after all the applause from a hall full to capacity of adoring people he has worked with through his 40 years in the city, his time came to acknowledge them. But Ramesh Shah has never been a man of many words or given to […]
The Roof on Fire with Masala Radio & DJ Zee
SUGAR LAND: Masala Radio and DJ Zee Music put together an amazing Bollywood Valentine’s Party at the brand new rooftop lounge called The Roof on Saturday, February 11. One of the party people Alpa Chokshi said “the third story venue was such an amazing venue and the dancing on the terrace under the full moon […]
Red Attire, Red Roses and Bingo for a C24+ Valentine
By Vandana Prakash HOUSTON: “Kehte hein khuda ne iss jahan mein, sabhi ke liye, kisi na kisi ko hai banaya, har kisi ke liye” This melody set the mood for Club 24’s first 2017 event – the Valentine’ Day lunch on Saturday, February 11 for which the Maggiano’s Little Italy Party Room on Post Oak […]
IDCC Outreach is Greater with New Eye Clinic
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Serving people every weekend has always been a welcome opportunity for the managers and practitioners of the Indian Doctor’s Charity Clinic ever since it was formed in 1999. Providing the healthcare though wasn’t the only issue: they had creatively pieced together other services through collaborations with other providers. Their main challenge […]
