Person of Interest in Custody in Brutal Death of Indo-American Jogger in Plano
Plano, Texas: The murder of a Plano mother of two children brought an outpouring of support for her family. Sarmistha Sen, 43, was attacked while she was running Saturday morning. Police say the murder investigation includes a person of interest from a nearby burglary. The go-getter spirit is what defined Sarmistha’s life, according to her […]
HWS Bhoomi Puja for New Shiv Mandir and Construction Starts
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA Houston: several months of planning and design effort for the Shiv Temple at the Hindu Worship Society, a bhumi puja was held on Friday, July 24 at a mahurat (auspicious time) decided by HWS priest Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji. City and county guidelines were observed for the ceremony, which was attended, […]
Bhoomi Puja in Ayodhya by PM Modi: “Centuries of Wait Has Ended”
Ayodhya: The decades-long wait to see a permanent home for Lord Ram built in Ayodhya, the perceived birthplace of the deity ended on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ram temple on the site in a grand ceremony. Bhajans and ‘shlokas’ were heard as the Ayodhya, festooned with marigold […]
Hindus in USA Gear Up for a Virtual Prayer for ‘Shree Ram Mandir Poojan’
Tampa, Florida: As the Ayodhya administration in India is getting ready for the foundation laying ceremony of the Lord Ram temple on Wednesday, August 5, the Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference (HMEC) & Hindu Mandir Priests’ Conference (HMPC) have called for a virtual collective national prayer across America to rejoice in the upcoming “Shree Ram Mandir […]
Akshaya Patra Texas Cities Raise $950,000 with Tech for Change Gala
By Ankita Narula AUSTIN: The Akshaya Patra Foundation held its Virtual Gala – Technology for Change on Saturday, July 25th, and raised $950,000 for feeding mid day meals to school children in India. The Texas gala was hosted by the cities of Austin, Dallas and Houston. Close to 1,000 businesses, non-profits, government officials, philanthropic leaders, […]
Drive-Through Food Distribution Performed at India House
HOUSTON: True to their mission of serving the community, India House resumed their free food distribution program for needy families on Monday, July 20, 2020 from 10:00 am to 11:30 pm. Worth a weeks supply of food items (Fresh produce and groceries) were distributed to approximately 175 needy families by a contactless drive-through distribution following […]
In Hour of Need, the Ekal Foundation” Stands by the Community
HOUSTON: When the ‘Covid-19’ pandemic brought the worldwide life to a grinding halt, it posed a grave economic concern to Ekal movement. Currently, it has presence in over 102,000 villages and reach to 300,000 such pockets of humanity. In absence of usual stage performances for fundraising, the future of its numerous projects was in jeopardy. […]
9th Annual Vedic Fair: Amazing Eight Hours of Facebook Live Performance
HOUSTON: Ninth Annual Vedic Fair, the first ever LIVE Virtual celebrations of India, happened in Houston on Saturday July 25th. It was an amazing 8 hours non-stop LIVE program that kept audience glued to their screens from start to finish. The Fair featured Yoga showcase by World renowned Yogini Kaliji and various diverse aspects of […]
In Constrained Times, Pratham Gala Shows Limitless Learning
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA HOUSTON: Many charities around the world have been hard hit by the constraints forced the novel corona virus on participation by their members and supporters. While others have turned to the Zoom platform to reach out, it has severe limitations in size […]
Fort Bend County Judge KP George Speaks Out against Racist Attacks
BY CLAIRE GOODMAN RICHMOND: Fort Bend County Judge KP George has spoken out against hatred and racism he has encountered as county judge. George, who was born in India but is an American citizen, took to Twitter and Facebook […]
Sewa International Reports a Successful Year and a Leadership Change
Meeting virtually for their annual conference this year, in the context of COVID-19, and with the highest attendance of nearly 300 people, Sewa International reported a record fundraising effort – raising $8.3 million in 2019, as per initial estimates. It spent $128,032 in general and administrative expenses, and $168,354 in fundraising expenses. The general and […]
Indo-American Doctors Dance for Black Lives Matter, Covid-19 Relief
BY JORDAN R. MILLER HOUSTON: As tinny string chords echo through the rooms, an instructor starts her count: “Five, six, seven, to the left!” Dancers move their arms and legs fluidly to the beat, swaying as some whip long hair behind their shoulders. Although the dancers aren’t all in one studio, they move together on […]
MTS Celebrates its Main Temple Anniversary
Pearland: Sri Meenakshi Temple celebrated its Main Temple Anniversary on Sunday July 5th. This is the 38th year since the main temple was consecrated with the Maha Kumbhabhishekam in 1982. This year, due to the pandemic surge in the Houston area, the temple is closed for the public. Neverthless, the celebration went on with hundreds […]
India Culture Center Continues Covid-19 Relief Efforts with Local Agencies
HOUSTON: India Culture Center is continuing its mission to provide face marks and food distribution to assist the needy and first responders throughout the region, including Houston Police Department, City of Stafford and Fort Bend County. May 5th – Delivered Meals to Houston Police Department were Present were Ajit Patel and ICC President Jasmeeta Singh. […]
Houstonians Turn Living Rooms into Yoga Studios for 6th International Day of Yoga
My mantra is “When you silence your mind, you awaken your soul”. IDY has brought many organizations together around the world, to awaken our hearts and our minds. As we bring unity and peace throughout our lands, we understand the importance of equality. By opening our hearts we are able to focus our minds to […]
A Perspective on Current Racial Tensions from an African-American Hindu Leader
BY BENNY TILLMAN I grew up in the South during the 1950s and 60s. Those were troublesome times for the African American community. We were identified as Negroes and as an ethnic minority, it was very difficult to understand what our place in the world was. Honestly, there was an element of shame associated with […]
Hindus of Greater Houston Hold Successful Blood Drive at Arya Samaj
BY MANU SHAH HOUSTON: On May 31st, Hindus of Greater Houston’s COVID-19 relief efforts extended beyond multiple food drives, PPE donations and raising funds. The organization, in partnership with Arya Samaj Houston and the Gulf Coast Blood Center, organized its first blood drive for the blood bank whose supplies were being stretched thin.One of Houston’s […]
India House Provides Meals at Hospitals
HOUSTON: India House continues to appreciate the hard work and dedication of Houston’s frontline medical workers at various hospitals across the city. On Friday, May 22, 2020 India House provided lunch and dinner to healthcare professionals and staff at Baylor’s St. Luke’s Hospital at Medical Center, Houston. The food distribution was sponsored by India House […]
