IMAGH Spreads the Message of Love & Peace at the 8th Annual Eid Milan Event

Click here for Photo Collage

By Vanshika Vipin Varma

HOUSTON: With the new moon being spotted in the skies, Muslims all over the globe begin celebrations for one of the most joyous days in the Islamic calendar- Eid-al-Fitr, thereby marking the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is a day of great merriment and thanksgiving. Muslims celebrate by gathering with friends and family, preparing sweet delicacies, wearing new clothes, exchanging gifts and putting up lights and other decorations in their homes. And the 8th Annual Eid Milan event, organized by the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH), was celebrated with the same fervor at the Marriott Westchase, on Saturday, July 1.

IMAGH, a non-profit, serving the South Asian community, organizes Eid Milan each year. This annual mega event brings together folks of various religions and beliefs, from the Houston Community, under one roof. This year’s theme, ‘Many Faces of Indian Muslims’ was to recognize the diversity within this community, and honor those who have contributed to society with their talents and work ethics. IMAGH’s attempt to reach out to other communities was very much evident from its guest list. This year, more than 50% of the guests were non-Muslims, hailing from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Also, being rooted to this year’s theme and acknowledging the contribution of the men in uniform, doctors, engineers and successful entrepreneurs, a group of such officers were invited from the Houston Police and Sheriff Department, and the Fire Department.

The hall at Marriott Westchase exhibited a festive display, lively with guests and volunteers, dressed in their best up in their festive spirits. The event began with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Ali Faruqui, followed by National Anthem of the United States sung by Abeezar Tyebji, and the Indian National Anthem by Shridevi Patel. Taiyyeb Shipchandler beautifully recited the Naat (poetry in praise of Prophet Muhammad). Munir Ibrahim, President, IMAGH, then thanked everyone for attending. He recognized all dignitaries, volunteers, executive committee, and Latafath Hussain (who he referred to as IMAGH’s God father). He seemed extremely happy with the team of organizers and volunteers. He shared his views on how this event showcased IMAGH’s outreach to other communities. Dr. Yunus Langha was the Organizing Committee Chair.

The cultural segment included a small dance item called “Eid Mubarak” performed by children from the community, choreographed by Keka Kar. It was continued with some melodic songs by Keka and Capt. Jeet Kar which included allah tero naam and then went into a beautiful medley of old classics like naam gum jayega, lambi judai, kuch to log kahege, tere mere Milan ki raina. It was followed by a short play called Peace by Fateh Ali Chatur, which gave the message of peace and harmony against violence and urged the audience to abolish hatred from their heart, in order to hear the message of peace, through the dramatic personae of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln.

The Chief Guest, Harris County Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, was surprised by the diversity of this show. “This is the most diverse crowd that I have addressed,” he stated excitedly. Swami Vedaswarupananda, the Resident Monk of the Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, which was the guest organization this year, emphasized Oneness of Truth. He mentioned that Rigveda tells us that the whole world is One home. Swami also mentioned that church, mosque and mandir have six letters whereas the scriptures Geeta, Bible and Quran have five. And Six minus five is one, which stands for the oneness of Truth. India’s Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana, praised the contribution of Muslims to the evolution of India’s cultural ethos, widely known as “Ganga-Jamuna” tehzeeb which is a fusion of Hindu and Muslim elements.

This year’s Event Chair was a successful entrepreneur, Arshad Matin, President and CEO of Paradigm Inc. He has an outstanding record of managing multi-million dollar companies, along with staying passionately involved in community activities. Matin pointed out the entrepreneurial spirit of Indian Muslims. He also mentioned the similarities of the political system in both countries (India and USA) – the oldest democracy and the largest democracy. Dr. Samina Salim who also made a meaningful and thoroughly appreciated presentation on why we celebrate Eid emceed the program.

To motivate the youth and to bring a new perspective in the community, Aziz Akbari was called upon as the guest speaker. Aziz, a bright young individual, is the face of Indian Muslim youth who are trying to break the social barriers in public service. Aziz ran for mayor of Fremont, California in 2012 at the age of 18, and in 2016 he was elected to the Almeda County Water District’s Board of Directors, the youngest Muslim-American ever to be elected to office in the country. His example is cited to and by many of the youths as they too could accomplish their dreams.

It was then time for acknowledging the deserving folks. Latafath Hussain announced the awards. This year’s Public Service Award was presented to India Culture Center (ICC) and Dr. Falguni Gandhi, current President accepted the award on ICC’s behalf. ICC, founded in 1973, is the umbrella organization linking various Indian organizations, groups and individuals. Achievement awards were given to Nabeel Ahmad for winning Fulbright Scholarship, and to Umar Ibrahim for postgraduate research in Nuclear Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The events light and sound was managed by DJ Sage of Sage Productions and the beautiful decor was plotted by Tasnim Vadva , while the credit for the delectable food goes to Nirvana Indian Restaurant. Eid translates into English as “celebration” and mubarak literally means “blessed”.  And truly, what a blessed evening this was!

For more information about the event, call its President, Munir Ibrahim, at (832) 267-5123 or Latafath Hussain at 713-269-6171 or email at info@imagh.org.