September 2013 Vol.

44 Issue 6
India Day in Pictures
Indias Flag flies high and proud above the
State Capitol as State Representative Prasad
Srinivasan addresses a crowd of 550+
The Cultural Show Steals the Day!
Paradise Biryani
Pointe caters for India
Day!
Miss India CT. 2012-
2013, Ronita Choudhuri,
inspires
the
Gayatri Mahesh sings the American
and Indian National Anthem
INDIA DAY 2013

Governor Dannel P. Malloy Greets our Community!
On August 31, IAOGH
celebrated India's 66th
Independence Day at the State
Capitol Building in Hartford.
Governor Dannel Malloy was the
Chief Guest presiding over the
day's events, which included a
very patriotic themed youth
cultural show. State
Representative from
Glastonbury, Dr. Prasad
Srinivasan was also an Honored
Guest of India Day.
Over 550 guests welcomed
Governor Malloy and State Rep.
Dr. Srinivasan on stage for the
singing of the American and
Indian National Anthems as
Indias Flag was hoisted high
above the Capitol
Building. Governor Malloy
addressed the crowd with a very
positive speech, praising Indians
for their entrepreneurial spirit,
saying that the Indian community
are 'givers and not takers who add
economic and cultural value to the
country. The crowd was highly
energized after the Governors
speech. An official State
Proclamation recognizing August
15th as India Day in CT. was
presented by Governor Malloy to
Vijay Faldu and Mukesh Desai,
President and V. President of
IAOGH. - T.Vallam-
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India Day Celebration
On behalf of the entire
board and youth committee of
IAOGH, I would like to wish all
of you a very Happy
Independence Day! India has
flourished for 66 years by
developing at a rapid speed and
spreading its culture overseas at
the same time. Even though we
were under colonial rule for over
250 years, today I am extremely
proud to say that our India is the
worlds largest democracy!
To celebrate this special
occasion, IAOGH recently held its
annual Independence Day
celebration on August 31
st
at the
Capitol Building in Hartford. As
with every year, our show
included cultural performances,
flag hoisting, and lunch. This
year, we celebrated together with
the Tamil Sangam of CT, the
Gujarati Association of CT, and
Purvis View
Donec
interdum
Pellentesque:
Vallabhdham Temple of
Newington. Each organization
supported us and performed for
the show. We had musical
performances as well as dance
performances. We saw kids of all
age groups dance on various
Indian dance styles such as,
Bharatnatyam, Rajasthani Folk,
Bhangra, Bollywood, and Tamily
folk. The kids displayed
traditional Indian culture through
their authentic costumes, props,
and music. I was very happy to
see that these kids were proud of
their Indian heritage, despite the
fact that some of them were born
and brought up in the US.
We were also honored to
have the presence of Governor
Dannel P. Malloy as we hoisted
the Indian national flag on top of
the Capitol Building. Governor
Malloy showed full support for
our organization and our work in
the community. Miss India CT
2012, Ronita Choudhuri, also graced
event by sharing her experience with
the Miss India CT pageant and
encouraging our youth. The most
exciting moment for me was when
the Indian national flag was hoisted
on top of the State Capitol building
and everyone present sung the
Indian national anthem in one voice!
Such a visual is very rare, especially
outside of India, and we are thankful
to the Governor, the Hartford police
department, and the Capitol
building for giving us this honor.
Overall the event was a huge
success and we would like to thank
Governor Malloy, Ronita
Choudhuri, and all the supporting
organizations for their wishes, help,
and support towards the event. A
huge thank you to all the performers
that made the event so much fun!
Pictures of the event are available on
the IAOGH Facebook page.
w
by Purvi Shah
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1 2
3 4
5
6 7
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10
Across
3. Krishna's birth mother's name was
7. Krishna's adoptive mother was
8. Krishna's best friend while growing up
was
9. Krishna's adoptive father was
10. Krishna's older brother's name was
__________
Down
1. Krishna's birth father's name was
2. In his later years, Krishna recited the
________ to Arjuna at the battfield of
Kurukshetra. Herein lies the answers to
all of man's life questions.
4. Krishna is the ______ avatar of Vishnu
5. Krishna grew up in this town
6. Krishna was born in a jail in this town
_________
7. The night that Krishna was born, he
taken across the __________ river for
safety
10. Krishna loved to steal _________
KID S CORNER
KIDS, SCAN THE
CODE BELOW
Take 5 minutes to listen to this
beautiful Krishna melody in a
quiet space. I often listen to this
song in the morning with my kids
and I find that it brings a lot of
peace to our mornings. Parents, let
me know your kids reaction to this
song at editor@iaogh.org
KRISHNA
There are many stories of
Krishna that engages a childs
imagination. Why? Because
every child is naughty yet
lovable, just like Krishna. While
Krishna stole butter with his
friends, our kids sneak cookies
before dinner! Yes, Krishnas
mother, Yashoda, would get
very frustrated with her son
also. But, her anger would melt
at the sight of her sons smile.
Sound familiar?
The spirit of Krishna is in every
child and the pure love of
Yashoda is present in every
mothers heart. This month we
celebrated, Janmashtami,
Krishnas birthday. Share a
Krishna story with your
children. Stories expand a
childs knowledge and
imagination. Stories allow them
to relate to their own
experiences in school or at
home. Listening to stories helps
a child gain confidence about
themselves. Try it
Created by Tejal Vallam
The Birth of Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna was the 8
th
child born to Devaki and Vasudev. Krishna, the eighth
avatar of Lord Vishnu, was born to kill his maternal uncle, Kansa. Kansa
was the vicious ruler of Mathura. Kansa imprisoned his sister, Devaki and
Vasudev, because a prophet told him that their eighth child would kill him.
Not willing to end his rule, Kansa had already killed Devakis first seven
children upon their birth. Hence, Krishna was born in a prison in Mathura.
The night of Krishnas birth, at the midnight hour, the prison gates opened
by themselves while the guards fell into a deep sleep. And, Vasudev carried
the baby Krishna across the Yamuna River to a small town called Gokul.
Vasudev then switched Krishna with anther baby born the same night to
Yashoda and Nanda. This is how Krishna survived. Yashoda and Nanda
raised Krishna. Krishna also grew up with his older brother, Balram.
Krishna and his best friend, Sudama, were very naughty boys who loved to
steal butter from all the neighbors houses! But, Krishna was no ordinary
boy. At the young age of 11, he killed Kansa and freed his real parents,
Devaki and Vasudev, from prison. Later in his life, Krishna becomes the
famous charioteer of Arjun in the famous Mahabharata battle. It was on the
Kurukshetra battlefield that Krishna recited our most revered scripture, The
Bhagvad Gita, in preparing Arjun for his most difficult life battle.
J
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BOLLYWOOD HITS
- Any DJ can play a playlist of songs but Mike and his crew read the crowd, adjusted
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BEST-DRESSED COMPETITION! PRIZES FOR M/F ADULTS & KIDS!
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OCT. 12
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6pm till Midnight!
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Entry Cost: ONLY $7/person (5 and under FREE)
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PRAISE FOR MAGIC MIKE DJS: J
- Magic Mike- awesome music and a huge hit- we had an AMAZING time.
ylist of songs but Mike and his crew read the crowd, ad AAAny DJ can play a play
- Magic Mike and his drummer Bobby Dhol were phenomenal!!
Magic Mike ome music and a huge hit aweso we had an AMAZING time.
- ss ddrruummmmeerr BBoobbbbyy DDhhooll wweerree pphheennoommeennaall!!!! s drummer Bobby Dhol were phenomenal!! MMaaggiicc MMiikkee aanndd hhiiss Magic Mike and his
- I work with a lot of the DJ 's on the East Coast, and Mike is one of the best.
THE IAGOH 2013 TEAM SAYS
5
San[ay ka[a 8607297184
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For those of you who
may not know Aneri
Pattani, allow me to
introduce this
extraordinary young
woman on the rise!
Aneri, a recent
graduate of Cheshire
High School, has a long list of remarkable achievements
that would make the average adult wish they paid more
attention in high school i.e. yours truly! Full disclosure:
Aneri is my niece. So here goes the award list (short-listed
for space!). Aneri was the Salutatorian of her graduating
class, she was a U.S. Presidential Scholar Award recipient
(only 141 students get this award in the country), she
completed her Arangetram, is part of almost every
student honor society; and lastly, she is attending
Northeastern University on a full scholarship studying
journalism! WOW! My head hurts just thinking about all
the work she had to do to get all these awards. But, Aneri
is not all academics. She also played on her high school
volleyball team and writes for local newspapers. Lets
chat with Aneri
How did you manage your time in high school?
Lists, lists, and more lists! I'm very big on
organization. Every night, I make a list of what needs to
get done and put it in order of priority. Once I have a list,
I find it a lot easier to get to work and stick to my plan. I
enjoy crossing off completed tasks and seeing my
progress.
Who influenced you the most while growing up? How
did they help you become the person you are today?
I think like most kids, my greatest influence
growing up were my parents. They shaped my values
and ideals. In addition to them, my brother, Alok, has
been a big influence on me. He taught me what it means
to work hard and care about your education.
What is your proudest achievement?
My overall proudest achievement is undoubtedly
the completion of my Arangetram. This is something I
dreamed of doing since I started taking Bharat Natyam
lessons when I was five years old. I never knew if I could
turn it into reality, though. It took a lot of hard work - 6
hours of practice a day, a whole summer spent training,
etc. - but it was entirely worth it. Nothing compares to
the confidence my Arangetram has given me and the
appreciation of Indian culture I gained from studying
Bharat Natyam for almost ten years.
What do you appreciate most about Indian culture?
From my experience with Indian culture, what I
love the most about it is the freedom to express yourself. I
love Indian movies, music, food, clothes, and so much
more. I think the diversity in each of these options - from
romantic movies to action ones, from ghazals to indipop,
from chaat to dosa, from salwar kameez to saris - allows
for a lot of room to express yourself. I especially feel this
way about Bharat Natyam. Even though the dance form is
strict and precise, there is still so much you can do to
personalize your dance. My dance teacher taught me this
and I tried to do that in my Arangetram. That was just my
way of using Indian culture to express myself.
How did you discover your love of journalism?
When I was in second grade, I had a great teacher
that gave me extra writing assignments outside of class
and helped me build my skills. From then, I knew that I
absolutely loved writing. However, I didn't want to be an
author because I didn't like the idea of sticking with one
assignment (one book) for so long. That's when I decided
to look into journalism. When I got to high school, I joined
the school newspaper and absolutely loved it! Since then,
I've worked at local papers and attended camps that have
reaffirmed my belief that journalism is the career for
me. You get to write every day and always about
something new, so you never stop learning.
What is your favorite book/author?
My favorite book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. I
love the way is forces the reader to confront the harsh
reality and the amazing privilege/power of choice.
What would be your dream job?
My dream job is to work as a world news reporter
for The New York Times.
What is the best advice you could give to a freshman in
high school today?
Try to find some balance. It's nearly impossible,
but I think the best way to enjoy high school and achieve
something is to aim for balance. Take on challenging
academics, but also make time to lead clubs or participate
in sports. And don't forget to give yourself a day every
now and then to chill out or spend time with your
friends. There's no perfect way to achieve this balance,
and of course I'm still working on it, but I think keeping
this thought in mind helped me a lot in high school.

A li ght-hearted conversati on wi th Aneri Pattani by Tejal Vallam
Best of Luck Aneri! I have a feeling we will see your
name in the NY Times in the near future! T.V.
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September 2013 Vol. 44 Issue 6

10

11
CHAMPIONS IN THE COMMUNITY!
IAOGH CONGRATULATES:
SAVE THE DATE
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oct. 12
th
: Raas-Garba @
Newington HS 6pm -12am
Nov. 9
th
: IAOGH Annual
Diwali Dinner 3pm- 9pm
PO BOX 436
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
IAOGH
Sanjay Patel, Dipen Dedania, Bharat Rana,
Vinod Viroja, Arvind Bhut, Sanjay Gatiaya.
KPSNA VOLLEYBALL TEAM
IAOGH CRICKET TEAM
IAOGH 2013 COMMITTEE MEMBER DIRECTORY
President Vijay Faldu 860-602-0201
V. President Mukesh Desai 860-529-4141
Treasurer Dinesh Bhagani 860-655-4422
Secretary- Rajesh Parekh 860-208-7342
Editor- Tejal Vallam 860-372-4824
Co-Editor Purvi Shah 860-529-9637
Directors:
o Madhu Reddy 860-918-2921
o Kumkum Jhawar 860-763-4649
o Romi Ahluwalia 860-836-5777
o Purnima Shah 860-529-9637
o Rupal Ravat 860-513-1418
o Rachna Khanna 860-202-5782
o Darshan Kansagara 860-836-8704
Support Committee:
Raghu Bhajwa, Priti Limbachia, Lalit Pandey, Himanshu Patel, Jayshree Patel, Bharat Trivedi
Youth Committee:
Parth Desai, Mahi Arora, Abhinav Modi, Shrina Faldu, Lopa Pandya, Nisha Parekh,
Rina Patel, Sashwat Baxi