Indian Film Festival of Houston 2009
Nov 11, 2009 Bollywood, Film, Gala, Non-Profit, Social Hour
Event: Indian Film Festival of Houston Closing Night Gala
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Houston, Texas
Date: September 26, 2009
Highlights from the first Indian Film Festival of Houston. Interviews with Deepti Naval, Manisha Koirala, Iqbal Khan, and Sonu Nigam.
Asian American Justice Center Well Received In Houston
Nov 10, 2009 Non-Profit, Political, Social Hour
Event: Reception to welcome AAJC President Karen Narasaki
Date: November 9, 2009
Venue: Residence of George Willy
Concerned members of the South Asian community gathered pool side to discuss justice for Asian American families at the beautiful home of noted immigration lawyer George Willy on Monday November 9, 2009.
The Asian American Justice Center, based in Washington DC, is one of the organizations in the United States dedicated to protecting the interests of Asian Americans including the South Asian community. AAJC, over the years, has battled prejudices against Asian Americans in the U.S. by lobbying heavily for legislation on hate crimes and other legislation affecting the community.
The purpose for the gathering was to welcome Karen Narasaki, the President and Executive Director of AAJC and to kick-off a campaign in support of AAJC.
George Willy, in an exclusive interview, expressed his dissatisfaction regarding the incident where Bollywood super star Sharukh Khan was detained at Newark airport.
For more information on these and other immigration issues go to the AAJC website at advancingequality.org.
International Stimulation Part I
Oct 1, 2009 Education, Life Bytes, Non-Profit, Outreach, Youth
Watch Part I of the Awards Program held in Osterburken, Germany. To read the full story and view stills click here.
Camera work by Matti Metso.
Tags: Germany, Oserburken, Youth
Celebrating Indian Film Festival of Houston
Sep 29, 2009 Bollywood, Celebration, Film, Fund Raiser, Gala, Non-Profit, Social Hour
Event: Indian Film Festival of Houston Closing Night Gala
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Houston, Texas
Date: September 26, 2009
Report: Ruchi Mukherjee
Photography: Ajay Sarpeshkar
Houston finally concluded a week long celebration of Indian cinema with a celebrity gala held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Houston,
Ruchi M with Actress Manisha Koirala
Texas on September 26, 2009. After ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ made a mark at the Oscars, Houston based film maker Sutapa Gosh felt that the time was right to give Houstonians a taste of Indian cinema. The film festival kicked-off with a reception party at Hotel Sorella Citycenter and showcased a few selected Indian films at Studio Movie Grill from September 21-25, 2009.
The Indian Film Festival of Houston is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by show casing quality films. The First Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston brought the best films made in different regional languages. A feast including ten feature-length movies, short films and documentaries. Screenings included Smile Pinki, an award-winning documentary about an impoverished girl whose life is changed by free surgery, bengali film ‘Janala’, Deepti Naval’s ‘Do paise ki dhoop Chaar aane ki baarish’ and Student Academy Awards Winner ‘Kavi’ by Gregg Helvey.
Gregg Helvey winner of the film Kavi
The festival was enjoyed by an international audience that featured question and answer sessions with directors, cast and the audience.
Friday evening saw the biggest crowds as Deepti Naval, Manisha Koirala and others showed up at Studio Movie Grill. The week wrapped with a star studded red carpet high profile celebrity gala which had 400 plus in attendance. The main highlight of the evening were the fashion statements of the guests at the gala.
Dr. Carolyn Farb’s mauve attire ‘lehenga’ (an Indian outfit) was quite a show stopper. Joanne King Herring who as usual never failed to impress with her warm personality and exotic costume. Dressed in gold, Joanne not only turned many heads but honored the theme of the celebrity gala. However, the very beautiful bollywood actress Manisha Koirala who charmed the guests with her personality did little with her outfit and looks. “It seems like she just rolled out of bed” says an onlooker. Deepti did maintain her directorial personality with a classy Indian saree.
Pretty in Mauve Carolyn Farb
Others present at the gala were Pop singer and India’s best playback singer Sonu Nigam, and model/television actor Mohammed Iqbal Khan.
Proceeds from the festival and gala will benefit the Indian Film Festival of Houston and MediSend International, that supports under resourced hospitals in developing countries with a multi-dimentional approach to improving community health.
Indo American Charity Foundation Gala
Sep 23, 2009 Fund Raiser, Gala, Non-Profit, Social Hour
Event: Indo American Charity Foundation Gala
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Houston, Texas
Date: Saturday September 19, 2009
Report: Ruchi Mukherjee
Politics, entertainment, great fashion and a scrumptious meal, the 2009 Indo American Charity Foundation “Seduction of the Monsoon” themed gala had it all. Keynote speaker Varun Gandhi can be held responsible for drawing a good crowd. However, what got it going was the entertaining bollywood monsoon seduction style dance performances and the little chocolate goodies presented on the tables by Madhavi Gokhale of Desserts ‘n’ More.
Varun Gandhi, son of Menaka Gandhi and late Sanjay Gandhi, spoke at the occasion on various topics from India’s poverty to India’s entrepreneurial skills. “India is not a poor country but a poorly managed country,” said Varun.
He was quite impressed with the organization and the support that Indians living abroad provided for their country India.
Founded in 1988 by a group of Houstonians of Indian origin, IACF has developed into a highly respected, multi-faceted endeavor to help those in need of health, education and human services. IACF serves as a conduit between philanthropists and organizations such as UNICEF, Casa De Esperanza, YMCA, Daya, Indian Doctors Association Clinic, and Child Advocates of Fort Bend, to name a few.
International Stimulation
Sep 14, 2009 Education, Life Bytes, Non-Profit, Outreach, Youth
With dedicated classroom sessions, expeditions and cultural mixing and mingling the International Award Summer Program 2009 turned out to be the perfect recipe for an all rounded individual. Reports Ruchi Mukherjee from Osterburken, Germany.
In a small town of Germany called Osterburken with a population of less than seven thousand, it was quite amazing to garner so much knowledge in just a matter of a week. Thirty participants from seven different countries arrived in the picturesque little German town, to attend the Fourth International Award Summer School Program from August 24 to August 30, 2009.
The doors for this program were open to all, irrespective of age or race. There were individuals from sixteen to sixty traveling from from Asia to Finland . “It is for young adults planning to become award leaders, as well as experienced leaders wanting to deepen and share their knowledge,” says Klaus Vogel, National Award Coordinator. “One is invited to participate in an Awards’ Leaders course and different workshops are held in the English language,” added Klaus.
Osterburken is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg , Germany . It is situated 90 kilometers east of Heidelberg , The S1 S-Bahn line of the VRN public transport service operates between Homburg (Saarland) and Osterburken, hence the train station here is used frequently to transfer to and from other trains.
Since its very beginnings the German Award has been very closely related to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the United Kingdom .
Now the German Award School is growing bigger after its 2006 50th Year Anniversary in Edinburgh . “It was founded in 1956 in the UK but has its roots in Germany,” informed Klaus. He said that he believes in a school not just for the brain but for all-round enhancement of skills. This is a non-competitive awards program with three separate awards – bronze, silver and gold with the key mission to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and to recognize their achievements.
Among the attendees were participants from Israel , Cyprus , Finland , Romania , United Kingdom , Pakistan , Germany , and for the first time India .
Ratuli Chakraborty and Tapti Dasgupta, both teachers by profession, were attending the program from Kolkata, India as they represented their renowned school La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata.
La Martiniere College was founded by Frenchman Claude Martin of Lyon, France in the 1800’s, it offers an all-round education up to the Higher Secondary level and is one of the finest English speaking schools in India. The school was ranked 2nd “most respected day school” in India in 2008.
Klaus was thrilled with India’s participation and enthusiasm to send exchange students, and was thinking about a future expedition to the Black Forest with students from La Martieniere, India .
While ‘tasting’ some delicious German chocolate cake, I found Klaus expressing his anxiousness to make the program work. “There are so many problems in the world, we want to give these young people a chance to make it better,” he said, “We care, in these programs, for youngsters and it is a part of these meetings to learn from different situations and difficulties,” says Vogel.
Participant Danielle Almog was from Israel , and is a student of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Faisal Yousuf, a pharmacist representing Pakistan , says “During the event it was fun to see the involvement. I think these kinds of events should continue.”
While Diana Iabrasu, a student of journalism from Romania , learnt the art of henna painting on palms and Indian tongue twisters like ‘Kacha Papita Pakka Papita’, Ratuli Chakraborty from India was thoroughly impressed with the stimulation programs. “As a teacher I can vouch for how confident and well rounded I feel after participating in the International summer program. Alongside brain development, our schools need to also focus on enhancing these kinds of programs that help us learn about different cultures and other countries,” expressed Ratuli.
Jassin Rezai from Finland said that the Program made him a mature individual who was ready to grow. “I feel revolutionary changes in me. There is a big difference in the Jassin of 2001 and today. I can speak fluent Hindi and many other languages. All the credit for this goes to the Awards’ Program,” says Jassin with a grin.
The Program was filled with exciting self-development exercises but was tough at the same time. A typical day at the Awards House in Osterburken started at 7am with breakfast duties from cooking to cleaning followed by some classroom sessions along with physical recreation and expeditions. The Program’s appeal was that it centered on individual growth and challenge, not about reaching specific standards set forth by someone else. “The only person these participants compete against is themselves, by challenging their own beliefs about what they can achieve,” says Klaus.
The Program’s motto “There is more in you than you think!” (Kurt Hahn) rang true as all thirty participants departed the program feeling more learned, tolerant, and confident.
With input from Diana Iabrasu
Hashoo Foundation & Medical Bridges Sending Medical Supplies To Pakistan
Jun 11, 2009 Non-Profit, Social Hour
Event: Hashoo Foundation & Medical Bridges Sending Medical Supplies To Pakistan
Date: April 10, 2009
Venue: Houston, Texas
Hashoo Foundation USA and Medical Bridges shipped a forty-foot ocean-freight container filled with life-saving medical supplies and rehabilitation equipment destined for Pakistan. The Houston-based organizations recognize the need to challenge health care inequities in the developing world by devising solutions that leveraged the city’s reputation as a hub for premier healthcare. “Building bridges and understanding between Pakistan and Houston is exemplified by the blossoming new Houston-Karachi Sister City relationship,” said Houston Mayor Bill White. “Providing humanitarian aid through the Hashoo Foundation USA and Medical Bridges program is good way to strengthen those ties.”
Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director Hashoo Foundation USA, stressed that “the humanitarian aid sent to Pakistan as a result of the new partnership between Hashoo Foundation USA and Medical Bridges, Inc. will give hope to many needy people in Pakistan and improve their health and living conditions.”
The closing of the container and farewell ceremony was attended by Mohammad Aqil Nadeem, Consul General of Pakistan in Houston. He expressed his appreciation for the humanitarian work being done by Hashoo Foundation in Pakistan and also thanked Medical Bridges for assistance in sending life-saving medical supplies and rehabilitation equipment to Pakistan.
Tags: Hashoo Foundation
Greater Houston Conference for Women
Apr 22, 2009 Business, Conference, Non-Profit
Event: Greater Houston Conference for Women
Venue: Westin Galleria, Houston, Texas
Date: Wednesday April 15, 2009
Report: Ruchi M
The conference hosted speakers sharing inspirational stories and leading seminars on the issues that matter most to women, including health, personal finance, business and entrepreneurship, media and more. It offered incredible opportunities for business networking, professional development and personal growth.
The Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit business organization of highly influential and diverse women and men dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of women through avenues of leadership, education, advocacy and mentoring.
The conference was very well attended and speeches by Mayor Bill White and Texas first lady Anita Perry were some of the highlights of the event.
Asia Society 2009 Corporate Conference
Mar 12, 2009 Business, Conference, Non-Profit
Event: Asia Society 2009 Corporate Conference
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Houston, Texas
Date: Febuaray 26, 2009
The U.S.-China relationship has been called by many financial analysts and policy makers ‘the most important relationship in the world for the next twenty to fifty years’. As a result, Asia Society Texas Center brought together a wide range of China experts and specialists to Houston for their Corporate Conference, such as Ambassador Stapleton Roy, renowned China scholars and watchers like Orville Schell, Linda Yueh, Dr. James Willerson, Simon Tay, Steven Lewis, Rick Pal, Martyn Goossen, and Henny Sender.
The conference experienced a good turn out with some engaging speakers.
Watch the video to learn about the conference, with interviews with Y. Ping Sun, Jagdip Ahluwalia, and Rick Pal.
Tags: Asia Society, China
Children’s Museum of Houston presents Parents and Families Luncheon
Mar 4, 2009 Arts, Fund Raiser, Non-Profit
Event: Children’s Museum of Houston presents Parents and Families Luncheon
Venue: Hilton Post Oak, Houston, Texas
Date: Febuary 23, 2009
The Children’s Museum of Houston presented the 2009 Parents and Families Luncheon featuring Katherine Center and her new book ‘Everyone is Beautiful’.
The book is about love, marriage and chocolate. In her interview she mentions how she felt the world is coming together via books, movies and music referring to the recent success of Slumdog Millionaire.
Tags: Everyone is Beautiful
Believe in Zero
Feb 12, 2009 Fund Raiser, Non-Profit, Reception
Event: Welcome Reception for Caryl M Stern President/CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF
Venue: At the home of Nidhika and Prashant Mehta in Houston, Texas
Date: January 29, 2009
Each day, 25,000 children die from preventable and treatable causes. UNICEF works to do whatever it takes to bring that number down to zero. Therefore the evening was themed ‘Believe in Zero’. A fun cocktail evening was hosted by Nidhika and Prashant Mehta to introduce the program.
Comments by: (in order of appearance)
- Caryl M Stern
- Nidhika Mehta
- Marie Goradia
- Kiran Gupta
Tags: Believe in Zero, UNICEF
Musical Concert | Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan
Jan 22, 2009 Music, Non-Profit
Event: Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan
Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
On Wednesday January 14, 2009 Houstonians enjoyed an exclusive one day only musical performance Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan. “Hogaku” presents the music of two emerging groups pushing the boundaries of traditional Japanese music.
Presented by Asia Society Texas Center, the Japan Foundation, and the Consulate-General of Japan in Houston this music performance was a special opportunity to experience a unique blend of old and new as musicians, classically trained in traditional Japanese styles, experimented and pushed the boundaries of their instruments.
The evening was a re-envision of Japanese traditional music (hogaku) in a contemporary context. Two exciting new interpreters had taken the contemporary music scene by storm.
The 4-member Hayashi Ensemble Fujizakura, led by Harumi Mochizuki, breathes new life into shibyoshi (four rhythm), percussion music originally performed to accompany Noh theater, consisting of shime-daiko (small floor drum); otsuzumi (large hand drum); kotsuzumi (small hand drum); and fue (flute).
In the second part the duo Passion of Asia with Tetsuro Kawashima on tenor saxophone and Etsuko Takezawa on koto (zither) created original sounds blending jazz and hogaku through versatile improvisation.
The evening of music began with an introductory lecture and demonstration titled “Tradition for the Future” by Mr. Takafumi Tanaka, Editor-in-Chief, Hogaku Journal, followed by the performances to a full packed auditorium.
Tags: Asia Society, Museum Of Fine Arts, Music
