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AAPI’s Women’s Leadership Forum Focuses on “Celebrating Women of Excellence.”

PhiladelPhia: Women are leading the world by being the proponents of economic empowerment, strengthening educational organizations, and being a powerful voice in politics. They have overcome obstacles and have shown the world what a woman can achieve and contribute to the betterment of the world as never before in human history.

The presence of a dozen successful Women Leaders representing a diversity of professions, involving public, private, and government organizations at the much-anticipated Women’s Leadership Forum during the recently concluded 41st Annual Convention organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in Philadelphia, PA from July 6th to 9th, 2023 was a way of celebrating the success stories of women who are trailblazers and have inspired and led others with their exceptional achievements, personifying grace, and setting the standard for success.

Setting the tone for this celebration, Dr. Udaya Shivangi, Chair of AAPI’s Women’s Committee, in her opening remarks, provided an overview of the Forum and the many initiatives by the Forum both in India and the United States. “Women’s Forum has been an integral part of AAPI, always at the forefront, coming up with innovative ideas to make each event a unique and transformative experience. Each year the Forum aims to spotlight women leaders who are changing the world and work- ing towards the betterment of the community.”

The theme chosen for the Forum today, “Celebrating Women of Excellence “ holds immense importance as it recognizes and pays tribute to the remarkable achievements and contributions of women in various spheres of life, Dr. Shivangi, who was honored with AAPI’s Distinguished Service Award during the Convention here, said.

“Throughout history, women have overcome numerous obstacles and have shattered glass ceilings, leaving an indelible mark on society. They have become pioneers, breaking stereotypes and proving that gender should never limit one’s aspirations or potential. By recognizing and honoring their excellence, we uplift the achievements of women everywhere and pave the way for future generations to strive for greatness,” Dr. Shivangi added.

In her keynote address, Her Holiness Jagadguru Sai Maa, a world-renowned spiritual master, healer, and humanitarian, with a unique fusion of Eastern spiritual wisdom, Western therapeutic knowledge, and energetic mastery, fondly called Sai Maa shared with the audience on ways to uplift and empower others to master their lives. Sai Maa, who is the first-ever female to be awarded the prestigious title Jagadguru in India’s 2,700 years of the Vishnuswami lineage, one of the highest designations in the Hindu tradition, is being recognized as embodying the power and influence to transform the entire planet.

“Each of us comes from Mother. We are now in transition, shifting from an old era to a new era. An era of consciousness, higher consciousness, an era where our heart and light merge together. We have entered a phase on this planet called longevity. You look at the cosmos and you look at a fetus. There’s a similarity. Every human is born as an enlightened child. So every single human is born with like the Satya Yuga, the next step

832-766-6662 for humanity. Every child is connected and every adult no matter how a is connected to the Atma. Sai Maa, who has developed a signature program, HealthSpan by Design, that introduces a new health paradigm where you align with your innate life force to retain vibrant health as you age, spoke about how to program your cells for maximum health, youthfulness, and longevity. With great passion, Sai Maa shared her inner knowledge and offered effective strategies that work for everyone.

Dr. Asha Pillai, Chair of Hematology, Hematologic Malignancies, and Transplantation in the Scientific Council at Regeneron received her medical degree and fellowship training in Pediatric and Adult Hematology from Stanford University. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Pillai and her research group have established important new immune theories in mismatched donor bone marrow and organ transplantation as well as cellular immunotherapy for cancer treatment.

OMG 2: Laugh-Out Loud Film with Timely Message

By renuKa VyaVahare

OMG 2 Story: A diehard bhakt of Lord Shiva, Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi) is forced to question his own thoughts and societal norms on morality, religion and sex after his son gets expelled from school on grounds of obscenity.

OMG 2 Review: A video by an anonymous person captures Kanti’s troubled teen son Vivek, masturbating (‘selfie’ as a slang) in the school washroom.

play safe. His writing challenges the status quo and yet upholds the sanctity of religion, dignity and India’s family values. His language is desi and voice, progressive. The social dramedy dares to begin a dialogue and conversation perceived as awkward. It calls out the parental flaws that have been long buried under the garb of culture.

Most importantly, it’s a courageous attempt to understand the play here as the messenger of God (altered from playing God to his messenger after the CBFC modification). There are at least 27 modifications made for Indian viewing so expect weird dubbing in parts. The A rating is an issue given how important this film is for families and teenagers.

OMG 2 boasts of a talented ensemble cast. Pankaj Tripathi is excellent as a father torn between

Solution Next Week

Once the video goes viral, the school expels Vivek (a brilliant Aarush Varma) to salvage its image and reputation. Ashamed of his son’s vulgar act and fearing the public outrage, Kanti decides to flee with his family to an undisclosed location. His son’s suicide attempts and declining mental health owing to humiliation and bullying, compel him to open his eyes and question his own understanding of being a parent and an adult.

unspoken distance between desi parents and their children. How many of us are comfortable watching a lovemaking scene in a movie in front of our parents?

Religious and God-fearing Kanti decides to sue the school for the mental harassment caused to his son. He holds the elite educational institution accountable for being negligent towards their student’s need for sex education and right to information. The school appoints English speaking Kamini Maheshwari (Yami Gautam) as their defence lawyer. The latter argues that ‘masturbation is a sin’, our conservative society isn’t ready for sex education yet and there’s a reason why private parts are called private. Their contradicting views and verbal exchange in court in front of a rather delightful judge (Pavan Malhotra as Judge Purushottam Nagar) forms the story. The film does take a few liberties in depiction of the court proceedings. You can even tell who’s winning the legal battle fought on moral grounds but it’s still quite interesting.

It’s rare for sequels to outshine the original and writer-director Amit Rai’s clever and crisp courtroom comedy fulfils this mammoth task. A spiritual sequel to Umesh Shukla’s OMG – Oh My God! (2012), OMG 2 hits the nail on the head while addressing a rather sensitive topic. Funny, fearless and entertaining, Rai doesn’t guilt and anger. Akshay’s starry presence and hippie look make an impression. He humming ‘Udd jaa Kaale Kaava’ of Gadar is a chef’s kiss, since the two films (Gadar 2 and OMG 2) clash at the box office. Yami Gautam is sincere but the attempt to project her as a menacing lawyer by resorting to over the shoulder camera angles don’t work.

Why are vagina and penis given names and not addressed as vagina and penis! Why is there no talk on the menstrual cycle in schools?

Porn is accessible freely on the internet but sex education is a taboo. Women can perhaps be safer in the country if men know more about their sexual needs and boundaries?

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Last Week’s Solution

The first half is more gripping but through its 2 hours, 36 minutes runtime, the narrative doesn’t get preachy or sluggish. Akshay Kumar, who had a cameo in the previous film, gets a larger part to

Kaushika Shah

Licensed Sales Agent 832-282-3515, TT Y 711

OMG2 shows you how a film can be entertaining, socially relevant and informative. You don’t need to leave your brain behind to have a good laugh. Take your family along to watch this interesting blend of social commentary and humour.

-- Times of India

Kumud Athavale, Krishna R. Vuddagiri, Sanchali Basu, Yudhveer Singh Bagga, Prabha Barvalia, Taranjit Singh, Mihir Kumar Chakraborty, Ramana Vadrevu, KB Amarnath, Pruthvi Seth, K.S.Balasubramanyam

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