India Festival Magazine 2012

v i a t s l e 2 F 0 1 a i 2 d In

Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay www.gujaratisamaj.org

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Table of Content Message From Hon Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi............................................................. 11 Message From Consul-General of India......................................................................................12 Proclamation from Mayor Mr. Buckhorn....................................................................................13 Proclamation from Hillsborough School Board..........................................................................14 Proclamation from Hillsborough Commissioner.........................................................................15 Honorable Chariman’s Message..................................................................................................16 Chairman’s Message....................................................................................................................18 President’s Message.....................................................................................................................20 Vice Chairman’s Message............................................................................................................22 Editor’s Message..........................................................................................................................24 Secretary’s Message.....................................................................................................................26 25th India Festival Executive Committee....................................................................................28 India Festival Past Chairmen.......................................................................................................32 Gujarati Samaj Board of Governors............................................................................................33 Gujarati Samaj Executive Committee..........................................................................................34 Ode to Mother..............................................................................................................................37 Ram Katha ..................................................................................................................................44 An Interview with Dr. Behruz Sethna..........................................................................................50 An Interview with Ms. Tulsi Gabbard.........................................................................................57 Contribution of People of Indian Origin in the field of Entrepreneurship...................................62 An Interview with Dr. Dhingra....................................................................................................68 Contribution of People of Indian Origin In the field of Law.......................................................74 The rising popularity of Yoga......................................................................................................80 Evolution of Tampa Bay Community..........................................................................................86 Contribution of People of Indian Origin In the field of Literature..............................................92 Mother is Waiting.........................................................................................................................98 TED Talks..................................................................................................................................105 People of Indian Origin in news in 2012................................................................................... 112 Contribution of People of Indian Origin In the field of Technology.........................................122 Journey to the Geography Bee...................................................................................................129 Hollywood - Bollywood............................................................................................................136 The hands that Helped...............................................................................................................144 Hasyen Samapyet.......................................................................................................................151 Index..........................................................................................................................................190

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25th India Festival · 2012

WHEREAS, hosted by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay, the India Festival is an annual event that celebrates the rich heritage of two of the greatest nations, India and the United States of America, and its mission is to create awareness of the Indian culture; and WHEREAS, one of the largest Indian cultural events in the United States, the first India Festival was chaired by Dr. Kiran Patel in 1988 and held at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome, attracting over 3,000 people locally and from around the nation, and in recent years the event has surpassed 10,000 in attendance; and WHEREAS, the American citizens of the Indian community have greatly influenced the development of the Tampa Bay area by their generous philanthropy, cultural promotions, and active participation in educational, scientific, and health fields, and the India Festival provides the opportunity to showcase these contributions; and WHEREAS, this 25th Annual Tampa Bay India Festival will provide an opportunity for local residents to explore, learn and experience Indian culture through art, music, jewelry, clothing, artifacts, and authentic Indian food, and will feature dancing and singing competitions, a fashion show, and over 150 vendor booths; and WHEREAS, all proceeds from the Festival will benefit the youth of the community by promoting cultural activities and providing local college and university teams the opportunity to participate in Art and Dance competitions; and WHEREAS, this Silver Jubilee Celebration event will be held on November 2-3, 2012 at the Florida State Fairgrounds, and the City of Tampa is honored to join in this celebration which further exemplifies the diversity of our community’s culture.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bob Buckhorn, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Tampa, Florida, do hereby proclaim November 3, 2012 as

“INDIA FESTIVAL DAY” in the City of Tampa, Florida, and urge all citizens to join me in congratulating the Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary, and in thanking them for organizing the annual India Festival that provides the opportunity to celebrate the rich Indian culture.

Dated in Tampa, Florida, this 2nd day of November, 2012.

_______________________________ Mayor

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Best Compliments to 25th India Festival

From Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel 16

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Dr. Kiran C. Patel Honorary Chairman

"Simple living and high thinking" was the mantra inculcated into me by my parents from my childhood, and I have tried to practice that throughout my life.

I

was born in Zambia but was brought up in an environment that made me (and my friends) proud to be an Indian In fact, I would say my generation in Zambia was more rooted in Indian Culture than my counterpart in India.

Why you may ask was this?

The answer is simple. In spite of earning far less then what we do here today our parents believed that true value is not only the material wealth but more importantly it is preserving and propagating our rich culture and heritage.

They focused on ensuring we can speak, read and write the Gujarati language. They made sure we understand practice our religion. They made sure we do not forget who we are.

The paradox of our time in history today is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but less solutions; more medicine, but less wellness.

The rich Indian culture, spirituality and heritage had sheltered us from the above malady, and that is why our parents taught us the Indian values. Our parents also knew that if we did not want to loose our identity preserving our culture is a must. In the eighties when we

barely had 200 families, we, like our parents also felt that it is vital to preserve and propagate our culture It was that desire that gave birth to the India Festival. This was an innocent way of introducing the art and culture of India and Gujarat to the next generation.

While many believed that an event at the Sun Dome was an impossible task, I with the support of a few, embarked on planning an event that had attendees from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Carolinas and rest of Florida.The event was a huge success and has continued to grow in size and quality each year since then.

As we now enter the 25th year we have expanded our horizon. We are adding the values of Charity and Philanthropy. We are adding Professional coaching to impart into the young generation the art of modern and conventional dancing. India Festival now provides to our youth a platform for public performance and entertain a crowd of 10,000 or more people.

My hope is that as the community grows we plan in expanding the role and function of the India Festival. It is now the time for us to provide opportunities to our children to learn their mother tongue.

My hope is that the community will work to introduce the language both at school and the college level I want to thank the community of Tampa Bay for giving me an opportunity to give birth to an annual event that is playing a pivotal role in molding the younger generation.

I want to thank the Chairman, Mr. Pradip C. Patel, President of Gujarati Samaj Mr. Chetan Shah, the committee chairs and all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication in making this a 25th ANNIVERSARY.

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Best Compliments to 25th India Festival

From Mr. Pradip Patel Family

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Mr. Pradip C. Patel Chairman

Namaste,

W

OW! It seems only yesterday we were at the Sundome, till the early morning hours decorating the stadium for our 1st India Festival. The meeting held prior to the 1st Festival was detailing all that needed to be done make this a successful event. Under the leadership of Dr. Kiran Patel and his foresight, we are now celebrating its 25th successful event.

The anxiety of attendance, the selling of the booths, the entries from Alabama, Georgia and Florida, etc. were all a first time event. What a success it was. When I was getting ready to go to the Sundome, I got a call saying we better hurry as there are a lot of people coming. My Bapuji, late Shri Chhotubhai Patel pitched in to sell the magazines.

We have evolved since then and with so many Chairmen of the Festival, we have seen each one doing a fantastic job to make it a successful event.

When we had the 1st Festival, the anxiety was for attendance; this time as we are having a two day event, there is anxiety of Friday’s attendance and success.

With all the efforts put in by volunteers and especially by the President of Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay, Mr. Chetan Shah, we expect this to be the trend for the next 25 years. Other than the Friday Bollywood extravaganza, we have added cricket from the local teams and a charity drive for the local community.

This is an exciting time for the Indian community in the Tampa Bay area. I would like to see a greater participation of the younger generation, so we can have this tradition continue for the next 25 years.

On behalf the 25th India Festival Committee and the volunteers, I would like to thank all the sponsors, advertisers and donors in helping this event to be a successful event.

God Bless.

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Best Compliments to 25th India Festival

From Mr. Chetan, Shreya, Puja and Ravi

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Mr. Chetan R. Shah

I

President

t was 1988 when I just landed to Tampa USA from India for 2nd time and it happened to be the 1st year of India Festival. I saw Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel, Mr. P.C. Patel, friends and family getting ready for 1st India Festival. It was a great opportunity for me to pitch in. I am very glad to get an opportunity to preside over the 25th India Festival, to carry forward the vision of Dr. Kiran Patel.

This year our goal is to "GIVE BACK" to our local community. First time ever, we are raising 25000+ meals for needy people via food bank in Tampa.

We, as a community are conveying "SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VETERANS" for all the sacrifices they have made to protect us and for the Freedom that we are enjoying. Our theme has taken us to help local schools and we have adopted "Shaw Elementary School" for this year. Cricket is the first time introduction to Tampa Bay area at this magnitude and I am thankful to all game lovers for supporting it. I would like to thank Hillsborough County and Commissioner Mr. Al Higginbotham and county crew for helping us preparing ground for the game.

This year brought two wonderful Kathas to Tampa Bay community. "Ram Katha" by Pujya Shri Morari Bapu was one of the most successful events of the year. It was a 9 days event with more than 50000 people enjoying locally and millions worldwide. Another katha - Gandhi Katha, by Gandhiji’s disciple Mr. Narayan Desai – allowed us to spread the message of non-violence in our local community. As President of Gujarati Samaj, it was truly gratifying for me to support these two events.

I do want to express my deep sense of appreciation to executive committee for their support throughout

the year. I would like to thank Board Chair Dr. C. J. Patel and entire team of Board of Governors who have guided me to carry these types of events.

India Cultural Center (ICC), under the leadership of Dr. Mahesh Amin and its management has been a strong partner and I am truly indebted to them for their support. I appreciate all the volunteers for their dedication and time in order to take Gujarati Samaj and India Festival to the next level. I would like to thank State Fairgrounds and its very friendly management for supporting our community. Lots of sponsors make this event possible. I thank to all well-wishers for our India Festival.

I would like to thank Dr. Kiran C. Patel and Mr. P. C. Patel for becoming Honorary Chairman and Chairman of "25th India Festival" 2 day event. I would like to thank Mrs. Smita H. Patel, Mrs. Bina Patel, Committee chairs and volunteers for their support to make India Festival successful.

I would like to thank my wife Shreya, daughter Puja and son Ravi. This type of grand celebration ranging from a day to ten days demands lot of work. I would not have been able to do without their sacrifices and support.

God Bless Sincerely, Chetan Shah President 2012 Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”

Philosopher – Mr. Jim Rohan

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Best Compliments to 25th India Festival

From Mrs. Smita Patel Family

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Mrs. Smita H. Patel Executive Vice Chairperson As executive vice-chairperson of this year’s festival, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 25th Annual India Festival.

I

have been on the committee for India festival for nine years, and I have seen this event continue to grow year after year. Before dedicating my time to the committee I used to choreograph Garba and Raas (traditional Indian dances); my desire to get involved in this event grew from this experience. This year’s festival will be filled with many talented performers that have come from all over the state. I am ecstatic to see what this year’s participants have created and am certain that you will enjoy this year’s program, as well as the various exhibits, shopping and assortment of foods.

I greatly admire the parents who have dedicated the time and supported their children participating in this festival. Despite growing up in the United States, it is important for children to engage in cultural celebrations and festivities, and use that involvement to further immerse themselves in our cultural heritage and traditions. Furthermore, we are very thankful to and impressed by all of the student participants who manage their school schedules and sacrifice their free time to devote to practices.

I am honored to serve as this year’s vice-chairperson along with the rest of the executive committee, and would like to give my gratitude to Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay and the Board of Directors for giving me this great opportunity. I would like to thank my fellow committee members for all of their hard work, as this year will be a great success because of the team’s effort. I would also like to applaud all of the volunteers who have dedicated their time towards making this event a success.

In addition, I would also like to thank my wonderful husband, Hitesh Patel, and children, Anisha and Elisha, for their encouragement throughout these busy months, as they have been very patient and supportive.

In doing something, do it with Love or never do it at all!”

-Gandhi God Bless Smita H. Patel Executive Vice Chairperson, Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay 2012

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Best Compliments to 25th India Festival

From The Kharod Family

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Mr. Manish Kharod

A

Editor

s a child, I read a story about a community that came on ships to the western part of India centuries ago. They wanted to settle down there, so they sent a messenger to the king, but of course the king wanted to check the intentions of the immigrants.

So, he sent the messenger back with a cup filled with milk.

The leaders of the community were puzzled with this symbolic gesture, but then wisely decided to add sugar to the milk, and promptly sent it back. The subtle message conveyed was that even though the king’s state may be full, the newcomers would assimilate with the local community, and in addition, would sweeten the pot.

The Indian Community is celebrating the 25th India Festival in the Tampa Bay area – our home. We came as immigrants to this country from different parts of the world, settled down, worked hard, and became part of the American Dream. So lets ask ourselves, did we sweeten the pot? In this year’s magazine, we have tried to answer this question.

In 25 short years, the Indian community contributed a major Medical Research Facility, the first heart transplant surgery in the Tampa Bay area, a significant piece of our city’s Performing Arts Center, three large HMOs, Provosts for USF, a Rhode Scholar, a National Spelling Bee Champion, a National Geography Bee Champion, the India Cultural Center, and many other significant contributions to the community that can be found in The Evolution of the Indian Community in the Tampa Bay Area” article, found later in this magazine.

We have articles about Indian contributions in the fields of Law, an article about contributions in the fields of literature and entertainment (Holywood and Bollywood), and articles on Indian businesses and charities. We have also included an article on the IT Industry and the contributions that Indians have made to the field. We have also included an article describing people of Indian origin that came in the news in 2012.

One of the biggest contributions that India has made to the world is Yoga, so its only right that we have an article on that as well. One of the biggest events of the year was the 10-day Ram Katha, narrated by Pujya Morari Bapu, which we have chronicled in this magazine with pictures and an article.

And this year, we have featured three interviews. We were fortunate to get an Interview of Dr. Beheruz Sethna, president of West Georgia University, Dr. Pawan Dhingra, a professor at Tufts University and author of the book titled, Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream”, and lastly, Ms. Tulsi Gabbard, a Hindu Congressional Candidate from the State of Hawaii.

We also have an article by Dr. Renu Khator - President of the University of Houston System – about Indian moms and how they support their children.

Last, but certainly not least, we have included a poem from an eighth grader that was adjudged as the best poem

by Kumon of North America, and an article from another eighth grader who became the State Geography Bee Champion. Hopefully, this will give us a better idea of how we have assimilated and contributed to the community we live in.

I would first like to say thanks to Dr. Kiranbhai Patel. This magazine and India Festival as a whole is his brainchild.

I would also like to thank Pradipbhai, Chetanbhai and Smitaben for giving me this opportunity to put together this magazine. I would like to thank Jaimin and Jigar for helping me out with this book.

I would like to thank all the authors for sparing their valuable time to write articles for this magazine. Finally I would like to thank Asha, Anant and Shivam for their support throughout this process.

I hope you enjoy the festival and send us your valuable suggestions and thoughts.

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Congratulations to 25th India Festival

Best Wishes From Sudhir, Nita, Kajel, Parag & Puja Shah

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Mr. Sudhir K. Shah Secretary Namaste,

A

s secretary, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Florida State Fairgrounds for the 2012 India Festival hosted by the Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay! I thank Pradipbhai C. Patel and Chetanbhai R. Shah for entrusting me with such a challenge.

This is a landmark event, as we celebrate the 25th silver jubilee of such a magnificent event. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to our first chairman of India Festival and friend, Dr. Kiranbhai C. Patel, and all subsequent chairs of India Festival for keeping the flame going and working selflessly so that we can all witness this day. I am sure there were lots of challenges then but with passion and dedication nothing was impossible for them to overcome.

We should all take great pride in being a part of such a strong Indian community. This year I have attended several India functions throughout the United States and am frequently asked how Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay is able to achieve so many successful major events. I tell them that the people of Tampa make each event so memorable; this year we are again fortunate to receive overwhelming support from our sponsors, advertisers, vendors and Gujarati Samaj members. I would especially like to thank each and every dedicated volunteer- this event would not have come to fruition without you.

Additionally, I would like to thank my wife, Nita, for her full support and love while I spent countless hours on the phone, computer, or in meetings.

In closing, it’s truly rewarding to know that the tradition will continue and I, together with all friends, am looking forward to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of India Festival in the year 2037.

Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat,

Sudhir K Shah

Secretary, 25th India Festival 2012

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Dr. Kiran C. Patel

Mr. Pradip C. Patel

Dr. Chandravadan (C. J.) Patel

Food Drive Coordinator and Festival Administrator

Founder and Honoraray Chairman

Gujarati Samaj Chairman / Hall Management

Mr. Kanti Bakarania Treasurer India Festival

Mrs. Meenakshi C. Patel Entries Team

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Chairman India Festival

Mrs. Bina Patel

Mr. Akshay Dave -CPA Treasurer India Festival

Mrs. Shreya Shah Trophies Co - Chair

Mr. Chetan R. Shah

Mrs. Smita H. Patel

Mr. Sudhir Shah

Dr. Vipul Kabaria

Mrs. Swapana Shah,

Mr. Kuleen Shah

Gujarati Samaj President

Secretary India Festival / Marketing

Media Relation Team

Mrs. Naini Patel Trophies Co - Chair

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Vice Chair India Festival

Government Affairs / Cricket Co-ordination

Media Relation Team

Mrs. Nita Shah

Stage Decoration Co-Chair

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Mr. Mahesh Modha Booth/Vendor Team

Mr. Vikas Ghiya

Mr. Nikunj Patel

Mr. Vipul Patel Booth/Vendor Team

Gujarati Samaj Vice President / Hall Management

Booth/Vendor Team

Mr. Bhogilal Patel

Stage Management Team

Stage Management Team

Mr. Jayesh Patel

Mr. Mukesh Patel

Mr. Jigesh Desai

Mr. Manish Kharod

Mr. Jaimin Amin

Mr. Jigar Jadav

Mr. Rupesh R. Shah,

Dr. Gaurangi Patel

Mrs.Asha Kharod

Editor Team

Judging Team

Editor Team

Scoring Committee

Light & Sound Mgmt

Editor Team

Mr.Arvind Patel

Hospitality Committee

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Light & Sound Mgmt

Cricket Game Coordinators

Mr.Pankaj Patel

Hospitality Committee

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Mrs .Jigisha Desai

Dr. Lakhabhai Gedia

Dr. Jayendra Choksi

Mrs. Bhitti Patel

Mr. Parth Shah Emcee Team

Catering Co Ordinator Team

Web Design Team

Mr. Sukh Singh

Ms. Shivani Vora

Hospitality Committee

Catering Co Ordinator Team

Emcee Team

Dr. Hemant Shah Marketing

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First Aide Medical Team

Emcee Team

Mr. Kirit Shah Marketing

Dr. Ashwin Mehta

Grievance Committee

First Aide Medical Team

Mr. Bhagirath Patel

Mr. Sanjay Sharma

Mr. Upendra Upadhyay

Dr. Mukesh Kapadia

Dr. Prakash Machhar

Dr. Dilip Mehta

Event Meeting Host

Marketing

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Marketing

Marketing

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Dr. Mahesh Amin

Dr. Ashok Modh

Dr. Rohit Patel

Dr. Vijay Patel

Dr. Dipak Shah

Dr. Chirag Shah

Dr. Vijay Patel (New Tampa)

Dr. Rakesh Shah

Dr. Siddharth Shah

Ms. Rupa Shashtri

Marketing

Marketing

Marketing

Mr. Kaushal Aacharya (India) Web Design Team

Marketing

Marketing

Marketing

Marketing

Marketing

Mr. Kantibhai Patel

Catering Co Ordinator Team

Marketing

Marketing

Mr. Nick Patel

Catering Co Ordinator Team

Dr. Gargi Patel

Grievance Committee

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Best wishes to 25th india festival from past india festival chairpersons

•

Dr. Kiran C. Patel

Mr. Mahendra Doshi

1988, 1989,1990,1997

Mr. Pradip C. Patel

1991

Mr. Bipin Shah

Mrs. Malti Pandya

Mr. Rupesh R. Shah,

Dr. Gaurangi Patel

1998

Dr. Vijay Patel

1999

2002, 2003

2009

Dr. Harish Patel 2006

2005

Dr. Nandkishor Shah

2007

2008

Mr. Kanti Bakarania 2010

Mr. Dinesh Gandh 2011

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1996

2001

Dr. Chandravadan (C. J.) Patel

Mrs. Swapana Shah,

Mr. P.D. Patel

Dr. Jayandra Choksi

2000

2004

Dr. Mukesh Kapadia

Dr. Akshay Desai 1995

1993,1994,2012

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25th India Festival · 2012

Board of Governors Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

Mr. Nikunj Patel

Dr. Ghanshyam Patel

Dr. C. J. Patel

Mr. Kanti Bakarania

Mrs. Swapana Shah

Mr. P.D. Patel

Mr. Sudhir Shah

Dr. Jayendra Choksi

Dr. Ashok Modh

•

Mr. Parimal Butala

Dr. Ashok Patel

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Executive Committee

Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

Mr. Chetan Shah President

Mr. Bhogi Lal Patel Vice President

Mrs. Jigisha Desai Social Secretary

Mrs. Bhitti Patel Treasurer

•

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Mr. Jayesh Patel Secretary

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A partial list of the disorders evaluated by Dr. Reddy include: s#ARPAL #UBITALȩ4UNNELȩ3YNDROMEȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩȩ s5LNARȩ.EUROPATHYȩs0ERIPHERALȩ.EUROPATHYȩȩ ȩ s4ARSALȩ4UNNELȩ3YNDROME s3EIZURESȩs&AINTINGȩs"ACKȩANDȩNECKȩPAIN s2ADICULOPATHIESȩs0INCHEDȩNERVES s$EGENERATIVEȩDISCȩDISEASE sȩ-IGRAINES HEADACHES sȩ-OVEMENTȩDISORDERS sȩ#ERVICALȩDYSTONIA 7EȩOFFERȩPATIENTSȩTHEȩCONVENIENCEȩOFȩHAVINGȩTECHNOLOGICALLYȩADVANCEDȩPROCEDURESȩPERFORMEDȩINȩTHEȩ COMFORTȩANDȩCONVENIENCEȩOFȩOURȩOFlCE ȩ!ȩPARTIALȩLISTȩOFȩPROCEDURESȩAVAILABLEȩINȩOURȩFACILITYȩINCLUDE sȩ%-' .#6 sȩ%LECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHYȩ sȩ!MBULATORYȩELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM sȩ-IGRAINE HEADACHEȩTREATMENTȩINCLUDINGȩ"OTOXȩ sȩ'ENERALȩ.EUROLOGYȩEVALUATIONS sȩ-EDICALȩLEGALȩEVALUATIONS sȩ4HERAPEUTICȩ"OTOXȩINJECTIONS %XPERTȩ-EDICALȩ!DVISOR ȩ3TATEȩOFȩ&LORIDAȩAPPOINTEDȩBYȩTHEȩ$EPARTMENTȩOFȩ7ORKER Sȩ#OMPENSATIONȩȩȩȩȩȩȩ $EDICATEDȩSERVICEȩTOȩ4AMPAȩCOMMUNITYȩFORȩOVERȩ ȩYEARS

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25th India Festival · 2012

Ode to

Mother

By Dr. Renu Khator

Dr

Renu Khator holds the dual titles of chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of UH. The UH System’s first woman Chancellor and the first Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive research university in the United States, she assumed her post in January 2008. As chancellor of the UH System, Khator oversees an organization that serves more than 66,000 students, has a budget that exceeds $1.3 billion, and has a $3.5 billion-plus economic impact on the Greater Houston area each year. During her tenure, UH has experienced record-breaking research funding, enrollment and private support.

Khator was born in Uttar Pradesh, India, earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kanpur. She received her master’s degree and her Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University. A noted scholar in the field of global environmental policy, she has published numerous books and articles on the subject. Prior to her appointment, she was provost and senior vice president at the University of South Florida, capping a 22-year career at that institution.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has included her among its Outstanding Americans by Choice awardees, recognizing her achievements as a naturalized citizen.

Khator recently joined some of the world’s most respected leaders when she was named to the Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council. She serves on several boards, including the American Council on Education, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Houston Technology Center, the Texas Medical Center Policy Council, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute Board, and the Business Higher Education Forum.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Khator’s husband, Dr. Suresh Khator, is associate dean of the UH Cullen College of Engineering. The Khators have two daughters.

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25th India Festival · 2012 ore than four years have gone by, but it all seems like a big dream. I was on my way for an interview with the board of regents of the University of Houston, one of America’s largest research universities. I was excited but nervous. I knew this was no ordinary position, and would be no ordinary interview. I was fully aware that no American university had ever selected an Indian as chancellor, nor had a woman ever been appointed to such a position in Texas.

I knew that the odds were against me.

M

fruit-seller is now left with exactly half as many oranges as he had started out with, how many oranges do you think he had in the first place?”

Mom, we are already done with our homework. We are too tired to think anymore,” I mildly protested. My sister and brother nodded their heads in agreement.

Come on, there is nothing to think about here. You should be able to answer this question in your sleep. Let’s give it a try,” my mother answered. One of us would figure out the answer and the next 30 minutes would pass in answering questions as if it were a game.

To divert my mind, I glanced outside the airplane window and saw white clouds. Suddenly a rainbow shot up from their Today, people midst. My heart swelled with wonder and delight. I had ask me, What seen many a rainbow in life on lifting my gaze toward the sky, but never before had I seen one on lowering is the secret my eyes. I groped for the camera in my purse and behind your when I glanced up, not just one, but two rainbows had success?” I manifested themselves resplendent in the glory of all know that their vivid colors. They seemed to be racing alongside my mother’s my airplane.

This was our nightly ritual as we would lie down in our open courtyard under a star-studded dark blue sky, ready to fall asleep.

Whether we were in the car or in the courtyard, whether lying down in the shade sheltered from the afternoon heat, or huddled under a blanket on a cold winter’s night, mother’s questions would constantly hover around us. My mother is not a expectations How could I have ever come this far? How did life are my secret.” teacher, nor does she hold a high school diploma, but her thirst for knowledge and her impatient bring me to this place where I could dare to dream of becoming a chancellor? Whose shoulders have supported me passion for inquiry led her to read four different newspapers every and whose hands have guided me on this journey? I found myself day. traveling back to my childhood …

Thank you, Mom, for giving me the gift of inquisitiveness.

My journey began in the small town of Farrukhabad, about 250 Today, people ask me, What is the secret behind your success?” miles from New Delhi. I spent the first 18 years of my life blissfully I know that my mother’s expectations are my secret. Being the jumping rope and playing dolls. Never once had the thought of firstborn, I was the darling of the house and the center of my going to America crossed my mind. Walking down memory lane, family’s attention. Someone had to assume the responsibility for I found myself surrounded by voices from the past, and loudest of making sure that I was not spoiled. Needless to say, this task fell solely on Mom’s shoulders, because Dad was too busy practicing them all was my mother’s.

OK, children, I have a question for you. There once was a fruit- law. Mom’s philosophy was that excelling in academics was seller selling oranges. The first customer buys a dozen oranges, meaningless if one ignored the other facets of life. Hence, in the second buys two dozen and the third only four oranges. If the addition to schoolwork,

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25th India Festival · 2012 I was sent to learn classical Indian dance, Indian drums, sewing, embroidery, painting and cooking, among other things. I am sure if it were possible to pursue any sport in my little town, she would have sent me to participate in that as well. I published my first poem when I was 15 years old, and even though it challenged traditional social norms, she swelled with pride reading it.

I never mastered anything but learned to appreciate everything.

Today, when people ask me the secret of my seemingly balanced lifestyle, I just smile and thank my mom for it.

From the day I arrived in America, I found comfort in exploring new ideas and new fields. Even though my mother denies it, I am convinced that she is the one who gave me the confidence to step outside my comfort zone. Thank you, Mom, for giving me the courage to explore and try, try and fail, and fail and try again.

I remember an episode when I was in the sixth grade, where all the girls had to take mandatory home economics class. Preparing a dish at school was the final requirement to pass the class. My lottery pick paired me with the dish Sujii Kaa Halwa, a dessert made with cream of wheat. The problem was that I had no clue how to light the stove, let alone make a dessert. Mother’s school began, and for four days everyone ate Halwa for breakfast, because that is all that was cooked. On the day of the exam, mother measured out all the ingredients, packed them neatly in small packages, and labeled them clearly. Is it necessary to do all this?” I asked. There is no grading in this exam. All I have to do is pass.”

Not only is it necessary,” she said, it is required that you always aim for above average.”

What is wrong in being average?”

Average results come from average efforts. If you dare to immerse your heart and soul in your work, the results are bound to be above average. And all I expect from you is to put your heart and soul in whatever you do.”

How can anyone who from childhood was expected to immerse herself completely in the task at hand ever be satisfied with passable results?

My mother never expected any less from me because I was a woman. I may have had to cross extra hurdles or jump extra loops, but in my mother’s eyes, I was not being defined by my challenges but by the way I faced them. In those days, when the social norm dictated that sons be given preferential treatment, my memories are of mom stuffing extra chocolates in my coat pockets as I went off to school and patting me on my back as I returned.

I thrived on my mother’s pride. It was a given that on returning from school I would find mother standing behind the partly ajar main gate. I would know that she was there as I crossed the alley and walked up the stairs. She was rarely seen in public without my father, as per his wish. It is only natural for someone who is accustomed to seeing her mother’s eyes cover the path of her walks to see rainbows even during the most anxious times.

Thank you, mom, for giving me the gift of knowing that I am never without friends.

I was only 18 when my life took a major turn. One night, I went to bed as a carefree teenager only to wake in the morning to the realization that I was to marry, in 10 days, a man studying in America. I was shattered because I thought it meant the end of my educational journey. On seeing me bawling, my mother said, That

you are going to get married someday is inevitable … today is as good as tomorrow. Your father knows what he is doing. He has made this decision after much consideration.”

Everyone is concerned only with his own opinions and considerations. No one cares about what I think. I want to complete my master’s program and then get my doctorate. Whatever happened to father’s big talk of ‘the milk boiling over and the ghee being wasted’? How can he think of marrying me at this stage in my studies?”

I know you want to continue your education, and I am sure your new family will let you do so.”

How do you know that? Can you point me to a single woman in our extended family who was allowed to go to college after marriage? Who can guarantee me my education?”

I give you the guarantee. My mother’s heart is giving you this guarantee. Deep down here,” she said putting her hand on her heart. I know they will let you continue your education. He will keep you happy.” I was smart enough to know that these were simply words to cajole me. Who would let me study in America when I could not even speak English? I only believed my mom’s words after securing admission at an American university. Mom wrote me regularly, and in each letter she never failed to remind me, It is only because of Sureshji (my husband) that you are able to go to college … to reach such heights.”

We are starting our descent…” the flight attendant’s voice echoed in the plane and jolted me back from the past into the present.

When I peeked out of the window I saw that the rainbows had been left behind and beneath us was America’s fourth-largest city, Houston. My mind was as light as the morning dew and my head free of all preoccupations and worries. Exactly eight hours later, the dual appointment of chancellor and president was in my hands.

The very first person I called was my mother back in India. In my impatience I woke her up in the middle of the night.

Mummy, I got great news for you. I have become the president of the University of Houston.”

Very good. Can I speak with Sureshji?” She always adds ‘ji’ as a sign of respect for her son-in-law.

Mom, didn’t you hear what I just said? Aren’t you going to say something?”

I heard everything, my dear. Now, give the phone to Sureshji.”

Dejected, I shoved the phone in my husband’s hand.

Sureshji, heartfelt congratulations to you on Renu’s becoming the president. It is the results of your efforts and you deserve full credit for this day.” This is my mother, ever encouraging others and always sharing credit with an open heart.

Mom, please forgive me for not listening to you today, but I want the world to know that you are the one who deserves all the credit for my success.

Khator is the president of the University of Houston and chancellor of the UH System. This article originally appeared in India Abroad.

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25th India Festival ¡ 2012

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25th India Festival · 2012

Ram Katha narrated by Param Pujya Morari Bapu An India Cultural Center June 2 to June 10, 2012

ll Ram ll

This June, the India Cultural Center had the honor of hosting Ram Katha narrated by Param Pujya Morari Bapu.

The grand nine-day event was attended by over 2,000 devotees, including many from across the Americas, Europe & Asia was made possible by the tireless efforts of over 200 Tampa Bay area residents, donors & volunteers who turned the Florida State Fairgrounds venue into the sea of sacredness giving us glimpses of Sunderkand as described in the works of the great poet Valmiki.

Ramayana explores human values and the concept of dharma.

Bapu’s message inspired devotees who walked away relating Ramayan to their real lives in today’s world.

Bapu presented the teachings of ancient Hindu sages (Vedas) in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and devotional elements with simplicity and grace while answering devotees’ questions each day. His accompanists filled the arena with music and lyrics of the Hanuman Chaalisa making the event unforgettable.

ICC is truly grateful to our supporters for their collective donations of $478,000. The total event cost including nine days of prasadam in the form of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for all attendees amounted to $433,000.

The Board of Trustees at the India Cultural Center would like to take this opportunity to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the Ram Katha Committee, and to each and everyone who helped with their gift of time and generous donations and to those who attended this event and made it a great success. The Tampa Bay community has once again exemplified that united, we can achieve!

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25th India Festival 路 2012

Mrs. Nita S. Shah

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25th India Festival 路 2012

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25th India Festival · 2012

By Mr. Manish Kharod Dr. Beheruz Sethna is president of the University of West Georgia (UWG) that is home of more than 11000 students. Dr. Sethna, who grew up in a middle class family in India, is the first known person of Indian origin ever to become President of a University anywhere in America.

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”

William Butler Yeats

H

e earned his degree in electrical engineering from prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York. he participated in post-doctoral programs at Harvard. He is a Certified Computer Professional and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

Under Dr. Sethna’s leadership, more Bachelors, Masters, Specialist, and Doctoral degrees were awarded at UWG than all previaous presidential administration combined (UWG is more than 100 years old). He started Georgia’s first Advanced Academy for exceptionally-gifted high school students, whose products have gone to the best universities in the world, such as Yale and Oxford, and given rise to Goldwater and Marshall Scholarships.

Dr. Sethna has been an invited speaker over a hundred service club sessions and meetings, and at universities in many U.S. states and foreign countries, including the University of Oxford in England. He has also been the keynote speaker at various corporate forums. Over his career, Dr. Sethna has published a book and 69 papers (including journal articles and proceedings), several case studies, and obtained externally funded research from the US Department of Energy, IBM, AT&T, and others.

Dr. Sethna is married for more than 38 years to Dr. Madhavi Sethna, and has two grown-up children.

Welcome Dr. Sethna

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25th India Festival · 2012 MK: Dr. Sethna, you studied at elite schools in India and US (IIT, IIM, Columbia). How do you compare and contrast the education system at those schools?

Clearly, all of them are excellent institutions, and I am grateful for each one of these opportunities, but they were very different experiences. Before I proceed, I must state an important caveat: (a) these are all personal reflections, and should not be taken as factual – particularly because they are very dated (note that I joined IIT- Bombay in 1966, which is more than 46 years ago – a lot has changed!).

I was pretty miserable in IIT. It was not a breeze for me as it was for others who were at the top of the class. But IIT taught me there is no shortcut to hard work as you are rubbing shoulders with some of the most brilliant people in India. In my time in IIT, I had only a handful of professors who taught well, though most of the faculty were brilliant and nationally famous in their own right. However, I felt that the entire environment at IIT was ruled by fear and intimidation by the faculty, and some of the professors demonstrated less than positive behavior to students like me who were struggling to keep up.

Now, with 35 years of being on the faculties of three excellent U.S. universities under my belt, I can honestly say that I have avoided the intimidating tactics of those faculty members and am a better professor for that. So, in a sense, I have learned from them!

At different points at IIT, I had wanted to go abroad for my studies but we couldn’t afford it. That was all to the good! Not only did I get an outstanding education at IIM-A, I met my wife Madhavi there and I loved most of what I did there. Economics was always my nemesis, and people from Delhi school of economics blew everyone out of the way, but I met exceptional professors and realized that I really belonged in this discipline. This was the first time I had done really well, and was generally in the top 10 students in the class. The IIT experience had sapped my selfconfidence as a student, and so the IIM experience was a great one.

By the time I graduated I felt I wanted to teach. There was no Ph.D. program in Business of which I was aware in India at that time, so I decided to go abroad for further studies.

I was accepted at Harvard and Wharton, but chose Columbia because Columbia had the biggest name in Marketing and gave me the best financial aid offer. I did very well at Columbia, both in terms of grades and in terms of my dissertation. When I graduated, I held the record for the fastest successful completion of the Ph.D. – I successfully defended my dissertation about 28 months after starting the program.

I think that is changing. The IITs appear to be doing a great job these days with churning our entrepreneurs! It wasn’t so in my ashould at least be an elective in schools and colleges. If that means cutting back on some of the rote learning, so be it. The Indian education system needs to back off from some of the cramming, and have space in it for research, for critical thinking, for entrepreneurship, etc.

MK: You have been recognized as an excellent and effective teacher. In your opinion, what qualities make a teacher effective and excellent?

Passion for teaching, for having high standards and helping students achieve them. My students can e-mail me at any time of the day or night and I will respond and help them. We often have such e-mails going back and forth at 11 p.m., midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m., and 3 a.m. A former student of mine gave me a plaque (which I have placed on my wall) which reads: Good teachers teach; great teachers inspire.” I was touched by his phrase.

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”

—William Butler Yeats I want to do more than fill their buckets – I strive to light their fire! For many years, I have taught an undergraduate course which is open to all majors and attracts Honors students from almost every discipline, including those from mathematics and the hard sciences. It takes the student through a series of fast-paced class sessions on business, marketing, and marketing research, and then tests them on their knowledge of concepts, facts, and analytical methods.

All of this takes place within the first few weeks, and then the style of the course changes significantly from one which is largely lecture and fact-based to one that is project-based and relies on student initiative and student-driven learning. Students choose a real business problem and apply their earlier knowledge to devise creative ways to collect data and develop defensible conclusions.

They prepare a written report and a computerized presentation, and recommend actions to the client. This course was selected as one of the three most innovative course submissions in the decision sciences in the 2004 nationwide competition sponsored by the Decision Sciences Institute; I mention this only to indicate the rigor the students’ academic experiences in this course.

None of this is easy, particularly with a 24-7 job as President – it takes a tremendous amount of hard work, passion, enthusiasm, and constantly asking myself how I can do whatever I am doing better.

So, I came a long way from being that struggling and scared student at IIT to my Columbia experience.

MK: Lot of parents are struggling with lighting of a fire” part.

They know that it has to happen but do not know how to do it.

Any suggestions there?

Yes, indeed. It’s all about student engagement. We (parents, faculty, and students) have to understand that.

MK: It is a general perception that Indian education system is more academic in nature and does not churn out entrepreneurs. What is your take?

In my original answer I shared what I do with my students – with instructional innovation. But, whether other professors or parents agree with this approach or not, they have to find ways to keep

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25th India Festival · 2012 students excited about learning – this takes a lot of work, but is worth it. Students are not at all devoid of this responsibility themselves. They must understand that engagement is something on which they have to work as well.

MK : Online education is becoming popular. For example, Coursera.org is offering more than 121 courses (offered by Stanford, University of Washington, University of Michigan and more). More than 1 million students are enrolled in these courses. It has got lot of positive press. What is your take on online education in particular and its impact on education in general?

I agree that online education is going to be increasingly important and that all good educational institutions need to become proficient with this mode of teaching. Political leaders all over the country (and some business leaders too) are very critical of academic institution for concentrating on bricks” rather than clicks” – of building traditional learning experiences for traditional students rather than concentrating exclusively on the non-traditional online population.

In that vein, let me tell you a tale of two universities.”

What I will tentatively call University A” has increased tremendously its on-line presence in the past 10-15 years. It has been the leader in the state in teaching the entire core curriculum on line, including such courses as a Chemistry lab!

At one point it accounted for 49% of the enrollment in the entire 30+campus System, at which point, the administration of this entire System-wide program was handed over to this university.

Since that happened, System-wide enrollments in the on-line core curriculum have more than doubled and course completion rates have skyrocketed from the high 60% range to about 90%. This institution has several programs entirely on-line at the bachelors, graduate, and doctoral levels. Its collaborative on-line MBA is nationally rated at the top of several dimensions. It has pioneered the field of distance learning administration including creating the research-based, widely-read and cited Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration and the international Distance Learning Administration Conference.

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What I tentatively call University B” has, during essentially the same period, has gone from a very high proportion of full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE), with a ratio of FTE to Headcount enrollment of approximately 90%, to an even higher percentage of 93.5%. About 20-25 years ago, Peter Drucker is supposed to have claimed that the traditional university would be a thing of the past in 30 years. This trend does not support his claim.

During this same period, this university has increased its investment in first-class traditional facilities by about one-third of a billion dollars and doubled its space in 18-19 years.

These additions include state-of-the-art academic space, cocurricular space, residential space, and recreational space worthy of a destination university. Academic achievements in undergraduate research, academic debate, and several fields have earned national recognition.

So, which is the more relevant success story in today’s world?

Before you get too troubled with this difficult choice, let me reveal that this not really a tale of two universities” (that’s why I put it in quotes above); rather, it is a tale of one – the University of West Georgia.

The point of this story is that this is a false dichotomy that higher education critics have created regarding on-line versus traditional education. We can do both, and do both exceptionally well.

There are two clear and distinct markets out there – both of them are vibrant and strong markets, and we can serve both!

MK: What is your advice to students that may help them to achieve better academic and entrepreneurial success in near term and allow them to be better human being in their life?

I would never say, Do as I say, not as I do.” The same values that I have demonstrated and described in the above answers are those which will help them: Hard work, integrity, passion, enthusiasm, asking myself how can I do this better, and so on.

www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

25th India Festival · 2012 MK: Dr. Sethna, you studied at elite schools in India and US (IIT, IIM, Columbia). How do you compare and contrast the education system at those schools?

Clearly, all of them are excellent institutions, and I am grateful for each one of these opportunities, but they were very different experiences. Before I proceed, I must state an important caveat: (a) these are all personal reflections, and should not be taken as factual – particularly because they are very dated (note that I joined IIT- Bombay in 1966, which is more than 46 years ago – a lot has changed!).

I was pretty miserable in IIT. It was not a breeze for me as it was for others who were at the top of the class. But IIT taught me there is no shortcut to hard work as you are rubbing shoulders with some of the most brilliant people in India. In my time in IIT, I had only a handful of professors who taught well, though most of the faculty were brilliant and nationally famous in their own right. However, I felt that the entire environment at IIT was ruled by fear and intimidation by the faculty, and some of the professors demonstrated less than positive behavior to students like me who were struggling to keep up.

Now, with 35 years of being on the faculties of three excellent U.S. universities under my belt, I can honestly say that I have avoided the intimidating tactics of those faculty members and am a better professor for that. So, in a sense, I have learned from them!

At different points at IIT, I had wanted to go abroad for my studies but we couldn’t afford it. That was all to the good! Not only did I get an outstanding education at IIM-A, I met my wife Madhavi there and I loved most of what I did there. Economics was always my nemesis, and people from Delhi school of economics blew everyone out of the way, but I met exceptional professors and realized that I really belonged in this discipline. This was the first time I had done really well, and was generally in the top 10 students in the class. The IIT experience had sapped my selfconfidence as a student, and so the IIM experience was a great one.

By the time I graduated I felt I wanted to teach. There was no Ph.D. program in Business of which I was aware in India at that time, so I decided to go abroad for further studies.

I was accepted at Harvard and Wharton, but chose Columbia because Columbia had the biggest name in Marketing and gave me the best financial aid offer. I did very well at Columbia, both in terms of grades and in terms of my dissertation. When I graduated, I held the record for the fastest successful completion of the Ph.D. – I successfully defended my dissertation about 28 months after starting the program.

I think that is changing. The IITs appear to be doing a great job these days with churning our entrepreneurs! It wasn’t so in my ashould at least be an elective in schools and colleges. If that means cutting back on some of the rote learning, so be it. The Indian education system needs to back off from some of the cramming, and have space in it for research, for critical thinking, for entrepreneurship, etc.

MK: You have been recognized as an excellent and effective teacher. In your opinion, what qualities make a teacher effective and excellent?

Passion for teaching, for having high standards and helping students achieve them. My students can e-mail me at any time of the day or night and I will respond and help them. We often have such e-mails going back and forth at 11 p.m., midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m., and 3 a.m. A former student of mine gave me a plaque (which I have placed on my wall) which reads: Good teachers teach; great teachers inspire.” I was touched by his phrase.

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”

—William Butler Yeats I want to do more than fill their buckets – I strive to light their fire! For many years, I have taught an undergraduate course which is open to all majors and attracts Honors students from almost every discipline, including those from mathematics and the hard sciences. It takes the student through a series of fast-paced class sessions on business, marketing, and marketing research, and then tests them on their knowledge of concepts, facts, and analytical methods.

All of this takes place within the first few weeks, and then the style of the course changes significantly from one which is largely lecture and fact-based to one that is project-based and relies on student initiative and student-driven learning. Students choose a real business problem and apply their earlier knowledge to devise creative ways to collect data and develop defensible conclusions.

They prepare a written report and a computerized presentation, and recommend actions to the client. This course was selected as one of the three most innovative course submissions in the decision sciences in the 2004 nationwide competition sponsored by the Decision Sciences Institute; I mention this only to indicate the rigor the students’ academic experiences in this course.

None of this is easy, particularly with a 24-7 job as President – it takes a tremendous amount of hard work, passion, enthusiasm, and constantly asking myself how I can do whatever I am doing better.

So, I came a long way from being that struggling and scared student at IIT to my Columbia experience.

MK: Lot of parents are struggling with lighting of a fire” part.

They know that it has to happen but do not know how to do it.

Any suggestions there?

Yes, indeed. It’s all about student engagement. We (parents, faculty, and students) have to understand that.

MK: It is a general perception that Indian education system is more academic in nature and does not churn out entrepreneurs. What is your take?

In my original answer I shared what I do with my students – with instructional innovation. But, whether other professors or parents agree with this approach or not, they have to find ways to keep

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25th India Festival · 2012 students excited about learning – this takes a lot of work, but is worth it. Students are not at all devoid of this responsibility themselves. They must understand that engagement is something on which they have to work as well.

MK : Online education is becoming popular. For example, Coursera.org is offering more than 121 courses (offered by Stanford, University of Washington, University of Michigan and more). More than 1 million students are enrolled in these courses. It has got lot of positive press. What is your take on online education in particular and its impact on education in general?

I agree that online education is going to be increasingly important and that all good educational institutions need to become proficient with this mode of teaching. Political leaders all over the country (and some business leaders too) are very critical of academic institution for concentrating on bricks” rather than clicks” – of building traditional learning experiences for traditional students rather than concentrating exclusively on the non-traditional online population.

In that vein, let me tell you a tale of two universities.”

What I will tentatively call University A” has increased tremendously its on-line presence in the past 10-15 years. It has been the leader in the state in teaching the entire core curriculum on line, including such courses as a Chemistry lab!

At one point it accounted for 49% of the enrollment in the entire 30+campus System, at which point, the administration of this entire System-wide program was handed over to this university.

Since that happened, System-wide enrollments in the on-line core curriculum have more than doubled and course completion rates have skyrocketed from the high 60% range to about 90%. This institution has several programs entirely on-line at the bachelors, graduate, and doctoral levels. Its collaborative on-line MBA is nationally rated at the top of several dimensions. It has pioneered the field of distance learning administration including creating the research-based, widely-read and cited Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration and the international Distance Learning Administration Conference.

52

What I tentatively call University B” has, during essentially the same period, has gone from a very high proportion of full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE), with a ratio of FTE to Headcount enrollment of approximately 90%, to an even higher percentage of 93.5%. About 20-25 years ago, Peter Drucker is supposed to have claimed that the traditional university would be a thing of the past in 30 years. This trend does not support his claim.

During this same period, this university has increased its investment in first-class traditional facilities by about one-third of a billion dollars and doubled its space in 18-19 years.

These additions include state-of-the-art academic space, cocurricular space, residential space, and recreational space worthy of a destination university. Academic achievements in undergraduate research, academic debate, and several fields have earned national recognition.

So, which is the more relevant success story in today’s world?

Before you get too troubled with this difficult choice, let me reveal that this not really a tale of two universities” (that’s why I put it in quotes above); rather, it is a tale of one – the University of West Georgia.

The point of this story is that this is a false dichotomy that higher education critics have created regarding on-line versus traditional education. We can do both, and do both exceptionally well.

There are two clear and distinct markets out there – both of them are vibrant and strong markets, and we can serve both!

MK: What is your advice to students that may help them to achieve better academic and entrepreneurial success in near term and allow them to be better human being in their life?

I would never say, Do as I say, not as I do.” The same values that I have demonstrated and described in the above answers are those which will help them: Hard work, integrity, passion, enthusiasm, asking myself how can I do this better, and so on.

www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

25th India Festival 路 2012

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25th India Festival 路 2012

Ekta -Minor Fusion

Academy of Odissi Dance - Minor Fusion

The name of the participants are from left to right Naomi Navaluri , Manogna Thota, Ananya Kommareddy, Navya Bandharam, Udayanjali Nuka, Spruha Kar, Neha Dantuluri, Akshaya Thoutam, Michelle Jayaraj, Shriya Buragadda, and Sanjana Kommana.

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25th India Festival 路 2012

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25th India Festival · 2012

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www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay 10/24/12 3:28 PM

25th India Festival · 2012

An interview with:

Tulsi Gabbard

By Mr. Nainan Desai

T

ulsi Gabbard visited Tampa and Orlando on Sept 7th and 8th 2012, to meet the Indian community. When elected, Tulsi will bear the distinction of being the first Hindu woman in the House of Representatives in the US Congress. Tulsi has won the Democratic Party nomination for the 2nd congressional district in Hawaii.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser described her win as the improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory”.

Although being a practicing Hindu, Tulsi is not of Indian origin.

She has unique background and career path intertwined with two rounds of military service in the Middle East, community service in the City Council of Honolulu and the Hawaii House of Representatives, and in several community organizations. To understand her motivation, her convictions, and the difficulties she overcame better, I asked her a few questions, to which she responded as follows.

Nainan: You got elected as a State Representative in Hawaii at the young age of 21. What was it like being the youngest State Representative? What motivated you to go for politics at such an early age?

Tulsi: I learned early on that I was happiest when I was using my life in the service of others. So, since a young age, the spirit of karma yoga has been the motivating factor for everything I do in my life. I started helping my dad with his environmental work, and at the age of 19 co-founded the Healthy Hawai‘i Coalition, teaching schoolchildren about caring for the environment and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. The more I engaged in activities that weren’t just for myself, the happier I became, and the more I wanted to do. I felt that I wanted to do more for people, and so in 2002 I ran for the Hawaii State Legislature.

Nainan: After becoming State Representative, you decided to go for a military career. This was a huge shift. What was the motivation for joining the military service?

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25th India Festival · 2012 Tulsi: My decision to enlist in the Hawaii Army National Guard as a sitting legislator was based in my desire to do more with my life, and to be of service to Hawaii’s citizens and our country in a greater way. In 2004, as I campaigned for re-election, the soldiers of the 29th Brigade Combat Team were activated for deployment to Iraq. I knew that there was no way I could stay home and watch my brothers and sisters in uniform march off to combat without me. So I left an assured re-election and volunteered to deploy to the war zone in the Middle East. I served 12 months near Baghdad as the 29th Brigade’s medical operations specialist and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for my service in Iraq.

Nainan: You were deployed twice to Middle East. What was your experience being a Hindu and a woman in the military? What dietary and other issues did you face?

Tulsi: I was able to achieve a profound sense of comfort in the midst of death and turmoil, by turning to my regular daily practice of japa meditation and studying and contemplating on the Bhagavad-Gita.

Being a woman in the military has its’ own set of challenges, but I maintained my focus on being the best professional soldier I could, and was able to do very well by being focused on the positive, rather than on any challenges that existed. These days it’s often women in uniform—moms, wives and even grandmothers—who deploy and leave their families behind.

These courageous women know the real cost of war, and the sacrifices they make are immeasurable.

Being a strict lifelong vegetarian, I did encounter some dietary challenges during my two deployments in the Middle East.

I had to get creative with the Army chow, and snacked on a lot of trail mix and energy bars! I’m pleased to say that after sharing many meals with my fellow soldiers, they started giving serious consideration to becoming vegetarians themselves. Like everyone though, I did miss my mom’s home cooking!

Nainan: You are not of Indian origin. How did you get your name and initiation to Hinduism? What was it like growing up as a Hindu at schools and in neighborhoods?

Any anecdotes?

Tulsi: I and my brothers and sisters all have Hindu names because my mom was in charge of that. My mother is a practicing Hindu, and my dad is a Catholic who likes

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to practice mantra yoga meditation and also has a great appreciation for the Bhagavad Gita along with the Bible.

I grew up with a great appreciation for the cultural melting pot that we have here in Hawaii. Our communities in Hawaii are very diverse. Although there is a majority of Christians, there are also a significant number of Buddhists and people of socalled minority religions. There also all kinds of people of different ethnicities and we all work and play together, side by side.

Although there are not very many Hindus in Hawai‘i, I never felt discriminated against.

I never really gave it a second thought growing up that any other reality existed, or that it was not the same everywhere! My experiences in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, and across the country, showed me firsthand that this is not the case.

Nainan: You have seen both Christianity and Hinduism. What are some of the strengths of each religion that helped you in your life?

Tulsi: I’ve come to realize that the essence and strength of both Sanatan Dharma/ Hinduism and Christianity is the same; that we should cultivate our love for God and use our lives trying to be pleasing to Him and in the service of His children.

In other words, : Karma and Bhakti Yoga is the heart of both Hinduism and Christianity. This is a core principle I have learned from the New Testament and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as other Vedic scriptures. And that is what I am trying to do in my life - to actually apply the universal spiritual teaching of Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.”

Nainan: Can you tell us what part of the Holy Gita inspired you the most and how you were strengthened by it?

Tulsi: One of the first things I saw when I arrived in Iraq was a giant sign at the gates of our base that said Is today the day?”

Seeing the sign every day was a constant reminder that today could be the day that I have to leave this world. This forced me to constantly remember and contemplate upon the truth of my identity. Some verses from the Bhagavad-Gita which I always remembered were: That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.”

(2:17)

The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.”(2.23) I would also reflect upon and take solace in Krishna’s statement in the concluding chapter of the Gita: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” (18.65) So first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, I meditated upon the fact that my essence was spirit, not matter, that I was not my physical body, and that I didn’t need to worry about death because I knew that I would continue to exist and I knew that I would be going to Krishna.

Nainan: You will be the first Hindu Congresswoman when elected. What would you like to accomplish in the Congress?

What will you do to espouse the cause of Hindus and India in the Congress?

Tulsi: Of course there are so many things I would like to accomplish in Congress— way too many to discuss here. But as far as how I might be able to be of service to Hindus and to people in India, let me simply say that I will always have a sympathetic ear. My natural affinity for India and its people means I will be a voice for Indian Americans and for improving U.S.-India relations.

I will join the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and address the concerns and issues faced by Indian Americans. As the world’s largest and strongest democracies, the U.S. and India have so much in common and should increasingly work together on international issues of global importance, boosting bilateral trade, and fostering economic, strategic and cultural ties between the two countries, and working together as partners in the fight against terrorism.

Some areas I will focus on will be legislation relating to H1-B visas and legal immigration, the economy and jobs, support for small business, energy independence for America, an end to the war and the prompt and safe withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan, ending US foreign policy bias towards favoring Pakistan over India, permanent membership for India on the United Nations Security Council.

I certainly wouldn’t use my position on Congress to proselytize. But many

www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

25th India Festival · 2012 people in America, including some in positions of power and influence, view Hinduism as foreign and even mysterious. Lack of familiarity and understanding can breed fear and bigotry, so I won’t shy away from opportunities to increase understanding and appreciation of Hinduism and Hindus. Especially in today’s world where religious misunderstanding and intolerance are at the root of many tragic and unnecessary conflicts, we all need to do whatever we can to increase understanding and tolerance.

Nainan: What are your career goals for the future?

Tulsi: I will always strive to be an effective servant-leader who puts the interests of the people I serve ahead of my own, and to inspire others to be servant-leaders in all that they do. America, indeed every nation in the world, needs a new generation of servant-leaders who are motivated out of a sincere desire to be of service to the people—whether it’s in the political arena, business, or some other area.

We need a generation of leaders who want to use their life for the welfare of others and not just live for themselves. If I can have a positive impact in this regard, it doesn’t matter what title or office I hold, I know that my life will have been a success.

Nainan: What message would you like to give to the second generation Hindus and Indian Americans?

Tulsi: I would like to humbly ask that they reflect upon the wonderful treasure of Sanatan Dharma. Vedic culture and wisdom are a world treasure. A lot of people are Christians” because they were born into Christian families—but they have never really taken to heart the teachings of Jesus Christ. Similarly, many

people who have been born into Hindu families have never really taken to heart the wonderful wisdom of the Bhagavad-Gita. They have never come to truly realize that in order to be happy we need to live by the principles of karma and bhakti yoga.

A person may have grown up with the Bhagavad-Gita in their h ome, but they have never invited Lord Krishna into their heart and embraced Him with love and devotion. I would encourage them to take this step and deepen their happiness and purpose in life.

The message I would like to give is a simple one: We all want to be happy; and real, true and lasting happiness can be achieved only through wisdom and spiritual love. Every one of us can live a spiritual life.

The Bhagavad-Gita makes it very clear that spiritual life does not mean going to the mountains and giving up our occupations or our education or families. Real spiritual life, and real happiness, comes from recognizing oneself as part and parcel of and eternal servant of God. I’m hoping that people will realize how important it is to use their lives not just for their own well-being, but for the well-being of others and our world. Every one of us can contribute in our own way according to our abilities, tendencies, assets and so on.

We should try to bring the servant” attitude to our daily activities. In short, I hope that second generation Hindus and Indian Americans will ever more deeply appreciate the wisdom and beauty inherent in our Hindu philosophy and teachings that have inspired so many of the world’s great thinkers, everyone from Mahatma Gandhi and Einstein to Thoreau and Emerson.

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25th India Festival · 2012

Bollywood Dance Club – College Fusion

Rangilo Nach – Minor Folk

1st line left to rigth Sheya Patel, Payal Pandya, Ruhee Patel, Sandyha Ganesh, Ovie Nirgudkar, Aanya Patel, Pia Patel, Siona Seth, Savina Patel, Uma Panchal Nisanth Aremanda, Aryan Patel, Neil Babu, Vineet Sharma, Rohil Agarwal, Devan Patel Darsh Patel, Jayden Patel, Ronak Agarwal, Shashank Aremanda

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25th India Festival · 2012

DJ Patel Area Representative, Atlanta Multi-Unit Owner, Atlanta

Aneesh Patel Area Representative, Miami Multi-Unit Owner, Tampa & Miami

Join The Fastest Growing Pizza Company With Us. For more information, contact Aneesh Patel at 386-383-0380 or call Marco’s Franchising at 800-262-7267.

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©2012 Marco’s Franchising, LLC 9026-1012

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25th India Festival · 2012

Contribution of people of Indian Origin in the field of

Entrepreneurship

By Mr. Jaimin Amin

S

teve Jobs, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, Bill Gates, and Google founders created unique products and services that improved the quality of life and generated new wealth for them, their community, their country, and the world. These entrepreneurs are the engines of economic growth for job and wealth creation. According to Ashok Rao, Chairman of TiE Global (tie.org), About 3- 4 percent of the population has this entrepreneur virus” or risk gene”, where one gets the urge to create things and possesses no fear of failure.” This risk gene” is independent of any place or person.

Then why does the level of entrepreneurship vary in different countries, different cultures, different regions, and with different genders?

The only things that can be suppressing these entrepreneurs are governments, cultures, and traditions. The World Bank’s annual survey ranks the USA 4th, India 132nd, and Singapore in 1st as the friendliest place for entrepreneurs.

However, the USA still had the most entrepreneurs and innovations. The reasons behind these differences are Singapore’s culture celebrates the stable and successful entrepreneurs while disgracing the failures, which suppresses the entrepreneurial spirit. Census data in USA indicates businesses owned by Indian entrepreneurs are very successful due to high levels of education. We have many successful Indian American entrepreneurs in Tampa Bay, in Florida, and across the USA. We can only cover few short stories but we hope these stories will inspire you to be a socially responsible Entrepreneur as well.

D

r. Kiran C. Patel (Dr. K) and his wife Dr. Pallavi Patel started the India Festival 25 years ago; it is now one of the biggest events participated by our children, community, and beyond. Dr. K has been an incredible asset to Tampa Bay, given his philanthropic and entrepreneurial aspirations. Dr. K who always bets on himself is not only a Physician but he has expanded his trades over the years into becoming a Health Plan owner, Hotel owner, Software company developer, Philanthropist, Real Estate developer and an Angel investor.

Between 1995 and 2002, Dr. K. saw an opportunity and grabbed it by taking aggressive steps to reach the extravagant outcome. He took over the struggling HMO Company and built it into a billiondollar company (wellcare.com).

Dr. Kiran C. Patel (Dr. K) and his wife Dr. Pallavi Patel started the India Festival 25 years ago; it is now one of the biggest events participated by our children, community, and beyond” Dr. Kiran C. Patel (Dr. K) and his wife Dr. Pallavi Patel

62

As a result, it provided services to more than 450,000 members and gave job opportunities to more than 1,200 employees. Dr. K sold it in 2002 to a New York investment firm for $200 million.

Dr. K created the Foundation for Global Understanding so, we can discover solutions today to tomorrow’s problems”, which led to the Patel College of Global Sustainability at USF (psgs.usf.edu). Dr. K’s current Medicare Advantage plans, which operate in five states under the umbrella corporation America’s 1st Choice Holdings, will take in about $1.4 billion in 2012. Dr. K said that, When I took over Freedom (freedomhealth.com) and Optimum in 2007, they had combined losses of $13 million & $100 million in revenue.

By being bold & always thinking outside the box, I built them into billion-dollar companies in just five years, boosting employment from 100 to 1,000+ during a recession.” Dr.K strongly believes that having a strong family, always doing the right thing, putting in hard work with persistence, and passion with good negotiating skills are the key ingredients to his success.

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25th India Festival · 2012

H

ow about another Patel story? Mr. Paresh Patel is the founder and CEO of a Tampa based insurance company called Homeowners Choice Inc. (hcpci. com). The company is publicly held and shares trade on the NYSE Global Market under the ticker symbol HCI”.

Paresh Patel was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electronic Engineering from Cambridge University located in England.

Then he moved to America in 1984. Paresh returned to Tampa to settle down with his wife Neha. Paresh along with a group of local immigrant entrepreneurs decided to start Homeowners Choice in 2006.

Mr. Paresh Patel Homeowners Choice Inc. now employs about 260 employees, with a majority working at the headquarters in Tampa. They plan to add an additional 40 to 50 employees as they plan to acquire an additional 70,000 policies from Citizen and to grow $350M in annual premium.

Also the company has been acquiring real estate and now owns some of the prime waterfront development properties in Pinellas County, Florida. We are trying to invest back into the community.

Business and real estate are two major drivers in this community,” said Patel, I’m a Floridian, and I believe in this area. All of the great cities we want to be like have locally based successful companies. That’s what makes things happen.”

We are trying to invest back into the community.

Business and real estate are two major drivers in this community”

D

r. Chandresh Saraiya, an Internist, is the co-founder of Florida Medical Clinic (FMC). FMC started in 1993 with a single location, 16 physicians, 40 employees, and had $5M in annual revenue. In 2012, the FMC (floridamedicalclinic.com) has expanded to 28 locations covering East Pasco & North Hillsborough County, 170 Providers, over 1000 employees, and over $150M in annual revenue. Dr. Saraiya began his medical career as an Orthopedic Surgeon and trained in India and England.

He came to the United States and furthered his education in Internal Medicine at Christ Community Hospital in Chicago, IL. Dr. Saraiya had a vision to convert his solo practice into a large, multi specialty, reputable organization, which can provide the best quality patient care to the community it serves.

Dr. Chandresh Saraiya FMC started the first location in 1993 by converting a barren, empty 10 acres that was once a Kmart & Publix shopping plaza into a thriving one stop shopping center for health care needs.

Some words of Dr. Saraiya are: One of the biggest challenge early on with FMC was to build a physician team who could adapt, work, and stay together as team since most physicians are very independent.” At FMC, Dr. Saraiya manages over 7,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. FMC serves over 150,000 patients including 125,000 commercial patients in these counties.

Dr. Saraiya has been involved with various non for profit organizations and charities including the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA (Ekal.org), TiE Tampa Bay chapter, Florida Medical Clinic Foundation of Caring, USF Global Emergency Medical Sciences (GEMS) program, and Hindu American Foundation(HAF) by providing his time, donation, leadership, and mentorship.

Dr. Saraiya serves presently as a Board of Director and President of their recently awarded Medicare Accountable Care Organization at FMC. From 2003 through 2007, he served as the national (USA) president and currently vice chairman of the Ekal USA board. Dr. Saraiya believes that entrepreneurs are building blocks of a vibrant society.

However, he likes to take it a step further and encourages every business owner to look seriously at the opportunities that lie in becoming a social entrepreneur.

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H

ow about a short story on group of Indian-American Entrepreneurs coming together in 2005 to start a bank? The Central Bank (centralbankfl.com) started in February 2007 with $12 million in capital.

It then grew into $75 million in assets under management, out of which $52 million were in loans. Central Bank has 100 shareholders of which 96 of them are Indian-American. There are 11 directors, out of which 10 are Indian-Americans. Out of those 11 directors 7 are from Tampa Bay. The bank is located in a breath taking 12,000 SF, 2-story building in New Tampa.

The bank has at the moment 16 full time employees. Central bank ranks among the top 5 percent of the banks in Tampa Bay with a strong capital at about 14 percent. The bank offers a suit of loan and deposits products and is known in Tampa Bay for SBA and USDA (Government Guaranteed) loan programs to support small business. During recent recession, there were about 63 bank failures just in Florida but Central Bank kept lending and supporting the local community and entrepreneurs’ borrowing needs by tackling the issues at hand.

T

he next story is about a creator of new wealth and not redistributing of existing wealth, and a creator of successful start-up companies in eight industries across 4 continents. Uday Lele, an Indian-American & Tampa Bay resident started a candy company after moving to America.

Within three years, revenues were spiked up to $30 million annually. Uday Lele’s philosophy is to create products or services distinctly unique from anything else out there in the market place, and of which are perceived to be distinctly unique in the customer’s eyes. Uday was the first to add fruit juice to a sugary confection blend thus inventing the Juicee Gummy.

The bank management and board are very helpful in analyzing the credit needs of the prospective borrowers and provide smart business consulting.

Central Bank The bank is looking for expansion in local area s and Florida wide markets in near future. Being the only Indian owned bank, the Indian communities of Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee can really benefit from the bank’s expansion in these cities.

"Central Bank ranks among the top 5 percent of the banks in Tampa Bay with a strong capital at about 14 percent."

Mr. Uday Lele His products were sold in all 50 states to major retailers. His candy company was one of the fastest growing and most successful in the Unites States for two decades.

Uday expanded his business into a Real Estate Development Company, and something special called hotelffe.com, a one-stop shop for all your hospitality needs that are delivered to your door at factory direct prices.

He is looking for ways to share his knowledge and help others live their dream. You can find additional information including his 12 business commandments at udaylele.com.

In the 21st century, remarkable entrepreneurs like Dr. K, Central Bank founders, Paresh Patel, Uday Lele, and Dr. Chandresh Saraiya are continuing to change the way we live, entertain ourselves, even change communities, governments and education.

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25th India Festival ¡ 2012

Congratulations on 25 Years of India Festival !

From Florida's Only Indian-Owned Bank

SBA and USDA Lender Still Lending and Going Strong ‌. www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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Punjabi Jawani – Monor Bhangara

1st Line - 4th Line Left to Right Kushi Patel, Sapna Patel, Medha Patel, Diya Patel, Ashika Patel, Anya Patidar Sarina Patel, Sonya Trivedi, Isha Patel, Karina Shah Dev Patel, Divyesh Nana, Arav Patel, Kushal Patel, Roshan Thakkar Ronin Patel, Saahil Patel, Anish Patel, Moheet Kini, Jaden Patel

Sonano Garbo – Junior Garba

1st line – 3rd Line (Left to Right) Shreya Parekh, Sandhya Ponnaganti, Esha Babu, Charvi Sharma, Arthi Solayappan, Riya Patel Sonia Panjabi, Sweta Modha, Banshari Patel, Shivani Patel, Resham Patel, Radha Patel Shivani Patel, Shreya Shah, Sukanya Muherjee, Anjali Shah, Megha Patel, Heta Patel

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25th India Festival · 2012

Nachdi Punjabi – Junior Bhangara

1st line – 4th Line (Left to Right) Jeena Patel, Anika Patel, Ruchi Korde, Rhea Pitale, Riyanna Patel Nandani Patel, Isha Harshe, Milani Patel, Heather Amin, Karina Shah Dylan Trivedi, Keshav Shah, Vishnu Premkanth, Nihil Pansuriya Rahil Pansuriya, Rushabh Shah, Roshan Warman, Anmol Warman, Dev Patel, Sohum Shah

Phantom Force – High School Fusion

TOP LEFT TO RIGHT: Adis Kukuljac, Mitchell Wnek BOTTOM LEFT TO RIGHT: Heather Amin, Monic Amin, Damien Koscinski NOT IN PICTURE: Medina Kukuljac, Connor McCallum, Neha Amin www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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By JayeshPatel Patel ByMr. Mr.Tejas TejasPatel Patel & Mr. Jayesh

Dr

Pawan Dhingra is Professor of Sociology at Tufts University. He is the author of two books: the award winning Managing Multicultural Lives: Asian American Professionals and the Challenge of Multiple Identities (Stanford University Press, 2007) and, most recently, Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream (Stanford University Press, 2012), which has been profiled by National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, and other media venues. He has published articles on race, small-business ownership, identity, immigrant adaptation, geography, religion, and Asian American studies. From 2011-2012, he was a Museum Curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. - Welcome Dr. Dhingra.

Question: Tejas & Jayesh What prompted you to write your book – Life Behind The Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream?

Dr. Dhingra: I knew that so many motels were owned by Gujarati Patels, and it was always interesting to me why and how this came to be. Once I met some owners I came to realize that there was much more to their story than just the fact that they have been so prolific in motel ownership.

They have created lives together as families and as a community.

I remember visiting a volleyball game of motel owners in Alabama, and seeing the camaraderie among the men made me think that there was a great dynamic here that was important for others to learn about.

Question: Tejas and Jayesh Tell us very briefly the history of how Indians/Gujaratis/Patel Community got initiated in Hotel/Motel Industry?

Dr. Dhingra It started in the 1940s and 1950s, when Gujaratis immigrated to San Francisco. These pioneers” ended up working in residential hotels when they were in the city. Little by little they ventured into motels in San Francisco.

As they sponsored relatives to immigrate, family members gradually entered the same industry. As more Patels immigrated from East Africa and opportunities in motels coincidentally opened up, more and more people pursued this industry.

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Question: Tejas & Jayesh What kind of struggle this community go thru?

Dr. Dhingra: There were many kinds of struggles. One is economic. The early immigrants came with little money, and they had to work long hours.

As wives immigrated, they too worked long hours. They pooled money together to purchase a residential hotel, and it took many years for families to feel economically stable. Another hurdle has been that Indians are culturally and racially distinct from other Americans.

Stereotypes grew of Patel motels” as not well run. Owners had trouble getting insurance. Even today customers may avoid Indianowned places. It takes time for a community to become comfortable with the culture of a new country, including how to do business with companies here. Patels went through that process and helped teach one another best practices.

Question: Tejas & Jayesh Please tell us some funny anecdotal stories resulting from cultural/ language issues faced by the hotel/motel owners that you might have come across while researching your book Dr. Dhingra: Owners were very good at keeping their Gujarati culture backstage”, so that customers did not always know about it. Inside the homes of the owners, which can be attached to the motels, the culture is very Gujarati. The food they eat, the language they speak, the television shows they watch, etc. But, when they step into the lobby and interact with the guests, they use different names, talk very differently, and the like. It’s an impressive culture switch they do.

Question: Tejas & Jayesh

www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

25th India Festival · 2012 What are the major factors that led to success of this community in this industry?

Dr. Dhingra: Hard work by the family is essential. Fathers, mothers, and children put in many hours to make money even if they charge low rates. But more than one family, it is the help people get from relatives who work in their motels and from community members at large that makes a difference. People share knowledge of where to buy carpets, whom to hire, and the like. And, AAHOA has provided a major advantage to owners by helping owners negotiate with vendors, representing their interests to Capital Hill, and more. But at the end of the day, it is the long hours that families put in that makes them successful.

Question: Tejas & Jayesh What were the repercussions of economic downturn and how did they handle it?

Question: Tejas & Jayesh Did the community considered this success as realization of American Dream?

Dr. Dhingra: Yes and no. For the most part they think that yes, they have achieved the American Dream. And of course it’s true to a large extent, since the community as a whole has gained so many resources and been able to provide for their families. On the other hand, they realize that their success has involved some costs - they work extremely long hours, they might have had to hide their culture backstage, they endure economic downturns that threaten their livelihood, they battle with franchises, and the like. Owners are not naive about their conditions. But, it is the remarkable progress that the community has made that is a tribute to their commitment. As a result, they can give back to Gujarat, which many have done.

Dr. Dhingra: The downturn has been especially hard on owners. At one AAHOA convention a few years ago, many owners were considering leaving the industry because it was so rough. I talked to one owner during the middle of the recession, and I had met him many times before.

He said that he and his cousin recently were picking up people from the airport late at night and bringing them to their motels as part of a new strategy to find any customers they could. People have laid off staff and were doing much themselves. Lately, people are more optimistic, but it’s been rough.

Question: Tejas & Jayesh How did the community transitioned from good hotels to better hotels? Can you please share your research that can help the beginners to go to the higher level?

Dr. Dhingra: The move to nicer motels has taken place predominantly since the 1990s. Owners of lower-budget franchise motels saved enough and were able to get bank loans to then acquire mid-budget motels. This was at a time that franchises expanded and new construction took off. Indians, and Patels in particular, had proven themselves in the motel industry, which vendors recognized. For a beginner, the advice I heard from owners was to make sure you manage your property well. Don’t get ahead of yourself with your ambition to own a nicer place that you don’t take care of the property you currently have. If you take care of your assets, you will be ready to invest in something bigger when the timing is right.

Question: Tejas & Jayesh You mentioned that second generation decided to join the hotel/ motel industry. What was the main reason for that?

Dr. Dhingra: Many who grew up in motels didn’t enjoy the experience but also realized that the business could be profitable. After going to college - and it’s an amazing accomplishment of the Patel community that so many youth go to college - the second generation may enter into white collar professions. But, they gradually realize that they can earn as much if not more money by working for themselves, and there is the advantage of being their own boss. So, returning to the motel industry makes sense. They get the resources and networks of their parents and can build off their parents’ accomplishments to advance further in the industry. It’s the best of both worlds for the second generation. www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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Motivation Bollywood – Minor Fusion

1st Line - 4th Line Left to Right Kushi Patel, Sapna Patel, Medha Patel, Diya Patel, Ashika Patel, Anya Patidar Sarina Patel, Sonya Trivedi, Isha Patel, Karina Shah Dev Patel, Divyesh Nana, Arav Patel, Kushal Patel, Roshan Thakkar Ronin Patel, Saahil Patel, Anish Patel, Moheet Kini, Jaden Patel

Gator Bhangara – College Bhangara

Boys’ (Top) Row (Left to Right): Varun Chawla Nabeel Iqbal, Rameez Dossani, Haider Ali, Yash Desai, Sohail Adam, Jacob Kannarkat, Nilkanth Patel Girls’ (Bottom) Row (Left to Right): Sharon Lo, Milan Kaur, Shreya Patel, Shivani Desai, Pooja Tolani, Nikki Sangha, Kayla Morneault, Radhika Gopalan, Leonie Barkakati, Sonika Gill

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OM Divine - Minor Folk Dance

Choreographers: Juhi, Shivani & Anuj Desai Director: Anuj Desai Standing from left to right: Jigisha Desai, Juhi Desai, Bhoomi Patel, Karishma Chapalamadugu, Shree Sanghani, Pooja Patel, Shree Patel, Teesha Shah, Maansi Patel, Siya Sanghani, Kriti Shah, Janvi Pansuriya, Shivani Desai, Anuj Desai Sitting from left to right: Sarav Patel, Kaustubh Amin, Ohm F Patel, Ohm C Patel, Niriham Shah, Tirth Shah

Om Divine – Junior Bhangara

Standing from left to right: Juhi Desai, Jigisha Desai, Nandini Goel, Priya Patel, Anjali Raval, Himani Patel, Dolshi Patel, Aarti Patel, Krishna Vekariya, Ria Sanghani, Shivani Desai, Anuj Desai Sitting from left to right: Ankit Shingala, Kishan Avaiya, Kaival Patel, Jay Patel, Om Patel, Mihir Patel, Sneh Patel, Rushi Vekariya

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25th India Festival · 2012

Om Divine – High School Bhangara

Standing from left to right: Juhi Desai, Meera Patel, Urvashi Patel, Reha Patel, Neeshi Patel, Riya Patel, Dhara Patel, Prit Patel, Bansari Kaasindra, Meghana Chapalamadugu, Raina Patel, Shivani Desai Sitting from left to right: Anuj Desai, Shivam Patel, Yash Patel, Sneh Patel, Nihir Patel, Vishal Panchigar

Chanan Chan Chudiya Group – High School Garba

Sitting from left to right...

Deena Singh, Sejal Shah, Divya Desai, Kanan Patel, Niritta Patel, Suhani Patel, Amruta Potdar, Chereka Singh

Standing from left to right...

Pooja dave, Riya Shah, Divya Gandhi, Malvika Bapna, Chandni Patel, Mansi Thakker, Mouli Joshi, Kinjal Sha www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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By Mr. Dilip Patel and Ms. Esha Mankodi

As we started our respective law schools in USA (even though many years apart) we realized that the presence of the IndianAmerican community in the legal profession was nowhere near as strong as it was in other professions such as medicine and engineering. That was true when Dilip Patel started law school first in England in 1977 and continued through to 1988 when he started law school in Florida. It remained true when Esha Mankodi started at Virginia law school in 2009. However, through the hard work and independent thought of talented students, and the leadership of prominent Indian-American lawyers, there is no denying that this is changing.

ne such leader is Neal Katyal, who fortuitously spoke at my graduation.

Born to Indian immigrant parents, Katyal succeeded U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan as Acting Solicitor General from May 2010 to June 2011. He served as co-counsel in Al Gore’s legal team in 2000 in the lead-up to Bush v. Gore, and represented the Deans of most major law schools in the landmark affirmative action case Grutter v.

Bollinger. Perhaps most notably, he successfully argued Hamdan v. Rumsfeld in front of the Supreme Court, that challenged some of the policies of the administration.

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He is now a law professor at Georgetown and a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells.

As a man who has reached the point in his career that he has appeared on the Colbert Report, Katyal speaks with remarkable self-awareness and humility. In his address to the graduating class, he stressed the importance of integrity and being a good listener in one’s legal career, the latter not being a trait lawyers are always known for. He further admonished new lawyers not to consider themselves solo guns for hire,” and instead to work for the institutional good.

Respect for the rule of law and resolving disputes within the confines

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of the legal system is undoubtedly emphasized more in America than it is in India. In a country where bribes to police officers are often viewed as a cost of doing business, it is hardly surprising that the legal profession is not viewed with the same level of esteem in India as it is in America. A lawyer who embodies the American commitment to law enforcement is Preet Bharara, the first IndianAmerican U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was appointed by President Barack Obama in May 2009, and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Bharara gained prominence, and the cover of Time, for his tough prosecution of insider trading and financial fraud on Wall Street.

Born in Firozpur, Punjab, to a Sikh father and a Hindu mother, Bharara has gained a reputation of independence and nonpartisanship in his post. According to the New York Times, he is known as a hard worker who had a self-deprecating wit and stayed cool under pressure [.]” Bharara has prosecuted several international terrorists and disrupted organized crime rings. He secured a life sentence for Faisal Shahzad, the would-be bomber who attempted to remotely detonate explosives located in his SUV in Times Square after fleeing from the area. Bharara has tackled everything from complex fraud to online poker.

When accepting his India Abroad Person of the Year Award for 2011, Bharara joked that he did not meet the goals set by his parents of going to medical school or winning a spelling bee. While these may be the kinds of achievements most Indian-Americans are most often identified with, Bharara opens doors for Indian-Americans to play a central role in American law enforcement and prosecution.

Indian-Americans have also made inroad into the federal judiciary.

Amul Thapar became the first Indian-American judge in the federal judiciary in 2008 after being nominated by President George W. Bush to a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. During the Obama administration, Vijay Gandhi and Paul Grewal were appointed as magistrate judges in the Central and Northern District Courts of California, respectively. Grewal was formerly the North American South Asian Bar Association President, and had engaged in advocacy to

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25th India Festival · 2012 ensure the civil liberties of the South Asian community.

President Bush also recognized the potential contributions to law from people of Indian Origin. In 2003 he appointed Orlando attorney Prakash Khatri as the nation’s first Ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services in the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. This senior position reported directly to thenDHS Secretary Tom Ridge.

An immigrant himself, Khatri was regularly consulted for advice by policymakers in the Departments of Homeland Security, State, Labor and Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, and the White House on immigration-related matters. In 1984, at the age of 22, Khatri became the youngest attorney admitted to the Florida Bar. He was recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential IndianAmericans” by India Abroad in 2007. He has serves on the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers since 2007.

Recently, President Obama nominated Srikanth Sri” Srinivasan to fill a vacancy on the prestigious United States Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit. Srinivasan was born in India and has three degrees from Stanford University, from its undergraduate college, law school, and business school. He is currently the principal deputy solicitor general, has clerked for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and represented the former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling in Skilling’s appeal of his fraud conviction before the Supreme Court. His confirmation will likely not be voted on this year, but Justice O’Connor has spoken out in favor of it, calling him a wonderful choice” in The New Yorker.

the Washington Post as someone whose stock [is] on the rise.”

Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, is the daughter of Punjabi immigrants and the youngest governor in America. She recently signed a law aiming to crack down on illegal immigration, and endured racial epithets against her from a member of her own party in her path towards successful election.

Haley was also chosen to speak at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Regardless of one’s political leanings, it is clear that these individuals have risen to the top of the American political sphere that is still lacking in minority leadership.

Several other Indian-American lawyers have made their contributions in civil and human rights. For example, Vanita Gupta is the Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In a noteworthy case, she fought to improve inhumane conditions for immigrant children and their families in detention centers in Texas and secured a favorable settlement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Recently, President Amandeep Sidhu, who works at the law firm Obama nominated McDermott Will & Emery, is a founding member Srikanth Sri” of The Sikh Coalition, which serves to advocate Srinivasan to fill for Sikhs whose human or civil rights are violated in the wake of September 11, 2001. a vacancy on the

prestigious United States Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit”

Another notable Indian-American lawyer is Kamala Harris, the California Attorney General. She is the daughter of a Tamil mother and a Jamaican-American father, and is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian Attorney General in California. Her role is to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the state of California, and she has been chosen as one of the key speakers at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

There are other Indian-Americans, who while not lawyers, have made contributions to the law through their policy-making and political efforts. Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American governor in American history and the current governor of Louisiana, turned down Yale Law School to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship.

He won reelection easily in 2011, was selected as a speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention, and has been described by

There is one other Indian lawyer who made a significant contribution to the legal field in USA (and worldwide) even though he never practiced law in USA: Mohandas K. Gandhi. His contribution to the jurisprudence of civil rights speaks for itself.

The above list is hardly complete. To detail the accomplishments of Indian-Americans in public service, or contributing to the private sector as associates or partners in law firms, is impossible.

The existence of outstanding lawyers of Indian origin is becoming more commonplace as a new wave of first and second generation immigrants leave law school, hoping to make a contribution to their communities and further the interest of their clients and the South Asian community.

When the First India Festival was organized in Tampa, there were only one or two attorneys of Indian Origin in the Tampa Bay area.

Today, there are at least twenty five in the Tampa Bay area and quite a few more from the Tampa Bay area who have settled in other parts of the USA. A number of those will be featured in an Article like this when we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the India Festival.

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Swaggeraas (UM) – College Raas

Dholida – Junior Folk Top row: Raj Shah, Divyang Bhatt, Shivan Desai, Kabir Bhakta, Choreographer: Richa Panara 1st Middle row: Abhas Jain, Rohan Patel, Rudrik Desai, Suraj Panara 2nd middle row: Sonia Amin, Sonia Desai, Riana Amin, Kayla Bhakta Bottom Row: Serena Bhaskar, Arya Naik, Darshna Bhatt, Aashi Patel

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25th India Festival 路 2012

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25th India Festival · 2012

Mauj Punjab Di – Minor Bhangara

Gher Ghoomar – Minor Folk

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25th India Festival ¡ 2012

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25th India Festival · 2012

Inga Shilling demonstrating Vrikshasana (Tree) pose

M. P. Ravindra Nathan, MD, FACC • Brooksville, FL

Here is a scenario that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. On a Monday afternoon, I walked into ‘Progressive Health and Fitness Club’ in Spring Hill, a small conservative town in central Florida. The place was packed with people, some vigorously working out on the exercise machines, others pumping iron and so on.

Just as the jazzercise group filed out of the main room, about twenty yoga enthusiasts quietly marched in, spread their mats, assumed the easy pose -‘sukhasana’- and began their routine with a few moments of meditation followed by chanting of the sacred syllable ‘Om.’ For the next one hour, I saw an excellent demonstration of Hatha Yoga – Surya Namaskar, Veerabhadrasana, Ardhachandrasana, Natarajasana…, the works. All under the watchful eye of their guru, Inga Schilling. Inga, an accomplished yoga instructor who, at the age of 78, looked fit and healthy, demonstrated every pose effortlessly. Majority of the students were from the local American community. increasing popularity of Yoga

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couple of years ago, I visited Ann Arbor, MI, a small mid western university town in suburban Detroit. My friend showed me around the famous University of Michigan where he is a Professor of Biochemistry. Later we had a quick tour of this charming town. Amidst the quaint shops, museums, galleries and houses for sale, I found four Yoga studios! My curiosity piqued, I asked: Is yoga popular here?” Oh, it is quite popular and the classes run full,” he said.

This has become a common phenomenon in almost all the urban and rural areas in USA. In my own neck-of-the-woods, ‘Hernando County,’ there are already 5 studios or classes; ten years ago, there was none! Same goes for most other places too. When I visited the ‘Vishnu Temple’ in Maple Grove, Minneapolis, last month, one of the priests, Mr. Govardhan Bhattar, told me, We run 3 yoga classes a week, about 50 people in each session. 75% of them are Americans.”

Many celebrities are into active yoga these days. Laura Bush has publicly embraced the discipline. Katherine Hepburn, the immortal star of Hollywood, was doing ‘shirshasana’ even into her early 90’s! Many well known athletes claim yoga has helped them to stay fit, both physically and mentally. Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants’ ace pitcher, has this much to say: I feel so good after yoga, I can play better and focus better.” And he does, how else would he win a Cy Young Award in 2002? John McEnroe, Robby Gineprie, Brian Gimmelstob, all ace tennis stars, practiced yoga and benefited from it. Football’s Eddie George, Shannon Sharpe and Amani Toomer, hockey star Sean Burke and NBA superstar Kevin Garnett as well as a number of pro golfers are avid yoga practitioners.

Did you know that Hilaria Baldwin, the new bride of Alec Baldwin is a yoga teacher?

Steve Jobs has been fascinated with eastern spirituality, meditation and vegetarianism in his early days. He travelled from New Delhi to Haridwar trying to learn the eastern mysticism and read the ‘Autobiography of a yogi’ many times. Clearly, Yoga has gone main stream and become a global phenomenon now. Shall we say it has become cool” among the young and old. This ancient Indian holistic practice has found a great following in America where it has grown into a $ 6 billion industry! The last time I went to Clearwater beach for a morning walk, there were two doing yoga routines. While staying in a vacation resort in Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean, I noted there was a yoga session every day for the residents. Now yoga has gone high tech also. ‘Yoga STRETCH’ by Neil Harris, gives you 3 new apps for your iphone that demonstrate what poses to assume during your

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25th India Festival · 2012 work out session and comes with its own soundtrack. Users can also preload an entire set of instructions and start your own tailor made session. And there are many yoga accessories that you can purchase, including designer brand mats, belts, balls and outfits.

Many TV channels have added yoga into their body fitness and exercise shows and yoga based dance routines are becoming common. During the beautiful Indian dance presentation by Kanniks Kannikeswaran a couple of years ago in Tampa, one segment was a fascinating Yoga dance.” Even some of the cartoon characters are into yoga these days! Recently yoga has been introduced to prisons and this project has yielded significant improvement in the depression, hostility and re-offense rate in the prisoners. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that yoga is one of the top 10 complementary health practices used among U.S. adults.

Yet not many of the estimated 20 million yogis and yoginis have a clue that they owe their yoga mats to Swamy Vivekananda who in his famous speech in 1893 introduced yoga into national consciousness.

When we conducted the very first 3-day yoga seminar at the Hindu Temple of Florida, Tampa, in 2007, the number of registrants topped 200 plus! There was barely any room to lay down one’s mat. A good majority of them were Americans which prompted the interesting question from Yogi Amrit Desai (Amritji), our guru and seminar leader, Where are all the Indians?” But I know yoga has become quite popular among Indian Americans too, as judged by the stream of yoga seminars and meetings that take place in Tampa Bay area throughout the year especially at the India Cultural Center.

An enthusiastic crowd during a yoga seminar at the Hindu Temple Developed and codified by Sage Patanjali, the patron saint of Yoga, about 400 years BC and rooted in Hindu philosophy, Yoga Sutras teach you practical methods for awakening your ‘prana’ or life energy and expand the higher faculties of mind and intellect.” Yoga, as the name implies, tries to accomplish the union of the mind, body and spirit through the discipline of ‘asanas’ (postures), ‘pranayama’ (breathing exercises) and ‘dhyana’ (meditation).

Dr Venugopala Menon of Houston, a physician, writer and spiritualist, gave me one of the best definitions of yoga: Yoga is a physical and metaphysical philosophy with a practical purpose to enhance and empower objective and subjective abilities of human mind and body. Yoga expands the horizons to exceed the mundanely assumed human potential, letting it soar and transcend into the realms of limitless spiritual dominions. Ultimately it enables one to realize the fundamental nature, meaning and purpose of human existence.”

Health benefits of Yoga Yoga, especially meditation and mind control, can help stimulate the beneficial parasympathetic system, while suppressing the undesirable stimulatory influences of the sympathetic system.

As Dean Ornish, the famous heart specialist says, Mind is where heart disease begins for most people.” Norman Cousins, the reputed author and researcher, has shown in the 1970’s the importance of mind - body connection and the psychosomatic link between your emotional state and disease processes.

This is discussed at length in his seminal book, ‘Anatomy of an illness’, which helped to usher in the holistic health revolution.

The ‘soul in your brain,’ aptly called the mind, certainly seems to have the ability to facilitate your body to feel well or ill. In order to keep the mind happy and calm, a new kind of yoga called ‘Laughter Yoga,’ developed by Dr Madan Kataria of Mumbai has become popular too. May be yoga is the best stress buster.

Yoga has become quite popular all over USA for two good reasons: its unique benefits to the mind and body and simplicity in its application. Specifically, yoga is very beneficial for these common ailments.

Hypertension and Heart Diseases Lung disorders: Pranayama, improves oxygenation to every organ in the body.

Back pains & Body Fitness: Many of those back-stretching exercises provide you with blessed relief of those nagging back pains.

Memory & Mental Ability: Yoga can certainly help you to attain that elusive ‘placidity of mind,’ and keep your emotions under control.

Stroke: Yoga-based rehabilitation workout helps to improve balance following stroke.

Depression and anxiety: Many psychosocial disorders like depression and anxiety improve with regular practice.

Insomnia: Dr. Andrew Weil, the Integrated Medicine guru, says a few minutes of pranayama before you go to bed can help you to get a good night’s sleep.

Diabetes Mellitus: A trial from London’s Biomedical trust and a study from New Delhi showed improvement with regular yoga.

Improves sports performance in many games like golf, running, tennis and more.

Yoga is now getting the nod from doctors too. Physical therapists have added yoga to their routine and they call it ‘yoga therapy.’

There has been an explosion of publications in western literature on the topic of yoga, many discussing yoga as a medical intervention.

America is aging and baby boomers are entering their twilight years.

With yoga body flexibility improves, mental capacity gets better, aches and pains subside, Blood Pressure (BP) normalizes and your productivity goes up. You remain healthy, age gracefully and live longer. It is for everybody.

All you need is a yoga mat, ability to breathe and some motivation.

If you are a novice, get a Guru who can initiate you into a structured program. So get started today and enjoy the many benefits of yoga.

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Bhangara Jammers – Junior Bhangara

Rangilo Rajasthan – Junior Folk

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25th India Festival · 2012

Nachde Kudiyaan – Adult Bhangara

Meethee Gudiyaas – Junior Folk

Sitting : Left to Right Aditi Patel, Dayita Wable, Gayathri Kotha, Khushi Patel, Priya Patel Standing Left to Right : Mrs SarikaAgrawal (choreographer) Shailee Banskota, Rashmi Gupta, Adeleine Russak-Pribble, Nisha Noeltner, Mausam Mehta, Shreya Patel, Sneha Patel, Dr. Kirti Bhargava-Patel(dir). www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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GOOD BUSINESS STARTS WITH A GREAT CONVENTION

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DIWALI WISHES

May the divine blessings of Diwali brighten life and the year ahead for you and your family.

Just as the flame of Diwali burns steadily, we will ensure that the flame of progress continues to burn steadily at AAHOA. From the 2012-2013 AAHOA Board of Directors

Alkesh R. Patel, CHO Fred Schwartz Chairman President

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By Mr. TejasKharod Patel & Mr. Patel Kharod Mrs. Asha & Jayesh Mr. Manish

T

he first time I visited Tampa was almost three decades ago . We were thinking about moving to Tampa, so I picked up a telephone directory and looked through it. It was my habit to size up the Indian community by looking up at Patels and Shahs in the directory.

This rough metric was my yardstick. I found less than 50 Patels and 10 Shahs. In my mind, it was a small Indian community. There was probably one Indian Restaurant, one small grocery store at the corner of Hillsborough and Florida Ave., and no temples. It was a clear indication to me that the Indian community was in its infancy.

Today, after 30 years, the Indian community is young, vibrant, energetic, thriving and contributing positively to the community that it is living in. In 30 short years, the Indian community enriched the town by providing research facilities, first heart transplant in the Tampa Bay community, a performing arts center, an India Cultural Center, three large HMOs, a National Spelling Bee and a National Geography Bee Champion, a Rhode Scholar, and more.

Let’s take a closer look at some of our community’s accomplishments.

Cultural Activities Our biggest cultural activity of the year is Navaratri, and traditional Garba and Raas. Finding a hall, even for a smaller crowd for 4 to 5 nights in the month of October was always a challenge. We started off with the small Electrical Hall, but quickly ran out of capacity. With a huge effort from the community, we built our own India Cultural Center (ICC). The ICC provided a great venue not only for Raas and Garba but also for a lot of other cultural events that enriched our community culturally and became our cultural hub. The ICC has also hosted many renowned artists, sages and professionals alike. The list includes Pujya Morari Bapu, former President Abdul Kalam, renowned musicians including Zakir Hussain and Hariprasad Chorasia, eminent dancer Hema Malini and Vaijaynthi Mala, and many, many more.

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Dance and music is big part of any culture. Tampa offers a lot of choices in Indian dance and music. Believe it or not, I have attended more Arangetrams in Tampa than I have in India! We are lucky to have classes for Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Bhangra, Kuchipudi and ubiquitous Bollywood dances. Young children have ample opportunities to learn and compete in traditional folk dances such as Garaba, Raas, and many more dances from all of the Indian states Indian interest in cultural activities has permeated to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and there is no stronger indication of that than the creation of the Patel Conservatory On the music front, Tampa offers Karnataki and Hindustani music and classes for instrumental music. One weekday evening, I went to the Hindu Temple. Being that it was a weekday, there were very few people at the temple. To my surprise, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj was singing stuti for Mataji. I would have never been able to get such an experience elsewhere, even in India. Here in Tampa, we have a multitude of music classes, including one offered by University of South Florida.

And of course, you can’t talk about culture without talking about food! In 30 years or so, I have seen many new restaurants coming to town. You have the choice of southern, northern, and western Indian cuisines. You can have sumptuous appetizers to start your dinner and end it with Banarasi Pan – and all at a reasonable price.

Gainesville is known Party Town, USA, but when it comes to family parties, Tampa is no slacker. Providing food at all these parties was a logistical nightmare for ladies, but not anymore! Now we have so many caterers that we can get all kinds of varieties of food from different caterers.

The most important thing for any person to have is a place of worship. And in the case of Indians, coming from the land of diversity, we need many places to worship. Thirty years ago, people used to get together at someone’s residence and pray together. Gayatri havan, which continues even today after 30 years of practice, is a result of this tradition. But soon, people realized that they need a brick and mortar temple; so now we have the

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25th India Festival · 2012 Hindu Temple of Florida, a Swaminarayan Mandir, Sanatan Mandir, Vishnu Temple, Sarswati Temple, Ambaji Temple, a Gurudwara for Sikh Community, Churches for Christian Communities and a Mosque for the Muslim community. The Hindu Temple of Florida provides an authentic architecture from Southern India and has the tallest Gopuram of any temple in the US. It is so prominent and unique that it can easily be seen from an airplane. The unique architecture of the temple has brought in lots of visitors from the local community. Similarly, the Swaminarayan Temple has brought in tremendous organization and structure and has organized lots of community events – both religious and non religious alike.

Professional Activities and Businesses

And we can’t talk about Indian businesses without mentioning the hospitality industry! This is the industry of choice for a lot of people from the Indian community. They invested in all types of hotels/motels ranging from independent 30 room un-franchised motels, to high-end Westins and more. I do not have the statistics to show how many hotel/motels are owned by people of Indian origin in the Bay area, but we can comfortably say that investment runs into the millions and has created a lot of opportunities for members of community.

I’m sure I missed a few other professions, but we can say with certainty that lot of professionals and business people were attracted to the Tampa Bay area and provided valuable contribution in growing it.

Tampa’s economy runs on the service sector. Like Florida, Tampa is big in health care services and tourism. Without a doubt, the Indian community contributes heavily to these sectors. The Tampa Bay area has a very large amount of physicians of Indian Origin specializing in almost every medical specialty. They have also been pioneers in some of the key areas of medicine. For example, first heart transplant in the Bay area was done by a physician of Indian Origin. And not only did the physicians worked to cure the local community, but they also donated money to build hospitals, clinics, and research institutes - the Kiran C. Patel research institute at Florida Hospital is one example of it.

And of course, along with the physicians came the insurance/HMO industry. The entrepreneurs of Indian origin were behind three of the most prominent HMOs in Tampa Bay area, namely Wellcare, Universal, and Freedom. All three of these HMOs ended up generating a lot of jobs in the community.

Our Children

With the growth of the healthcare industry, we saw a healthy rise in the pharmacists, occupational therapists (OT) and physical therapists (PT) in our town. Pharmacists began dispensing medicine at many of the popular chain stores, and some of the more entrepreneurial ones created their own pharmacies. Meanwhile, the OTs and PTs not only provided care to the elderly and disabled in nursing homes, but they also built their own nursing homes.

One student from our community became a Rhode Scholar, a unique honor that he shares with President Clinton and Governor Bobby Jindal. Relentless emphasis on education by parents, coupled with volunteering at multiple Sunday Schools by parents is a key ingredient in this success story.

On the heels of the service sector came the lot of IT professionals. The year 2000 (popularly known as Y2K) posed a unique problem for the IT industry, as lot of legacy programs could not handle the transition of the millennium very well.

This brought a lot of IT professionals to this area.

Many of them then made the transition to some of the high tech companies in the telecommunication and banking sectors. The IT sector also infused lot of people from the southern states of India.

Like all the immigrants, Indian immigrants were worried about raising their children in a new and foreign country. Will there be peer pressure? How will our children adjust in the public school system?

How will they adjust with experiencing different customs and culture? These and more questions kept them awake at night. However, the second generation not only integrated nicely with the local community, but it also enriched it in many areas.

The Indian Community provided a Spelling Bee Champion, a Geography Bee Champion and a finalist/winner of the Intel Science Talent Search.

Many of the Valedictorians and Salutatorians of our high schools are second generation Indians, year after year. There were a lot of outstanding students from our community who made it to prestigious institutions like Havard, MIT, Yale, Duke and many more.

Not only did the students from our community excel in academics, but they also devoted much of their time to service and volunteering. They participated in Mayor’s Youth Program, Boys and Girls Club of America, Metropolitan Ministries and more.

It certainly takes village to raise a child. Having multiple Sunday Schools where parents spend endless hours volunteering to teach Math, English, SAT and more.

In conclusion, Indian Community is very proud of being part of larger Tampa Bay community and we certainly hope that it keeps growing and more importantly keeps contributing to the local community in synergistic way.

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Indian Community is very proud of being part of larger Tampa Bay community”

The Indian community enriched the town by providing research facilities, first heart transplant in the Tampa Bay community, a performing arts center, an India Cultural Center, three large HMOs, a National Spelling Bee and a National Geography Bee Champion, a Rhode Scholar, and more”.

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Nanhi Kali – Minor Folk

Gatoraas – College Raas

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With Best Wishes for 25th India Festival Mangesh B. Patel, M.D. Palm River Medical Center 1030 S. 78th Street Tampa, FL 33619 813-740-0646 From: Mangesh, Lata Rushi, Bina, Kira, Soren Dhruv & Sheetal ...

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Thaalam – College Fusion Names from left to right Top Row: Vasanthi Jhaveri, Neelima Gaddipati, Masood Mohammed, Jay Hemrajani, Ashish Yamdagni, Maanasa Jayachandran, Ankitha Lingamaneni Middle Row: Madhuri Nagaraj, Esha Vallabhaneni, Preetha Kamath, Neelam Mehta, Ashima Dang, Sharon Singh, Madhumita Parmar Front Row: Pooja Gurnani, Soumya Adem, Roshni Joseph, Divya Kannegenti, Naina Sharma, Virali Shah Not Pictured: Karishma Reddy, Divya Pranav

Saheli Dance Group – Adult Folk

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By Dr. Kalyani Derasari The renaissance of Indian writing in English which started in 1980s and 90s have kept the momentum. There is a distinct multicultural trend and the authors have a standing in the literary circles by their sheer writing expertise.

They not only provide a kaleidoscopic view of the vibrant India but of the entire Indian diaspora scattered globally.

I

ndian authors, poets and writers of fiction and non-fiction in English, were well established in India during the British Raj. Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao, Nirad Chowdhury and R.K. Narayan are a few among them. They are often referred as colonial Indo Anglican writers. The dominant genre of the period was poetry.

Most notable among the earlier writers of colonial times is Rabindranath Tagore.

Ravindranath evokes in us the image of an ancient rishi of India, tall with flowing white beard with brilliant yet peaceful presence. Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky” The sheer rhythm of Tagore in this poetic line convey the melody of Tagore’s poem.

He had multi-faceted personality, was a painter, musician and a composer. His composition Jana Gana Mana” is the national anthem of India and” Amar sonar Bangla” is the national anthem of Bangladesh. Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection of songs Gitanjali”.He was knighted by the British in 1919 but he renounced it in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

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Reading is to mind what exercise is to the body.”

Richard Steel

Post-colonial literature is a hot commodity these days. But scholars do not agree to what the term means. Among the later writers of 80s,90s and onwards related to Indian Diaspora are V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kiran Desai and Vikram Sheth and many more.

Rushdie won the Man Booker prize for Midnight’s children” in 1993.He is well known for his magical realism. Among many awards and prizes he has won the Booker of the Bookers. Rushdie introduced the use of hybrid language, English generously peppered with Indian terms.

Vikram Seth uses more realistic theme. A Suitable Boy” is the longest Novel 1349 pages ever published in a single volume.

This epic novel loosely in Mahabharata style” is a four family saga set in postindependence India. Seth labored over a decade to write this novel. This propelled

him in limelight. Suitable Girl” is not yet released but anticipated in earnest in 2013.

Vikram spends time between Delhi and London.

Arundhati Roy, an Indian author and political Activist is best known for her award winning novel, God of Small Things It won her a Booker prize for fiction. It is a dazzling first novel, imaginative, almost lyrical as well as morally strenuous.

Anita Desai is an Indian novelist and is short listed for Booker Prize three times.

She is noted for her sensitive portrayal of inner life of the female characters. Among her notable and acclaimed fiction is Cry the Peacock” published in 1963. It is about the rebellious woman who killed her husband to liberate herself.

In Custody”, Zig- Zag way”, Fasting, Feasting” are some of her very best novels.

Desai has commented on her work My novels are no reflection of Indian society, politics or character. They are my private attempt to seize upon the raw material of life.” Anita Desai’s”The Village by the Sea” won her the 1983 Guardian Children’s Fiction prize. It is a joy to read this book.

Kiran Desai is the daughter of Anita Desai and won accolades for her first novel The Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard”. It is a hilarious yet a poignant story that an Indian as well as a western reader can enjoy and relate.

Her next novel hugely acclaimed is story of joy and despair titled Inheritance of Loss”.

It took her 8 years to write and she won the prestigious Booker prize for it in 2006.

Rohitan Mistry was born in Mumbai in

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25th India Festival · 2012 a Parsi family and migrated to Canada. His fiction is rooted in streets of Mumbai and his genre has been short stories. Such a long journey” and” Fine Balance” are insightful and absorbing stories. He has been short listed for Booker prize.

mental agonies. Physician author Deepak Chopra turns us to an introspective world of spirituality, religion, Vedanta philosophy, Ayurveda and the modern science. He has written more than sixty five books and is founder of the Chopra center in California.

Jhumpa Lahiri is the Indian American author who won the coveted Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for her short story collection Interpreter of Maladies”. Lahiri considers herself American and her writing style is plain but haunting and her characters are often Bengali immigrants. Some of her stories are biographical. Her parents migrated from Bengal to UK and now live in USA.The second collection Unaccustomed Earth” was released in 2008 and was number one on the New York Best Seller list. Her first novel Namesake was made into a film directed by Mira Nair starring kal Penn, Tabu and Irfan khan.

Indian Authors in English deserve a special mention as they have portrayed India, its rich cultural heritage and social norms to the readers of the west and to our children who were born and raised in west.

We live in a society with exploding medical breakthroughs significantly contributed by cutting edge technology. Yet we read daily of fatal and near fatal medical errors. This reminds me of Dr. Atul Gawande’s book, Check list manifesto How to get things right”. It is a masterpiece and was on the New York Times Non Fiction Best Seller list for 2010. It is a must read for all physicians. Book includes short stories which are riveting and discuss striking improvements that can be achieved by check list.Dr. Gawande was born in Brooklyn, NY to Indian Maharashtrian parents. His other books include, Surgeon’s notes on an Imperfect Science and Better and complications” Atul Gawande’s essay was cited by President Obama for the Health care reform legislature. He is a staff writer on New Yorker.

Current times are notable for chaos, violence, schism and

Upamanyu Chatterjee, Chetan Bhagat, Arvind Adiga, Amitav Ghosh, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Anita Nair and Karan Bajaj are other notable and acclaimed authors. I cannot mention the many wonderful facets of their literature but would highly recommend them. Since I am an avid reader I have enjoyed the passages from Mulk Raj Anand’S books to Amitav Ghosh’s over a span of 40 years. India is no longer a country of snake charmers.

Indian authors have been winning internationally acclaimed prizes and so the publishing houses are seeking Indian authors.

The upward economic progress in India has made the western readers curious while for somebody proud to be an Indian it is a sense of pride and joy.

I am convinced that the joy of reading will remain steadfast in spite of multiple audio visual gadgets that are mushrooming.

I wish happy reading to my young as well as old readers.

Reading is to mind what exercise is to the body.”

Richard Steel

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Nachdi Punjabi – Junior Bhangara

UF Gator Garba – College Garba

From the top left to right: Roshni Patel, Payal Patel, Hena Patel, Bhagu Patel, Suniti Patel, Priyanka Agarwal, Pooja Patel, Monica Desai* *From the bottom left to right: Roshni Patel, Sanchi Lunawat, Bhavani Patel, Pooja Pachigar, Jemma Patel, Anjali Desai, Sherin Thamarassiel, Nikita Patel*

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Laksha Senior Group – Junior Raas 1st row (back): left to right: Divya, Ashvarya, Neha, Richa, Shree 2nd row: left to right: Annu, Tanvi, Janvi, Shivani 3rd row: left to right: Pareena, Meghna, Yashvi, Avani, Gautami 4rth row: left to right: Adishi, Saloni, Shinija, Karishma

Laksha Marathi Group – Junior Folk

1st line left to right Sheya Patel, Payal Pandya, Ruhee Patel, Sandyha Ganesh, Ovie Nirgudkar, Aanya Patel, Pia Patel, Siona Seth, Savina Patel, Uma Panchal Nisanth Aremanda, Aryan Patel, Neil Babu, Vineet Sharma, Rohil Agarwal, Devan Patel Darsh Patel, Jayden Patel, Ronak Agarwal, Shashank Aremanda

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H

eta Patel is an 8th Grader at Bartels Middle School in New Tampa. This year on Earth Day, Kumon of North America ran a poetry contest to express our concern on Earth, which was open to anyone from US and Canada. There were more than 500 participants.

Her poem, Mother Is Waiting” got the first prize. Not only she won the first prize, she also won Kumon President’s award as well.

By Ms. Heta Patel

W

According to Heta, poertry competition has allowed to see her creative side. Heta aspires to be a writer/poet in future and her favorite books are Harry Potter and the Hunger Game series.

hen earth was young still yawning Its arms reaching to the Sun And frozen cores were thawing

The world was silent, almost serene Mother Earth spoke gently to the seas whispering life into them For she was lonely, the quiet world worried her Soon there was life, tiny but there it was, swarming She poured love on them as she rained Mother was patient Soon creatures all roaming, rumbling, brought smiles on her face Her smiles turned to frowns, slowly, as we slaughtered the trees We poisoned her waters and ignored her screams in our selfishness Mother dithered to warn us with floods of tears As she sweltered under our weight, trying to hold on, trying to speak Have we forgotten this mother, her love, her unselfishness For us to bring back her smile and the serene silence Some say do this” Some say do that” As we disagree to agree Mother is patient And waiting . . .

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25th India Festival · 2012

Laksha Punjabi Group – Minor Bhangara

USF Bindaas – College Fusion

Back row (left to right): Minal Patel, Reema Patel, Pooja Shah, Divya Kuriakose, Julia Jose, Anslee John, Prajakta Joshi Middle row (left to right): Jeslin George, Prima Alonzo, Toral Shah, Henna Patel, Gopi Patel, Payal Mehta, Elissa Mattamana, Kajri Shah Front row (left to right): Della Thankachan, Nivetha Ketheeswaran www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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Sachin Learning Center – Minor Folk

Tampa Che Natrang – High School Folk

Standing L to R: Sonali Wijesiriwardena, Shreya Shivan, Suparna Narayan, Priya Shukla, Simran Bharadwaj, Uma Kumar, Meneka Wijesiriwardena Sitting L to R: Radhika Kolambekar, Hetvi Mehta, Anayesha Singh, Mallika Bhatta, Neha Sathe, Yasmine Amin Sheikh

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25th India Festival · 2012 Delivered By

Ted Talks Given

by People of Indian Origin

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Pranav Mistry

The thrilling potential of

8,644,297

Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry

SixthSense

6,514,104

VS Ramachandran

3 clues to understanding your brain

1,768,276

Vijay Kumar

Robots that fly ... and cooperate

1,720,441

Salman Khan

Let’s use video to reinvent education

1,712,771

Sunitha Krishnan

The fight against sex slavery

1,047,624

Abraham Verghese

A doctor’s touch

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Sheena Iyengar

The art of choosing

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VS Ramachandran

The neurons that shaped civilization

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Anand Agarawala

Bump Top

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Sheena Iyengar

How to make choosing easier

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Shashi Tharoor

Why nations should pursue soft” power

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Kiran Bir Sethi

Teaching kids to take charge

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Kartick Satyanarayan

How we rescued the dancing” bears

618,816

Aparna Rao

High-tech art (with a sense of humor)

580,131

Ramesh Raskar

Imaging at a trillion frames per second

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Naomi Shah

Award-winning teenage science in action

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Srikumar Rao

Plug into your hard-wired happiness

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Arvind Gupta

Turning trash into toys for learning

453,760

Robert Gupta

Music is medicine, music is sanity

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Anupam Mishra

The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting

399,588

Atul Gawande

How do we heal medicine?

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JP Rangaswami

Information is food

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Rajesh Rao

A Rosetta Stone for the Indus script

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Raghava KK

My 5 lives as an artist

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Amit Sood

Building a museum of museums on the web

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Shukla Bose

Teaching one child at a time

294,066

Kiran Bedi

A police chief with a difference

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Nandan Nilekani’s

Ideas for India’s future

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Pawan Sinha

How brains learn to see

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Nina Tandon

Caring for engineered tissue

285,194

Shekhar Kapur

We are the stories we tell ourselves

267,773

Sendhil Mullainathan

Solving social problems with a nudge

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Anil Gupta

India’s hidden hotbeds of invention

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Sivamani

Rhythm is everything, everywhere

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Mallika Sarabhai

Dance to change the world

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Anil Ananthaswamy

The Edge of Physics

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Kavita Ramdas

Radical women, embracing tradition

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Ananda Shankar Jayant

Fighting cancer with dance

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Raghava KK

What’s your 200-year plan?

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Nirmalya Kumar

India’s invisible innovation

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Harsha Bhogle

The rise of cricket, the rise of India

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Ravin Agarwal

10 young Indian artists to watch

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Vishal Vaid

Hypnotic song

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Vinay Venkatraman

Technology crafts” for the digitally underserved

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Swami Dayananda Saraswati

The profound journey of compassion

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Thulasiraj Ravilla

How low-cost eye care can be world-class

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Nrutyanjali – Junior Folk

Bull Bhangara – College Bhangara

Participants: Top Row: Left to Right Christina Thomas Trisha Srigiriraju Kaajal Patel Shivani Patel Meera Pattni Yashri Sanghani Nupur Godbole Aditi Patel Bottom Row: Left to Right Darshen Patel Irfan Hashimie Raza Zaidi Abdul Hashimie Fahad Syed Aditya Grover

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25th India Festival · 2012

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People of

Indian Origin in News in

2012

Compiled By Dr. Gaurangi Patel

Drs. Kiran Patel & Pallavi Patel

Dr. Akshay Desai

Dr. Kiran Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel announced a $12-million donation to the University of South Florida in Oct 2012.

The donation will be used to expand the Patel School of Global Sustainability.

R

epublican presidential candidate Mr. Mitt Romney named top party fundraiser Dr. Akshay Desai, chief executive officer of St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Universal Health Care Group, Inc., one of seven national co-chairs of his newly formed Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Romney” committee.

Dr. Akshay Desai was also named chairman of the Republican Party of Florida’s Finance Committee

The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly”.

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25th India Festival · 2012 Ms. Nikky Haley & Mr. Bobby Jindall

Ms. Sunita Williams

M

s. Haley is the first woman Governor of South Carolina.

Mr. Jindal has been Governor of Louisiana. Both have been in the news throughout the year.

Dr. Ashwin Vasavada

S

unita is an American astronaut and a United States Navy officer who holds the record for longest space flight by a woman. In 2012, she became the second woman to take charge of the $100bn orbiting outpost. Sunita Williams displayed the tricolour on board the International Space Station and wished Indians on the eve of their 66th Independence Day.

Mr. Preet Bharara

T

ime magazine included Preet Bharara in its 2012 list of 100 most influential people in World.

Bharara was also featured on a cover of Time Magazine entitled This Man is Busting Wall Street” for his office’s prosecutions of insider trading and other financial fraud on Wall Street.

D

r. Vasavada is a planetary scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He is presently the Deputy Project Scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory, a Mars rover set for launch in November 2011, and helps lead the international team of scientists on that mission. After the landing of Mars Rover, Dr Vasavada was spokesperson and appeared on major TV networks.

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25th India Festival · 2012 Mr. Srikanth ‘Sri’ Srinivasan

Mr. Manoj Bhargav

M

anoj Bhargava is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder and CEO of 5-hour Energy, a 2-ounce energy shot. According to Forbes Magazine in 2012, Bhargava may be the wealthiest Indian in America

U

S President Barak Obama nominated Srinivasan for the post of federal judge to the US court of appeals for the American capital, by President Barack Obama.

Ms. Snigdha Nandipat

Mr. Romesh Wadhwani

U

S President Barack Obama appointed Romesh Wadhwani, an Indian American founder of several software and IT companies, on board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.

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nigdha is the fifth consecutive Indian-American winner of the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in the U.S.

www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

25th India Festival · 2012 Mr. Ranee Ramaswamy

Dr. Anand Veeravagu

U

.S. President Barack Obama appointed IndianAmerican neurosurgeon from California, Anand Veeravagu, as one among the 15 White House Fellows.

U

.S. President Barack Obama has appointed another Indian American to a key administration post, by announcing his intent to nominate, Ranee Ramaswamy, as a member of the prestigious National Council on the Arts.

Mr. Ranjit Ricky Gill

Parag Pathak, Sridevi Vedula Sarma, Pawan Sinha

R

anjit, a 25-year-old Republican Party leader of Indian origin, grabbed attention of many with an impressive speech over a range of policy issues during Republican party’s national convention in Tampa.

Indian American Scientists honoured with U.S. Presidential Award Ms. Rachel Roy

Manan Singh Katahora

9

I

Eleven”, a Bollywood-style thriller by an Indian American director, has been nominated for a record eight awards at the 2012 World Music & Independent Film Festival here in August.

ndian-American fashion designer of Bengali and Dutch descent who started her fashion career when she was just 14.She is more popular to the fashion world as the ‘person who dresses Mrs. Obama’ and her list of clients includes many other prominent names such as Diane Sawyer, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, Iman, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone, Wendy Williams (media personality) and Penelope Cruz.

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Abhyasa School of Dance – Minor Folk

New Tampa Gators – Junior Raas

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Spinning Canvas Rajasthani Group – Junior Folk

Participants in photograph: Standing L to R: Neeti Bhutada, Aarushi Kapoor, Alisha Kulkarni, Aashna Sharma, Aishwarya Shivakumar Sitting L to R: Aditi Mishra, Manika Srivastav, Arushi Chauhan, Agrata Mishra, Pankti Mehta

Spinning Canvas Raas Group – High School Raas

Participants L to R Standing Girls: Alekya Lingamaneni, Krupa Patel, Ashni Dalal, Meera Patel, Dayita Wable Sitting boys: L to R: Jay Shah, Puneet Desai, Deep Patel, Yash Patel

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from

Dr. Hitesh Patel Dr. Anjni Patel

Nupur, Nehal and Niven www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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By Mr. Arabinda Banerjee In an entirely unscientific study, the words India” and careers” were Googled together to see if any generalizations could be derived from the results. The very first result advertised IT jobs” and engineering jobs,” The next result broadcasted career opportunities in management consulting and technology.” Scanning further down on the page, Microsoft, J.P Morgan, and IBM each hawked its openings, eager to attract and hire People of Indian Origin (PIO) in the fields of software and technology to their respective companies. And this was only page one.

a

s unscientific as this study may have been, the results were undeniably predictable. Most of you who are reading this article could have probably guessed these results with a fair degree of accuracy.

How come? Undoubtedly, there is a trend here. As the world modernizes, globalizes, and digitizes, contributions by PIO have been vital to this wave of technology and innovation. So in this article, I will attempt to give an overview of the significance of these people and their contributions. Given the vast breadth and depth of contributions from PIO in this field, it is impossible to prepare an exhaustive list of all major contributors; I do apologize in advance for any omissions.

To begin with a bit of history, let’s remember an Indian who made immense contributions in the field of wireless communications at the turn of the twentieth century. It has now been established that the so-called Mercury Coherer,” the receiving device used

by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901 in his Nobel-Prize-winning demonstration of radio transmission over several thousand miles, was actually invented by Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, although it was not credited to him during his lifetime. It should be noted that Sir J.C. Bose made groundbreaking discoveries in many other areas, including plant physiology.

Another Bose who has established his product as a household name in the west is Amar Bose, whose Bose speakers” are well known in the market for their quality and workmanship. Son of a Bengali freedom fighter, he studied at MIT, later becoming a professor of electrical engineering there. He developed the speakers carrying his name through years of research into acoustics and sound reproduction. His company, Bose Corporation, is known not only

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By Ms. Anwesha Banerjee

for speakers of various kinds, but also for its noise-cancelling headphones and various sound systems.

Next, let’s talk about Narendra Karmakar, a graduate of IIT Bombay, who made history in 1984 in the field of numerical methods and operations research. He invented an algorithm for solving so-called linear programming” problems. An algorithm” is nothing but a step-by-step procedure (e.g. a recipe). Linear programming” problems are a class of commonly used problems that aim to optimize a key-performance indicator (KPI), within a certain number of constraints. Such problems of optimal utilization of resources commonly crop up in a variety of industrial settings such as production, distribution, service delivery, and marketing.

While the steps involved in the older methods were fairly straightforward, the number of times these steps needed to be executed tended to increase exponentially, rendering it impossible to solve problems involving a large number of variables (even using large computers). Karmakar’s algorithm made it possible to solve many industrial problems that were impractical to solve until then.

Now, let’s discuss something closer to home. Remember the unscientific study from the beginning of this article – and the website used for it: Google? Most of us use Google many times each day; so much so, that Google officially became an English word in 2006, and has long been the number-one search engine.

Google handles over one billion searches a day, and it is still growing! You all know that when we Google” something, we get a number of Internet links that match the words searched.

Depending on the topic searched, the number of such links could run into the hundreds or even thousands. So, it is important to rank them in order of relevance. There is an algorithm for this too (remember, an algorithm” is a step-by-step procedure), and it happens to be the brainchild of a fellow Indian. Amit Singhal, a graduate of IIT Roorkee and a Google fellow and Google team, is

www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

25th India Festival · 2012 considered to be the mastermind behind this ranking algorithm.

We all know and love the way Google seems to just know” what exactly we are searching for and displays these matches in the first page of results. Well, this is all made possible by Amit and his team’s work! Google uses many factors (more than 200, by some accounts) to rank the search results, and it does so in a fraction of a second. (For reference, the Google search mentioned while introducing this article took a grand total of 0.17 seconds!) We all can and do take this amazing resource for granted, thanks to the algorithm developed by Amit Singhal and Google team!

list. Her introduction at Cisco website says, As an evangelist for what’s possible, she pushes Cisco to stretch beyond its current capabilities, not just in technology, but also in its strategic partnerships and new business models”.

Vinod Dham, a graduate of Delhi College of Engineering, is another person of Indian origin who ushered in a new era in the area of computer hardware. Also known as the father of the Pentium chip”, he led a team of engineers to develop this seminal microprocessor in the early nineties. Pentium is one of the most successful microprocessor chips from Intel that serves as the brain inside many computers and intelligent appliances.

Yet another prominent name is that of Sabeer Bhatia, the founder of Hotmail. He founded Hotmail in 1996, and it quickly became a very popular web-based email service in USA and across the world.

Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft 1998. Bhatia left Microsoft in 2009 and since then he has been involved with several other ideas of the same scale.

N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, designed, implemented and refined the Global Delivery Model. It should be noted that the University of South Florida recently awarded Mr. Murthy two of its highest honors: the Global Leadership Award and the College of Business Free Enterprise Award. Mr. Narayana Murthy appears alongside Steve Jobs and Sam Walton in Fortune Magazine’s 12 Greatest Entrepreneurs of Our Time.”

Next up: Sam Pitroda. Many credit Sam Pitroda with laying the foundation for the technological revolution in India. A prolific innovator and successful entrepreneur, he is an expert in the area of communication technology, with over 100 technology patents under his belt. But his contributions as a visionary are what set him apart from many others. As the technology advisor to Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during late ‘80s, it was he who brought on the communication revolution to India, which in turn, heralded the burst of technological progress in India. In addition, he also championed the use of technology for benefit of society through various channels like education, water, immunization, distribution of resources, and service delivery.

Indian contributions are not just limited to the area of software.

Vinod Khosla, a graduate of IIT Delhi, was one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems, a company specializing in computer servers and workstations. He served as its first Chairman and CEO in the early 80’s. He is well-known as a venture capitalist today. His venture capital firm, Khosla Ventures, started with his own funds, encourages and invests in use of clean and nascent technology. His introduction on the web page of Khosla Venture reads Vinod has a passion for nascent technologies that can have a beneficial effect and economic impact on society. His greatest passion is being a mentor to entrepreneurs, helping them build technology-based businesses”.

Padmashree Warrior, another graduate of IIT Delhi, has broken all glass ceilings of race and gender in the field of technology, as she became the Chief Technology & Strategy Officer at Cisco Systems.

She has been featured in Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women”

I would be amiss here if I didn’t mention Ratan Tata, the Chairman of TCS, another multinational giant in information technology services. Of course, TCS is just one of the companies in Tata Group, a huge conglomerate, which is headed by him. A visionary of the highest order, Sir Ratan Tata has been involved in many philanthropic endeavors and is associated with many charitable causes around the world. In addition the highest civilian honors from Government of India, he has received the highest honors from many prestigious organizations and universities around the world.

It should be noted that the contributions of Indians and Indian organizations in the technology sector has accelerated rapidly and they constitute a staggering part of the world economy today.

Experts attribute it to various factors, including strong educational foundation (specifically, a strong emphasis on math), English education in schools and colleges, and some coincidences Y2K remediation.

The contributions of eminent institutions like the IIT’s (Indian Institutes of Technology) cannot be overlooked either. Here is what Lesley Stahl, an anchorperson of 60-Minutes said about IIT Bombay: Put Harvard, MIT and Princeton together, and you begin to get an idea of the status of this school in India”.

Regardless of the reasons behind it, it People of Indian Origin contributed very positively to US, India and World and the outcomes of this have been exceptional for all.

References:

• Wikipedia: List_of_Indian_Americans”

• CISCO Website: Introduction to Padmashree Warrior

• Varun Aggarwal: Jagadish Chandra Bose: The Real Inventor of Marconi’s Wireless Receiver”.

• Khosla Ventures Website: Introduction to Vinod Khosla.

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Spinning Canvas - Adult Folk

Participants in photograph First Row L to R: Jasmine Kaur, Alpa Desai , Archana Mehta, Supriya Ketkar Second Row L to R: Sonal Patel, Jugroop Kaur Sidhu, Tanvir Kaur Johal

Gator Adaa Feat – College Classical

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25th India Festival · 2012

Tampa Toons – Minor Folk

Spinning Canvas Adult Gujarati Group – Adult Folk

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25th India Festival ¡ 2012

St. Pete Ke Tiger – Junior Fusion

Participants: Standing L to R: Anisha Musti, Arin Singh, Samia Ahuja, Vikram Karkare, Arjun Karkare, Neil Shah, Nikhil Tirupathi, Ria Pai Sitting L to R: Amruta Karkare, Megana Tirupathi, Lakshmi Parayath

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25th India Festival · 2012

By Ms. Maya Patel 9th Grade, Freedom High School

W

hich Baltic nation was the most recent country to join the Eurozone (countries that use the Euro as its currency)? I had only 12 seconds to think, write down and check my answer. There were at least 500 pairs of eyes staring at me, on that afternoon in March on an auditorium stage at Jacksonville University. The spotlight was on me, and the pressure was mounting. It was, after all, my last chance!

Time was called, and the moderator asked us to read out our answers. Estonia” I said with a smile. Lithuania” said my opponent. The moderator paused, and a tense moment of silence followed.

Lithuania,” he said, I’m afraid is incorrect, Estonia is the correct answer.” My smile broke out into an enormous grin! This was the golden moment I had been waiting for. This is what made me the Florida State Geography Bee champion.

I remember shrieking with joy and the audience laughing. I waved to crowd as they stood for a standing ovation. A surge of pride went through me as I saw the look on parents’ face and I was feeling electric. I looked around the auditorium and I saw some of my friends and coaches. As they handed me the trophy and the other cool things I won, I knew I would never forget this moment as long as I live.

In the history of the bee, I am only the second girl to ever win the Florida State Geography bee. It had been a dream of mine since I’d first heard about it. On March 30th 2012, my dream had become a reality, and it also happened to be my birthday week, so I was truly overjoyed.

The path to success is never an easy one. I had been preparing for the bee since 5th grade, and I was school champion 3 times before I became state champion in 8th grade. Each time I didn’t make it to the top 10 just motivated me even more to do better next time. Geography bee preparation takes place all year round, even during the summer holidays. The contest is not just about memorizing Geographical facts, although you do have to know that too. Many times, they will have questions on

different aspects of geography such as cultural, historical or economical (as the winning question clearly pointed out!)

The weeks leading up to the contest were a bit intense as I was balancing several other extracurricular activities and educational obligations. My parents were very supportive and helpful, as were many of my friends and teachers from Tampa Geo Bee classes at USF. Our class coach, Kumar Nandur, from Fort Myers, was especially helpful and gave good tips on how to get a grip on the overwhelming amount of study material and time management.

As a state champion, it was my great honor to represent our state at the Nationals held in Washington DC. I won an all expense paid, 5 day trip, for my teacher and I, to Washington DC. My parents, my teacher and I spent five very exciting days gallivanting in our Nation’s capital and having the time of our lives.

The contest in Washington DC was quite intense as expected. After many close calls, I ended in 13th position, in the entire country. While it wasn’t how I wanted it to end, I know I had given it my best. The top 10 students were televised on National T.V. where the show was hosted by Alex Trebek. The whole experience of being there was absolutely amazing. The friends I made over there have become my best friends over the past few months and we all share a special bond of the love of geography.

When I reflect on the whole experience, I feel it was worth the effort! I learnt a whole bunch of things about the world we live in, and I have become a news hound. I’m eager to learn about what is happening in the remote parts of the world. When I won the state championship, I was interviewed by several news stations and reporters, and that experience was pretty amazing.

In addition, I am in a position to help other aspiring champions, and I hope to see more and more of my friends occupying the position I held this year, 2012 Florida State Geography Bee Champion!!

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This was the golden moment I had been waiting for.

This is what made me the Florida State Geography Bee champion.

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25th India Festival ¡ 2012

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Best wishes from Prahlad, Sabrina, Parth and Nitya

Best wishes from Raj and Bhavna Patel

Best wishes from Maansi, Bansari, Janvi and Bharat Patel

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Best Wishes from Steve Amato R.Ph. and Staff

Best Wishes from Dr. Minas George Liristis and Staff

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i

Compiled by Mr. Ravi T Narayanan

ndian Cinema, popularly known as Bollywood in the international movie arena, is increasingly making its presence felt all over the world. It can be easily construed as a proverbial machine, churning out more than 1000 movies annually. Though the phrase Bollywood” might refer mostly to Hindi Cinema, the other regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam,Kannada,Bengali, Marati and such can never be overlooked in terms of their contribution to this industry. Of late, combining Bollywood and Hollywood has become increasingly popular with each of these mammoth industries attempting to tap the potentials of each other’s market and capabilities.

Even an occasional moviegoer will never forget the successful movie Slumdog Millionnaire”shot in India based on an Indian novel and with Indian actors and musicians winning Eight Academy Awards, which included two out of the three nominations to the great composer A.R.Rahman.

Undoubtedly, this spotlight and success have enhanced Bollywood’s ambition of being seen as Hollywood’s equal. It has also reinforced the western interest in the Indian movie industry.

Some of the major events that highlight the high expectations of both these industries: Reliance’s investment in 240 movie screens around the U.S apart from financing two Bollywood productions – Broken Horses” and Kites” that had limited releases in the U.S Reliance’s ADA group providing Stephen Spielberg and Company with hundreds of millions Equity in Dreamworks SKG Walt Disney Co.’s large stake in UTV Software Communications, one of India’s leading production houses Pyramid Saimira – a South Indian production house claiming stake in 900 cinemas across U.S, Malaysia, Singapore and China – expecting their global business to notch

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close to 75% of its Total revenue While such mega deals continue to be in the making between business houses, an array of professionals from Bollywood and Hollywood continue to star in each other’s productions. A few of such notable participations: Producer Sajid Nadiavala signing Sylvetser Stallone on a contract to star in an Indian Movie prompting the headline Bollywood calls in Rambo for strike on U.S.Cinema” in a local newspaper Bollywood themed Broadway musical Bombay Dreams” that brought a taste of the Indian genre to the American audience Aishwarya Rai Bachchan- Miss Universe”- starring in The Pink Panther 2”, Bride and Prejuduce”, and The Last Legion” Anil Kappor, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Slumdog Millionnaire” apart from his regular role in the eighth session of 24” and his role in future versions of Mission Impossiblem Incredibly successful Veteran Anupham Kher in several small roles in Hollywood and cross over films Irrfan Khan’s prolific debut in The Warrior followed by incredible roles in The Namesake and Amighty Heart, Slumdog Millionnaire. The mighty Amithabh Bachchan’s role as Meyer Wolfsheim in the upcoming The Great Gatsby” – which is interested as Bollywood’s global value Richard Attenborough who became known internationally after his cameo role in Gandhi Mallika Sherawat in the much hyped-up bit role in The Myth Stalwart Om Puri playing the General Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson’s War Naseeruddin Shah, commanding the character of captain Nemo with equal restraint and flair And, Bipasha Basu along with Abhay Deol in Singularity” which is set in the firsy Anglo – Maratha war in the 18th century colonial India Richard Corliss, a film critic for Time Magazine and a self-confessed Bollywood fan said I would say what Soccer is to sport, Bollywood is to entertainment”. That is to say, it’s only a minority taste in the United States, but throughout the Indian sub continent, in North Africa, the Middle East, Asia straight through Indonesia, large parts of Eastern Europe, it’s the most popular form of entertainment in

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25th India Festival · 2012 the world”.

We can safely say that the impact(s) created by the Indian entertainment industry in general, and film industry in particular is not a recent phenomenon. Over the past few decades, the film industry has continued to improvise on all aspects and has been gaining the attention of international audience.

Mehboob Khan, Salaam Bombay in 1988 directed by Mira Nair and Lagaan in 2001 directed by Ashutosh Goawriker-have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign language Film.

Tamil Actor Kamal Hasan has been India’s proud representative seven times in this competition followed by the great Bengali director Satyajit Ray representing three times.

Guide, the 1965 movie based on the critically acclaimed novel The Guide, written by R.K.Narayan, is considered to be one of the master pieces of the Indian film industry. This successful movie was the 8th film submitted by India under the best foreign language film category for Academy Awards. The US version of this film was produced by Tad Danielewski and was screened at the 2007 Cannes film festival.

We eagerly wait for an Indian movie to clinch this coveted award in the near future. There have been several individuals of Indian Diaspora who have created a mark for themselves in Hollywood.

Notable among them is Manoj Shymalan, who was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2008. M.Night Shyamalan, as he is known professionally, an alumnus of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, made his first film Praying with Anger while he was a student. He moved on directing several films, including Wide Awake, The Sixth Sense, Stuart Little, Signs and The Village.

Every year, the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards the Best Foreign Language Film to a feature –length motion picture produced outside the U.S containing primarily non-English dialogue. Since the creation of this category in 1956, India has sent over forty films to the competition. While, a great majority of the Indian films submitted were in Hindi, Eight of the submissions were in Tamil,two were in Bengali,Malayalam and Marathi respectively along with one in Telugu. Ironically, in 2003 the Indian Film industry felt that none of the films of that year would be in a position to compete with films from other nations.

Out of the more than forty films that were submitted, as of 2012, only three of the Indian films – Mother India in 1957 directed by

While there are several artistes of Indian origin who were instrumental in capturing the world’s attention, the main focus of this compilation has been on the film industry.

Meera Nair, the famous film maker seems to be convinced that America is poised to embrace Bollywood. What’s happening is that Hollywood is slowly waking up to the power—the economic market power—of an Indian sub continental audience for their films she said. It’s a billion people right now, and people who have been and fed on movies as their only means of entertainment for more

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Piyush Patel President

36429 US Highway 19 N Palm Harbor, FL 34684 Phone: 727-787-7887 Fax: 727-784-3651 piyush@intechsystems.com www.intechsystems.com

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2025 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa

813-977-6000

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Other locations in South Florida, GA, Chicago, Michigan

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With Best Wishes to India Festival 25th Anniversary

Official Printer for This Year's India Festival Thank you for giving us this opportunity.....

813-401-9820 Email: epasllc@gmail.com

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By Mr. Jigar Jadav

It

is general perception that Indians are not good at charities. Especially when you hear that Mr. Bill Gates and Mr. Warren Buffet have contributed significant amount of their wealth to the charities. So, I decided to do some research to see whether Indian Community has done any contribution to local causes. We will start with our own example here in Tampa and then move on to see what others have done.

Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel Dr. Kiran Patel and Dr. Pallavi Patel have set a very good example of giving back to the local community. They came to Tampa in 1982 and have contributed significantly to many of the local causes. This list is long but the few of the prominent ones are as follows: They donated $12 million to University of South Florida (USF) very recently to help create the Patel College of Global Sustainability for applied research to advance sustainability around the world and improve the lives of its most vulnerable people.

In 2005, they donated $18.5 million to create Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions. $5 million for Dr. Pallavi Patel School for the Performing Arts at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. $3 million for a new heart-research institute near Florida Hospital in Tampa.

A sum of $ 450,000 to help fund a new building for the USF charter school for at-risk children.

In addition to these, Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel have done lot of charitable work in India.

Dr. Amar Bose Successful entrepreneurs often donate generously to their favorite causes, but here’s a new twist: Dr. Amar Bose essentially donated his company to MIT (The Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Dr. Bose, Bose Corporation’s Founder, has given to MIT the majority of the stock of Bose Corporation in the form of non-voting shares.

Under the terms of the gift, MIT cannot sell its Bose shares and will not participate in the management or governance of the company.

In expressing gratitude for this gift, MIT President Susan Hockfield remarked not only on Dr. Bose’s generosity, but also on his humility. Dr. Bose has always been more concerned about the next two decades than about the next two quarters.

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Bose Corporation is best known for its loudspeakers, noisecancelling headsets, and automotive sound systems, other products include amplifiers and headphones. Bose Corporation is a privately held corporation, based in Framingham, Massachusetts founded in 1964. The company operates 8 plants, 126 retail stores, and an automotive subsidiary in Stow, Massachusetts. Its revenue is about $ 2 billion.

Mr. Ratan Tata In one of the biggest corporate contributions by an Indian business house to education, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata donated $50 million to the prestigious Harvard Business School (HBS) to fund a new building that will support a broad range of executive education programs.

The school acknowledged that the fund was the largest international donation in its 102-year history.” The School hopes to break ground for the building, which will be named Tata Hall, next spring.

It is a privilege and pleasure to give back to Harvard a little bit of what it gave to me,” said Ratan Tata. We are pleased this gift will support the school’s educational mission to mould the next generation of global business leaders.”

Ratan Tata, the Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd. since 1991, attended the School’s Advanced Management Program—one of three comprehensive leadership programs offered by HBS Executive Education—in 1975.

He was named one of the 30 most respected CEOs in the world

by Barron’s magazine in 2007, the same year the Tata Group was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. In 2008, he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

The Tata Group operates in seven business sectors including communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products, and chemicals. They are, by and large, based in India and have significant international operations.

The total revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $67.4 billion in 2009-10. Tata companies employ around 395,000 people worldwide. The Tata name has been respected in India for 140 years for its adherence to strong values and business ethics.

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25th India Festival · 2012 mr. Anand Mahindra Mahindra and Mahindra’s Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Anand Mahindra, has given the Harvard University $10 million to support the Humanities Center in honor of his mother, Indira Mahindra. In recognition, the center will be renamed the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard.

To address complex problems in an interdependent world, it is vital to encourage the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas in an international setting. I am proud to be part of the intellectual legacy of India’s contribution to global thinking across the arts, culture, science, and philosophy.

I am convinced of the need for incorporating social and humanistic concerns into the core values that inform the world of business and have sought to do so with tremendous support from my peers and colleagues at work and beyond,” Mahindra said.

Anand Mahindra had graduated from Harvard in 1977 and earned an MBA degree in 1981.

The Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered at Mahindra Towers in Mumbai, India, with operations in over 100 countries across the globe.

The group has a presence in aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket, automotive, components, construction equipment, defense, energy, farm equipment, finance and insurance, industrial equipment, information technology, leisure and hospitality, logistics, real estate, retail, and two wheelers. The total revenue of the group, taken together, was $15.4 billion in 2011. Mahindra companies employ around 144,000 people worldwide.

The US based Reputation Institute recently ranked Mahindra among the top 10 Indian companies in its ‘Global 200: The World’s Best Corporate Reputations’ list. dr. John P Kapoor When John P Kapoor graduated from Bombay University in the 1960s, he had hoped to continue his studies in the United States but could not afford to pay for it. The State University of New York at Buffalo offered him a graduate fellowship.

He earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry in 1972 and went on to become an entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical industry. But he never forgot his alma mater. In 2000, he gave $5 million, and, recently, he increased that sum to $10.8 million.

I owe so much to this university. Fortunately, I am in a position to help, and the university is on the top of my list,” Kapoor said. Amritsar-born Kapoor remembered that without university’s support it would have been impossible for me to come to the United States to pursue higher education.

I received tremendous support and encouragement from the faculty at the school as I tried to adjust to a different system of education. I also learned a great deal about this country at the university.”

He began his corporate career on Grand Island, New York as general manager for Lyphomed, a unit of Stone Container Corp.

He was named president of the division in 1980, and in 1981 he bought the company for $2.7 million, becoming chairman, president and chief executive officer, and renaming the firm Lyphomed Inc. During his years managing Lyphomed, Kapoor increased its sales to $172 million from $4 million.

He sold Lyphomed and used $40 million of the profits to form EJ Financial Enterprises Inc, which invests in healthcare startups.

The honors he has received include the UB Distinguished Alumni Award, a SUNY honorary degree, the San Diego Indian American Society Chakra Award and the American Cancer Society International Achievement Award for Philanthropy.

Khan Academy The Khan Academy is a non – profit educational organization created in 2006 by Bengali – American educator Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School.

With the stated mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere”, the website supplies a free online collection of more than 3400 micro lectures via video tutorials stored on You Tube teaching mathematics, history, healthcare and medicine, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, economics, cosmology, organic chemistry, American civics, art history, macroeconomics, microeconomics and computer science.

The organization is funded by donations.

Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, now with significant backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Google.

Several people have made US$10,000 contributions.

Total revenue is about $150,000 in donations.

Besides the above mentioned donors, People of Indian Origin have helped the local community at all the levels. Some of the common examples include providing food to homeless shelters, teaching students at every stage free of charge, fund raising concerts, health fair (providing free health screenings) and more.

Let us hope that People of Indian origin will keep contributing to the local causes and keep giving back to the community that provided them with the opportunity to live American dream”.

Let us hope that People of Indian origin will keep contributing to the local causes and keep giving back to the community that provided them with the opportunity to live American dream.

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Florida Hospital Zephyrhills is proud to support the 25th India Festival

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Hasyen Samapyet

By Mr. Mahendra Shah

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Films /Telivision Events Animation

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Best Wishes to India Festival 2012

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Best Wishes to India Festival 2012 Pankaj J. Shah, President

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Best Wishes & Compliments 25th India Festival & GUJARATI SAMAJ OF TAMPA BAY

HOSPITALIST OB/GYN GROUP

Dr. Ghanshyam Patel Saroj Patel drgpatel2002@yahoo.com Phone: 813-971-1998-Home 813-454-2408 Cell

Dr. Niraj Patel Priti, Manav, Rohan Vanraj Patel Phone: 813-454-1113 13601 Bruce B Downs #121 Tampa, FL

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The….

Doctors Choice …. oice The Doctors Choice ….

77 Windhorst Road • •Tampa, Florida 33619 • 813.628.9300 • www.

10277 Windhorst Road Tampa, Florida 33619 • 813.628.9300 • www.medstarlab.com www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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With best wishes for 2012 25th India Festival To Gujarati Samaj Of Tampa Bay

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With Best Compliments to 25th India Festival From Kirti K. Patel, M.D. Mrs. Indira K. Patel Mrs. Kantaben Patel Kavita, Komal, Kajal & Kush

Largo Primary Care, LLC Internal Medicine & Primary Care 1258 West Bay Drive, Suite A Largo FL 33770 Phone: 727-585-5431

Best Wishes

25th India Festival

Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay Unmesh Desai IIT (Bombay), MBA (University of CA, Berkley) Ami Desai B. Arch., M.S. in Computer Engineering Shivan, Sonia Ramanlal & Urmilaben Desai www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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Best Wishes to 25th India Festival

from the

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With Best Compliments to 25th India Festival From: Anchor Medical Group Mehul B. Shah, M.D.P.A. Internal Medicine/Primary Care

Diplomate American Board of Internal Medicine

Jaimin Patel Vice President Tampa, FL

813-635-0600 Email: jpatel@hrec.com

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Best Wishes to

25th India Festival

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Lokey Motor Company 19820 U.S. Hwy. 19 N Clearwater, FL 33764 www.lokeyautos.com

Sales: 877-565-3922

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Service: 727-374-2444 Parts: 727-530-1661

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25th India Festival 路 2012

WE DESIGN & BUILD CUSTOM HOMES

KHPCUSTOM HOMES LICENSED & INSURED LUXURY HOME BUILDING CUSTOM HOME DESIGN NEW CONSTRUCTIION ADDITIONS & REMODEL

At KHP Custom Homes, we make it our mission and responsibility to build you your perfect dream home. We combine green building practices with the latest technology to make your home the best place for you! We believe there is no compromise for the highest quality material and workmanship. Your home is an extension of you. We build homes keeping this in mind and make sure that each feature satisfies you.

Please Contact Khamir Patel

KHP Developers, Inc. - CBC#1258422 (813)421-5678 - info@khpdevelopers.com www.khpdevelopers.com

Best Wishes to India Festival 2012 www.gujaratisamaj.org | Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

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Support Your Neighborhood Pharmacy

Best Wishes 25th India Festival & Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay

Himanshu Chandarana, M.D. Surekha Chandarana Aakash, Kirstin & Zoe Maanasi & Justin Ianello 178

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With best wishes for

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Best wishes for 25th India Festival 2012

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LEADING PROVIDERS IN GENERAL SURGERY VASCULAR SURGERY LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY WOUND CARE AND HYPERBARIC MEDICINE

'5 6+$5$' 3$7(/ '5 5$9, 3$7(/ '5 $-$< 3$7(/ BOARD CERTIFIED SURGEONS

7171 N DALE MABRY HWY, SUITE 402 TAMPA, FL 33614

(813) 933-3324 184

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Chetan Shah

Cell: 727-688-6149

email: iafteru@gmail.com 4001 W. Henry Ave, Tampa FL 33614

Fax: 813-388-4433

CHEETAH CATALYST INVESTMENT INC Licensed Realtor - Sales Associate (Commercial, Residential, Business, Property Management) Licensed Mortgage Broker, Loan Modification, Short Sale and Foreclosure Consultant Licensed Florida State Title Company Operator

“Each of this businesses are operated under different names,

Authorized representative of Real Estate Tax Consultant and outsourcing Accounting firm

Please Contact “Chetan Shah”

Group Travel Consultant with lowest price guarantee

Team member of Charles Rutember Realty Inc (#1 Real Estate form in Tampa Bay)

Licensed Retail Pharmacy Operator 186

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Strengthen and maintain Gujarati Cultural values in present and future generation and work for betterment of Gujarat.

Thank you for your support

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Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay & India Cultural Center of Tampa Bay Extends Best Wishes and Appreciation To All Sponsors, Participants & Well Wishers For India Festival 25th Jubilee Anniversary From: The Executive Committee and Members Tampa Bay, Florida November 2012

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Accounting A+ Accounting.................................. 49 Doshi Financials................................ 146 Kamlesh H Patel, CPA....................... 166 Satys Shaw, CPA............................... 6 Seema Jain, CPA............................... 126 Today’s Accounting Services............. 103 Auto Industries Axon Circuit................................ 160 Lokey Motor Company.

176 Morgan Auto............................... 155 Star Oil.......................................... 48 Beauty & Clothing Badar Hair Salon......................... 188 Body Temple MediSpa................ 131 Destiny & Light............................. 42 Gro Styles.................................... 142 Dentist Gaurangi Patel, MD...................... 35 Mayur Mehta, MD....................... 180 Mukesh Kapadia, MD................. 170 Premier Dental Associate........... 182 Education Corbett Campus......................... 174 Hope Medical Institute............... 153 Kumon........................................... 79 190

Entertainment/Events Choclolate Fountains.................... 77 Classic Productions USA Inc....... 106 Cool Ice....................................... 133 Digital Dream Video and Photo Studio........................ 102 DJ Pram & Priya............................ 40 Dudha Productions..................... 137 Extravaganza Productions............ 84 Intech Systems............................ 139 Palloo’s Weddings........................... 3 Toronto Blue Jay......................... 139 Financial Services BB&T Bank.................................... 43 Central Bank................................. 65 Cheetah Catalyst Investment...... 186 Gulf Breeze Kidney Center......... 181 Merrill Lynch................................ 110 Moneydart.................................. 156 Northwestern Mutual.................. 181 TransNet Payment Systems........ 149 US Ameribank............................... 10 Food Khasiyat . .................................... 101 Marco’s Pizza................................. 61 Pepsi............................................... 5 Rita Catering................................. 47 Royal Sweets............................... 142

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Hospitality AAHOA......................................... 85 Crystal Inn................................... 103 Hampton Inn............................... 150 Jaimin Patel, Advisory Services........................ 173 La Quinta Inn................................. 56 LaQuinta Inns & Suites (Jay Patel)......................... 180 Northeast Pediatrics................... 180 Quality Inn - Rameshwer, Inc...... 172 Insurance Services Avatar............................................ 55 Freedom.......................................... 2 Humana......................................... 97 KP Insurance Agency.................. 166 KP Insurance Agency.................. 162 Universal Health Care................... 95 Jewelry/Clothing Breathless Collections................... 71 K. B. Zaveree............................... 119 Malani Jewelers............................ 59 Traditions.................................... 107 Media/Communication Desh Videsh................................ 148 Executive Printing....................... 143 Khaas Baat.................................... 43

Pardes......................................... 158 TV Asia.......................................... 41 View New Horizon...................... 159 Medical Services/Hospital BayCare . ...................................... 91 Bhalani Inc................................... 182 Florida Hospital of Tampa Bay Networks...................... 4 Florida Hospital Zephyrhills........ 150 Tampa Bay Medical News........... 176 Other Cross Culture Wedding Expert... 182 Florida State Fair Grounds......... 185 Gujarati Samaj 2013 Thank you Message.................... 187 Thank You Message.................... 189 Pharmacy AB Specialty Pharmacy............... 102 Acme Pharmacy............................ 77 Aum Pharmacy.............................. 77 HealthLink Pharmacy.................. 102 Medicine Shoppe........................ 134 Medicine Shoppe........................ 135 Medicine Shoppe........................ 178 Northdale Pharmacy..................... 71 Pinebrook Pharmacy................... 100 Prime Rx Pharmacy....................... 77

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Rx Care Pharmacy......................... 71 Sun Discount Pharmacy.............. 102 Urban Specialty Pharmacy............ 89 Physicians/Clinics Anup Desai, MD.......................... 103 Anup Reddy, MD.......................... 36 Bay Area Dermatopathology...... 139 Bay Area Heart Center................ 175 Bay Area Internal Medicine & Geriatric Care.......... 128 Bay Surgical Specialist................ 133 Bay View Neurology................... 154 Bayfront Cardiovascular Assoc... 163 Bharat Padalia, M.D.................... 160 Carollwood Surgical Associates.. 184 Chirag Shah, M.D........................ 160 Dipak Shah M.D. P.A................... 126 East-West Chiropractic............... 179 Excel Imaging............................. 165 Eye Institute of West Florida....... 147 Florida Cancer Specialists........... 179 Florida Medical Clinic..................... 7 Florida Orthopaedic Institute..... 111 Greenbrook Medical Center....... 183 Gulf to Bay Anesthesiology........ 167 Gulfcoast Medical & Geriatric Care Inc........................ 157 Harish Patel, MD......................... 141 Hernando Pasco Primary Care.... 183 Himanshu Chandarana, MD........ 178 Hitesh & Anjni Patel, MD............ 121 Hospitalist OB/GYN Group........ 168 Infectious Disease Associates of Tampa Bay............ 138 Ishwari Prasad, M.D.................... 157 Jayesh Shah, MD........................ 180 Kirti Patel, M.D............................ 171 Mahesh Amin, MD...................... 116 192

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Medstar Laboratory, Inc.............. 169 Mehul B Shah, M.D.P.A............... 173 Mehul Patel, MD......................... 181 Navnit Patel, M.D........................ 170 Palm River Medical Center........... 89 Pasco Pulmonary Medical Center, Inc.................... 162 Pinellas Hematology & Oncology................................. 100 Pinellas Primary Care Inc............. 140 Pinellas Surgical Associates........ 103 Pinellas Surgical Associates........ 172 Professional Pain Management.. 164 Rajan Naik, MD........................... 148 Rajesh & Devyani Patel, MD....... 126 Rajesh B. Dave, M.D................... 170 Rohit Patel, MD........................... 126 Tampa Bay Pulmonary Associates................. 117 Tower Radiology Centers................ 8 Real EstatE/Construction Bharati Shah-Exec Real Est......... 138 Cumbey & Fair, Inc...................... 160 Build Well LLC............................. 130 Home Trendz USA Inc................. 130 KHP Developers.......................... 177 Olympia Gold Team Realty......... 182 Pinnacle Realty Group.................. 71 Technology Unmesh Desai............................. 171 Vonage........................................ 152 Travel 7 M Tours.................................... 161 Edelweiss Air................................. 53 Maxim Tours................................ 146 Puja Travels................................. 109

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Florida Premier Cricket League LLC

Pallooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weddings

Thank you for your support!