January 2016
.........Indians of Atlanta........
NRI PULSE 19
#IndiansofAtlanta- An Archive Of Local Indian-American Stories I’ve Always Wanted To Give Back: Pvt. Anitha Guruswami
“I used to listen to the Clark Howard Show and (through Howard), I learned about the Georgia State Defense Force and how we can serve in our free time without giving up our day job. The commitment is one weekend a month for 11 months and one annual training session. As an immigrant, I have always been very thankful for all that this country has offered me and my family. I’ve always wanted to give back. Also, the 9/11 attacks played a vital role in motivating me to join the force. The initial MEPS and IET trainings are not easy, but if one is motivated, one can do it. When people see me serving in uniform, they ask why there is no compensation. We pay for our uniform, and for the gas to drive to the drills and missions. At times, we are provided free meals during missions, but being a pure vegetarian I hardly find anything I can consume. So I pack my own lunch. If it is an overnight mission or training, I pack my dinner too. The satisfaction when a mission is accomplished is my reward. After I completed my Initial Entrance Training (IET) and graduated as PVT. (Private) Guruswami, we were provided with a DOD ID. I get to serve in the front line during big events, and that could be called a privilege. During a recent mission at the Georgia Air Show where the Blue Angels (the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron) were flying, I was posted to do traffic control. My task was to keep the public away from the Blue Angels. One of the spectators, a little girl of 7 or 8, requested a picture with me instead of getting in front of the planes. When her mom asked her why, she said, “I want to be like her when I grow up. I want to wear a uniform and guard planes.” The little girl made my day!” – Pvt. Anitha Guruswami, Georgia State Defense Force F, HQ G6 Pvt. Anitha Guruswami was born into a very conservative family in Chennai, India. Apart from serving in the Georgia State Defense Force, Pvt. Guruswami works as a senior analyst at Macy’s Systems & Technology in Johns Creek. She is married, and has a 20-year-old daughter who is a junior at UGA.
I Had To Choose Between Making Money & Doing What I Love: Parthiv Parekh “Impacting a readership of 90,000. Having a role, however large or small, in shaping the Indian community of the region. And doing what I love doing. These are the highlights of my role as editor of Khabar magazine. However, in 2002, I was at a major crossroad. I had to choose between making money and doing what I love. I was 7 years into my profession of real estate sales as an agent for Century 21, doing this on the side while building Khabar with my partners. At this 5 to 7 year mark, the career in real estate sales usually starts paying off, and yes, even doing it parttime, the outlook was beginning to look rosy. But there were simply not enough hours in the day to do both careers. I had to choose between the two. While the income potential was attractive in real estate, I knew my passion lay with Khabar. Fortunately, I found the wisdom and resolve to give up on a well-paying career to pursue what I love. I was looking towards building a family and realizing the great (Indian) American dream of big homes, fancy cars, and private schooling for kids; so the decision was certainly not easy, but I have not regretted it one bit. The payoff is when readers frequently marvel at how we are able to provide this level of quality: award-
winning content, some of the diaspora’s best writers, memorable interviews of high-profile Indians, 140+ pages of full color, book-bound magazine, and all that for free. The secret, of course, lies in our singular, un-
compromising commitment to quality content. I see Khabar, first and foremost, as a resource to make a positive impact on the Indian community here. My days currently are split between editorial and business building duties. Earlier, the latter was handled by Rajesh Jyotishi, without whom Khabar could not have gotten off the ground. It
I Fell In Love With The People, Country And Culture: Robert Arnett “My interest in India first surfaced in the late 1960s. While on a business trip to Detroit, I met a young man at an exhibition of Far Eastern art. Our conversation turned to Indian philosophy, about which I had very little knowledge. The exchange intrigued me, and as I would realize later, I was at a crossroad on my life’s journey. My new acquaintance suggested that I read Autography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. He then invited me to accompany him to a yoga service the following Sunday. My first meditation experience and reading Autography of a Yogi totally transformed my life with the realization that within each of us is the divine potential that can be attained in this life. After having studied Raja Yoga and practiced meditation for almost 20 years, in December 1988, destiny set my path towards India. Without itinerary or expectation, I began the first of many journeys. I immediately fell in love with the people, country and culture, and felt as though I had come home. Seeing howAmericans understood so little about India (and still don’t!), particularly her culture and religions, I decided to write a book on India and richly illustrate it with photographs. But no one would publish it! I received over a hundred rejection letters. Not having a job, the bank would not loan me the sixfigure amount to self-publish the book. However, my beloved mother did. In retrospect, borrowing that much money was not a smart thing to have done, but when speaking in schools and encouraging students to live their dreams, I can tell them, “If your heart is pure, God makes up for your stupidity!” After much hard work, the rest is history. The
was his connections and know-how, along with help from his father Chittranjan Jyotishi, that gave rise to Khabar in 1992. After years of getting us to where we are, Rajesh decided to leave Khabar in 2012. My brother Mehul Parekh and I remain of the original founders. I know for sure the best is yet to come! From a mobile app to new sections and columns there is so much that is planned for 2016 and further!” – Parthiv N. Parekh Parthiv N. Parekh serves as editor-in-chief of Khabar, a magazine serving Indian-American readers. The largest of its kind in the Southeastern United States, Khabar has been cited in the “Best of Atlanta” annual issue of Atlanta magazine. Besides editing and writing for Khabar, he frequently writes on mainstream topics of socio-political relevance. His guest op-eds have been published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Huffington Post.
My Horizons Are Broader: Dr Hima Bindu Lingam
highly revised and greatly expanded, larger formatted art-book quality 6th edition India Unveiled: Spirit, Tradition, People is being acclaimed the best book of its type on India. It is my hope that the IndianAmerican community will share this beautiful portrayal of their motherland with their children, friends, and mainstream so that they will love India too.” – Robert Arnett Columbus, GA native Robert Arnett is the author and photographer of the internationally acclaimed book ‘India Unveiled: Spirit, Tradition, People’ that has won 3 national book awards. He is also the author of ‘Finders Keepers?’, a children’s book set in India, illustrated by Smita Turakhia, that has won 5 national book awards.
“Growing up as a first generation IndianAmerican had its challenges. It was a balancing act to maintain the traditions of Indian culture that we practiced at home and to learn from the customs of American society. However, the rewards have been great. My horizons are more broad and viewpoints more open because of my bi-cultural experience and my exposure to many different cultures within the United States. When I left home for med college, I started a second journey-one that truly allowed me to embrace being a first generation Indian-American.” – Dr Hima Bindu Lingam Dr. Hima Bindu Lingam is a medical oncologist & hematologist who works in both patient care & clinical research at Kaiser Permanente Townpark in Kennesaw. Born inVijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, and raised in LaGrange, Georgia, Bindu’s international exposure and love for travel has made her an Indian-American with a world view.