SUCCESSFUL MAAZA MISS INDIA NEW YORK & MISS TEEN INDIA NEW YORK 2011

IFC just presented its 29th Maaza Miss India New York and the 4th Miss Teen India New York pageants at the Community Center Auditorium in Flushing, Queens, on Sunday October 30. The event attracted some very beautiful, talented and intelligent young ladies from the South Asian community in the New York region.

This year's Miss Teen New York seemed to enlist some very young contestants, the youngest being 13-years-old of the eight contestants who took the catwalk. The contestants for the Maaza Miss India New York are somewhat older.

The young ladies displayed very gorgeous Indian outfits, including the elegant saris, lehangas and cholis; show-stopping gowns and then, showcased their special talents to impress the judges. Many of the contestants chose to perform dances for the talent pieces - to the beats of traditional, folklore and Bollywood songs. There is also a Q & A session where the contestants are requested to choose an envelop that contained a question for them.

The evening was sprinkled with spell-bounding performances from very young dancers of the famous Arya Dance Academy who just wowed the crowd with their impressive group dances.

The culmination of the contests was the crowning of the "queens" of both the Maaza Miss India New York and Miss Teen India New York for 2011. The winners of both pageants were very deserving of the crowns: Miss Chandan for the Maaza Miss India New York and Miss Sumeet for the Miss Teen New York.

There are many ways these young ladies benefit from such an event as this pageant; as they mentioned during their introductory speeches. They entered the contest to help them build their self-confidence, meet other young people, make new friends, represent their rich Indian culture and have a good time.

Mr. Dharmatma Saran and his team always do a great job of organizing a wonderful pageant for the young ladies, which provide a great platform for them to be young ambassadors of their Indian heritage.

Good luck to the winners!

Below are some cell phone photos of the event.

Young dancers of Arya Dance Academy ...


The winners of both pageants with other contestants...


Young performers of the Arya Dance Academy

Contestants of the Maaza Miss India NY ...

This young trio delighted the audience with their Lord Krishna performance..

The young ladies resplendent in their Indian outfits...

Winners being crowned by last year's winners ...

GRAND DIWALI UTSAV CELEBRATION ORGANIZED BY THE CHINMAYA MISSION NEW YORK

The Chinmaya Mission New York celebrated Diwali Utsav 2011 in grand style at the fabulous Akbar Restaurant in Garden City, Long Island, on Sunday, October 16. The turnout to the event was beyond expectation, totaling well over 350 people who packed the spacious hall.

Diwali Utsav is not only an event that showcased the many talented youngsters from the mission’s different branches in New York but it is also a time when the Chinmaya Mission family come together and celebrate Diwali with one another in a festively joyous manner. Most importantly, parents are given a chance to see their children performed on stage some of the cultural activities they have learned in the Balavihar classes.

The cultural presentation consisted of mainly kirtans/bhajans, drama and skits all produced mainly by the Chinmaya Mission’s Long Island and Manhattan Balavihar groups, from age ranging from 3 to 13-years. The Manhattan Yuva Kendra group (Youth group) also participated in the program.

The event was opened with the welcoming words delivered by Dr. Jatin Kapadia, followed by the ceremonious lighting of the Diya by Acharya Krishnamoorthy and soon after, the children of the Long Island Balavihar group chanted appropriate sloks and read the meanings.

The Master of Ceremonies was Mr. Jagdish Rao, who called on AcharyaJi to give an overview of the progress of the Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. AcharyaJi, who is versed in using technology to aide his presentations via the projector, showed the audience some very powerful images of the great works of different branches of Chinmaya Mission globally.

Balavihar children lighting diyas, while smiling Pujya Gurudev looks on


Shri George Romney of the Manhattan branch captured the true essence of Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” through the words of a beautiful poem he penned and titled the “Significance of Diwali”.

The Balavihar teachers from Long Island and Manhattan must be complimented for doing such a great job in nurturing, inspiring, motivating and transforming these young minds into becoming young “Vedantins,” who dominated the program.

Balavihar children singing kirtans

One of the highlights of the evening was the performance of the Long Island Balavihar group who portrayed the enchanting Vishwaroop form of Lord Krishna, which He showed to the warrior prince Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Manhattan Balavihar group also did some impressive skit and song, “Super Superman Hanuman” and “My God is so Great” respectively.

Long Island Balavihar children performing Vishwaroop skit


Manhattan Youth group

Manhattan Balavihar little ones performing the Aarti


The Vedanta Class taught of Dr. Jatin Kapadia in Richmond Hill, Queens, to Hindus from Guyana and Trinidad, participated in the program for the first time, by singing the first 10 stanzas from Bhaja Govindam.

Devotees of the Sanaatan Dharma Mandir of New York singing from Bhaja Govindam


A raffle was also played and gifts included books, a Nikon camera, a hamper, and a free one-year subscription to the Balavihar Children’s Magazine, among other gifts.

Diwali Utsav 2011 was a huge success; it was the culmination of hard work, dedication and perseverance, good entertainment, delicious food and good company.

May Goddess Lakshmi shower Her choicest blessing upon all. May She inspire us to share our fortunes with our less fortunate sisters and brothers.

Shubh Diwali to all!

HAPPY SHRI KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI TO ALL

Pranaam Everyone!
Hindus globally will be observing the festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami on Sunday August 21st, 2011. This day of the birth of Shri Krishna is dedicated to the Smartaans - those devotees who worship the Divine Personality in all manifestations.

Shri Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated on the Ashtami tithi, which is the eight day of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar. The festival falls in mid-August to mid-September in the Gregorian calendar.

Shri Krishna "praghat huway" or made His divine appearance mid-night on that day, in the cell of His parents' prison. His mother, Devaki and father, Vasudeva, were locked up in prison by Shri Krishna's evil uncle Kans in Mathura. When He appeared, all the locks and chain that tied down His parents and the prison doors were opened automatically. He instructed His father to take Him over the Yamuna River to Nand Baba and Yashoda Maiya's home in Gokula, where He performed many of His childhood pranks with the Gopis and the revered cows.


**Baal Krishna smiling enchantingly...

Shri Krishna is the 8th incarnations of Shri Hari Vishnu Bhagwan. He came to eliminate unrighteousness and re-establish Dharma or Truth and to protect the cows. As He states in the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 4, verse 7:
"Yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham"

Meaning:
"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself."

Chapter 4, verse 8:
"paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge"

Meaning:
"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium."

Baal Shri Krishna's (Baby Krishna) leelas are soul-stirringly beautiful. Baby Krishna loves dahi (curd) so much so that He and His brother Balram would go steal dahi from the Gopis. That's why He is called Makhand-chor.

** Baal Krishna as Makhan-chor with Balram

Shri Krishna spoke the entire Bhagavad Gita to warrior Prince Arjuna during the Mahabharata at the battlefield of Kurushetra. The Bhagavad Gita, consisting of 18 chapters and 700 sloks, is the only Hindu scriptural text where the Divine Personality spoke directly each word inside it. Shri Krishna is idolalized and worshipped with great reverence, love and devotion in Bharat Desh (India) and all parts of the world which Hindus reside.

On Janmashtami day, devotees of the Lord keep a strict fast, meditate, worship and perform Puja, sing bhajans and the maha-mantra all day for the Lord.

Most mandirs in the New York region will be celebrating this festival, so devotees please make a special effort to attend a mandir on this day. There are tremendous benefits to be derived by observing this parb in the proper manner.
May Shri Krishna shower His blessings upon all!


** Shri Krishna instructing Arjuna

SHUBH HOLI TO ALL

----- May the spirit of Holi help us treat each other with love, respect and understanding...

Hindus the world over will be celebrating Phagwah or Holi on Sunday, 20th March, 2011. Regardless of the country you grew up in, once you're an East Indian with ties to India, you know what is Phagwah. As a child growing up in the villages, Phagwah is one of the most merriest of celebrations. For weeks before Phagwah rolls around, you made sure your mother prepare your white clothing, bought your 'play' gun to shot Abeer at your friends and family, got your Johnson Baby Powder and Abrack ready for the afternoon session. Boy! It was jolly joyful when you were the first one to spray Abeer at your relative's white clothing and left streaks of red marks. The glee ... the laughter ... But, that's a child's mind and a child likes to do fun things. Sprouting Abeer at people is fun.

Phagwah has deep spiritual and social significances that over the years many of us have overlooked or forgotten, particularly after we've moved away from our birth countries and adopted foreign countries as home. However, the meaning of Phagwah remains the same.

The celebration of Phagwah is a time when good-will, happiness, forgiveness and brotherhood reign supreme. It is a time when sharing and giving, merriment and laughter and felicitations take precedent over all else; a time to cleanse the body of ill feelings and other bad habits. Remember, with the celebration of Holi, only one thing triumphs and that is good.

So, as we're preparing to observe Phagwah 2011, let us resolve to treat each other with a measure of goodness and learn to share our richness with others unconditionally.

Come join us at the Sanaatan Dharma Mandir of New York to celebrate Phagwah 2011 at 114th Street in Richmond Hill.

Shubh Holi to all!

Lord Krishna playing Holi

(Online photo)

GRAND TRIBUTE DINNER IN HONOR OF MR. ASHOOK RAMSARAN

A tribute dinner was held in honor of Mr. Ashook Ramsaran at the beautiful World's Fair Marina in Flushing, Queens a few Saturdays ago. Mr. Ramsaran, Guyanese by birth, recently returned home from India where he was awarded the Pravasi Samman Award for his outstanding community, civic and humanitarian works he's involved in to improve the lives of others. The amount of charitable and community projects he participated in is too numerous to mention, but suffice it to say that Mr. Ramsaran is one of a million in the Diaspora. He was instrumental in the building of and the organization of the inauguration of the Kolkata Memorial in India in January 2011 - a massive project indeed - just to name one.

There's an old saying that goes like this: "At the side of every great man is a great woman." Why am I saying that? Well, when people take on the responsibility of becoming community, civic, political or religious leaders; simultaneously, they also become public figures and 'public property,' to put it mildly. I say that lightly. But, unless you're a part of that household, you would never imagine or understand the amount of sacrifices that family has to endure, starting with the spouse and the children. That's why we all need to say "Hats off to Mrs. Ramsaran," for being so super supportive to Mr. Ramsaran and gracefully allowing him to do the good work he does for the upliftment of soceity as a whole.

But, this moment is for Mr. Ramsaran, who was also celebrating his birthday that night. Many congratulations to him for the great work he's doing and all the best for the future. Mr. Ramsaran was also the recipient to many more awards, recognitions and citations from diffirent offices, including, US Congressman Anthony Weiner and NY State Assemblyman David Weprin.

Mr. Nohar Singh, President and CEO of Travel Span (check him out for all your travel needs - mention this blog and get a discount - just kidding!) must be complimented for organizing such a fabulous evening. His informative narrative on indenturedship and his presentation on "Footage on Indentureship" created the correct historical ambience needed for such a tribute dinner for a descendant of one of the indentured laborers - a walk down memory lane.

The event was graced with the presence of many high profile personalities, including His Excellency Dr. Neil Parsan, newly appointed Trinidad & Tobago Ambassador to the USA; Dr. Thomas Abraham; NYC Councilman Mr. James Gennaro; Guyanese-born real estate magnate Mr. George Subraj, President of ZARA Realty; and Mr. James Gallagher, Jr. - to name a few.

Mr. Ramsaran's two sons, Arnold and Gerard, also took to the microphone to compliment their father on his many achievements and his influence in their lives.

Congrats Mr. Ramsaran! Keep up the good work!
Below some photos of the event.

Arnold, Mrs. and Mr. Ramsaran, Gerard & little Jaden


Mr. Ramsaran receiving another award ...


Dr. Neil Parsan making his presentation...


Mr. Nohar Singh, Dr. Thomas Abraham and Mr. Ramsaran..