BY SONAL PUJARA LADVA
BUENA PARK, CA- An award function with a difference; to recognize individuals not for what they get, but what they give was hosted by the Jain Center of SoCal and the Anekant Community Center at their program titled ‘Nine Jewels of Gujarat’ who were bestowed with Life Time Achievement Awards for being well respected community workers.
BUENA PARK, CA- An award function with a difference; to recognize individuals not for what they get, but what they give was hosted by the Jain Center of SoCal and the Anekant Community Center at their program titled ‘Nine Jewels of Gujarat’ who were bestowed with Life Time Achievement Awards for being well respected community workers.
The program opened with the ceremonial Navkar Mantra recital by Chhaya Mehta and Nila Parikh. The emcee Ila Mehta invited the President of Jain Center of SoCal Dr. Jashvant Modi to welcome the audience. The Nityashetra dance school headed by Dipali Vora performed an invocation prayer dance following which the moderators Dr. Gunvant Mehta and Dr. Jayesh Shah invited the honorees and their spouses to be seated on stage.
The first jewel to be honored was Dr. Manilal Mehta. Born in Gujarat, he got his Masters of Surgery from the B.J. Medical College in Amdavad. He is currently an Urologist at the Anaheim Memorial Hospital and a consultant at UCI & VA Medical Center in Long Beach. Along with his wife Savita, their philanthropic activities include being actively involved in regular medical camps in Gujarat; fundraising for natural disasters like the Haiti earthquake, the tsunami in Japan, hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and more. He personally visited the earthquake struck area in Bhuj, Gujarat and helped raise half a million dollars, built a new school and rehab center in Bidada. The second jewel was Pravin Mehta. Born in Vadodara, he graduated from M.S. University and is fondly known as Bapuji to many. An entrepreneur from India, he has been very active in helping seniors in SoCal. He has authored a book “Ayurveda – Ek Anokhu Shashtra”. The highlight of his presence on stage was his son Shailesh Mehta commenting on the absence of a woman awardee or jewel in the list of honorees.
The third jewel was Uka Solanki. He is the CEO of Big Saver Foods Inc. and has been awarded the Progressive Grocer’s 2001 ‘Grocer of the Year’ award. An electrical engineer by profession, he is passionate about contributing to causes that center around education. He is known in SoCal for his endowment of the Yadunandan Center for India Studies at CSULB. Along with his wife Nalini, both have helped many charities in US and India.
The fourth jewel Ramjibhai Patel is known as the man who helps families most when they lose a dear one. He has attended almost 750 funerals and assisted people in making funeral arrangements in SoCal. He is the past president of SoCal Gujarat Association and a Co founder of the Indian American Senior Heritage Group. Born in Gujarat; he has a Masters degree in Mathematics from the US. He is an entrepreneur and owns motels in SoCal and lives with his wife Vidya and daughter Mamta. A refreshing break on stage came in the form of Manu Shah who greeted the audience with ‘Jai everything’ to welcome people from various Indian religious backgrounds. He had the audience break into peals of laughter.
He invited the fifth jewel Bhikhu and wife Pushpa Patel. Fondly known as BU in the local community, he is the founding father of the Sanatan Dharma Temple and the Joy of Sharing Community Center. A ‘rags to riches’ tale, BU worked as a truck driver and manager of a stone quarry in Zambia. Today he has one of the most successful hotel companies , Tarsadia Hotels, in the US. He founded the Tarsadia Foundation with his wife Pushpa that has donated over $30 million to about 65 grantee organizations.
The sixth jewel, Bhupendra Shivji Soneji is known as the Yoga teacher of Sarathi Yoga Foundation in SoCal. He is a civil engineer from Bombay, and went on to do his Masters in Brooklyn, New York. He has contributed to the fields of health, education and spiritual development. His wife Neeruben too thanked the committee for the recognition.
Ashok Desai of the Jain Center brought on stage the seventh jewel, Navin Doshi. An aerospace engineer, a NASA award recipient and with patents in his pocket, Doshi along with his wife Pratima are a well-known couple in philanthropic circles promoting value education and world peace. Both are founding members of the Sardar Patel awards and Doshi Chair of Indian History at UCLA.
The eight jewel, Anandrao Lingayat is a well-known publisher, author and playwright in Gujarati .. He has also earned acclaim through the translations of Kabir `dohas’ in Gujarati and English. The Claremont Courier featured him on the cover for his master story telling talent. He is known to offer educational guidance to all who seek it from him.
Another stalwart of the Indian- American community, . Suru Manek came up to stage to introduce a doyen of Indian culture, the ninth jewel, Arvind Joshi.
The founder of the Academy of Indian Culture in LA, he has trained over 1000 students in art, music, drama and spiritual heritage. Along with his wife Rama, they have played a large role in personal, family and social uplift of many in the community.
Following the awards ceremony, Mayor of Buena Park Art Brown with his wife Chris Brown, Mayor Pro Tem of Cerritos Naresh Solanki and City Council Member Artesia Ali Sajjad Taj were invited to the stage. The program then continued with Kuchipudi and Bhangra performances by students of Savitri Art Academy. Madhur Geet Gunjan by Neetin Kariya, Arvind Joshi and Subhash Tolia also entertained the guests. Mahesh Wadher addressed the gathering and thanked all for attending.
The first jewel to be honored was Dr. Manilal Mehta. Born in Gujarat, he got his Masters of Surgery from the B.J. Medical College in Amdavad. He is currently an Urologist at the Anaheim Memorial Hospital and a consultant at UCI & VA Medical Center in Long Beach. Along with his wife Savita, their philanthropic activities include being actively involved in regular medical camps in Gujarat; fundraising for natural disasters like the Haiti earthquake, the tsunami in Japan, hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and more. He personally visited the earthquake struck area in Bhuj, Gujarat and helped raise half a million dollars, built a new school and rehab center in Bidada. The second jewel was Pravin Mehta. Born in Vadodara, he graduated from M.S. University and is fondly known as Bapuji to many. An entrepreneur from India, he has been very active in helping seniors in SoCal. He has authored a book “Ayurveda – Ek Anokhu Shashtra”. The highlight of his presence on stage was his son Shailesh Mehta commenting on the absence of a woman awardee or jewel in the list of honorees.
The third jewel was Uka Solanki. He is the CEO of Big Saver Foods Inc. and has been awarded the Progressive Grocer’s 2001 ‘Grocer of the Year’ award. An electrical engineer by profession, he is passionate about contributing to causes that center around education. He is known in SoCal for his endowment of the Yadunandan Center for India Studies at CSULB. Along with his wife Nalini, both have helped many charities in US and India.
The fourth jewel Ramjibhai Patel is known as the man who helps families most when they lose a dear one. He has attended almost 750 funerals and assisted people in making funeral arrangements in SoCal. He is the past president of SoCal Gujarat Association and a Co founder of the Indian American Senior Heritage Group. Born in Gujarat; he has a Masters degree in Mathematics from the US. He is an entrepreneur and owns motels in SoCal and lives with his wife Vidya and daughter Mamta. A refreshing break on stage came in the form of Manu Shah who greeted the audience with ‘Jai everything’ to welcome people from various Indian religious backgrounds. He had the audience break into peals of laughter.
He invited the fifth jewel Bhikhu and wife Pushpa Patel. Fondly known as BU in the local community, he is the founding father of the Sanatan Dharma Temple and the Joy of Sharing Community Center. A ‘rags to riches’ tale, BU worked as a truck driver and manager of a stone quarry in Zambia. Today he has one of the most successful hotel companies , Tarsadia Hotels, in the US. He founded the Tarsadia Foundation with his wife Pushpa that has donated over $30 million to about 65 grantee organizations.
The sixth jewel, Bhupendra Shivji Soneji is known as the Yoga teacher of Sarathi Yoga Foundation in SoCal. He is a civil engineer from Bombay, and went on to do his Masters in Brooklyn, New York. He has contributed to the fields of health, education and spiritual development. His wife Neeruben too thanked the committee for the recognition.
Ashok Desai of the Jain Center brought on stage the seventh jewel, Navin Doshi. An aerospace engineer, a NASA award recipient and with patents in his pocket, Doshi along with his wife Pratima are a well-known couple in philanthropic circles promoting value education and world peace. Both are founding members of the Sardar Patel awards and Doshi Chair of Indian History at UCLA.
The eight jewel, Anandrao Lingayat is a well-known publisher, author and playwright in Gujarati .. He has also earned acclaim through the translations of Kabir `dohas’ in Gujarati and English. The Claremont Courier featured him on the cover for his master story telling talent. He is known to offer educational guidance to all who seek it from him.
Another stalwart of the Indian- American community, . Suru Manek came up to stage to introduce a doyen of Indian culture, the ninth jewel, Arvind Joshi.
The founder of the Academy of Indian Culture in LA, he has trained over 1000 students in art, music, drama and spiritual heritage. Along with his wife Rama, they have played a large role in personal, family and social uplift of many in the community.
Following the awards ceremony, Mayor of Buena Park Art Brown with his wife Chris Brown, Mayor Pro Tem of Cerritos Naresh Solanki and City Council Member Artesia Ali Sajjad Taj were invited to the stage. The program then continued with Kuchipudi and Bhangra performances by students of Savitri Art Academy. Madhur Geet Gunjan by Neetin Kariya, Arvind Joshi and Subhash Tolia also entertained the guests. Mahesh Wadher addressed the gathering and thanked all for attending.
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