Internationally famed Bengaluru based puppeteer Anupama Hoskere and her crew of artists have have drawn huge crowds at every venue. Hoskere, a trained classical dancer brings Mahakavi Kalidasa’s story of King Agnimitra and Malvika to life through the medium of puppets. The skillful manipulation of strings, the unique combination of beautifully decorated puppets with a live Bharatnatyam dancer who is par excellence, vibrant costumes and an English narration with its touches of dry humor makes the 70 minute presentation a must-see, particularly for the next generation. Hoskere, who has a Masters in Engineering, carves the puppets herself and has designed 575 puppets to date. Incidentally, she received the news that she has been conferred with the State Sangeet Natak Academy Award while on her 21- city tour of the US. The performances are part of a fundraiser effort for SAC.  Established in 1985 to eradicate illiteracy, SAC believes that only education can transform the life of a child and a country, break generational poverty and open the doors of opportunity when socio-economic reasons often rob them of that choice.
The visit to one of SAC’s hostels before coming to the US was an eye opener for Hoskere. She was not only impressed at the way the children were being educated and trained in vocational skills but was struck by how “clean the place was.” Raising funds for SAC, she realized, was an opportunity. The driving force behind the project is Vice President - Seva, VHPA Renu Gupta. The project supports 2500 children who are housed in 30 plus hostels in 15 States. The children come from socially and economically backward areas affected by Naxalites or other separatist groups or are orphans, runaways or children of sex workers. Renu Gupta and her husband Arun Gupta, who is equally involved, make it a point to visit one hostel each time they visit India. 
The hostels not only educate the children till the 12th grade in Central Board Certified Schools  but also teach yoga, music, arts, sports, and values that build character. Children are encouraged to go to college and have become engineers, doctors and professionals. Kalpana Raout, the Commonwealth Olympic medalist is a SAC product. Likewise Sejal Nayar won a gold medal in the Special Olympics. What’s heartening is that many children move back to their villages to uplift their communities.

Los Angeles International Airport. Developed and managed by El Segundo-based Welcome Group headed by Amar Shokeen, President & CEO, the six-story design-led hotel provides a modern option for business and leisure travelers. From its sleek design and scenic rooftop, to its state-of-the-art fitness center, tech-friendly and flexible meeting spaces, and guest room options ranging from pet-friendly to sky-high ceilings, the nearly 100,000-square-foot property embodies a contemporary style that is sophisticated yet unpretentious.
“We are excited to bring AC Hotels to South Bay, a thriving destination for entrepreneurial spirits,” says Toni Stoeckl, Global Brand Leader , AC Hotels by Marriott, and Vice President, Distinctive Select Brands for Marriott International. “The proximity to the airport and beach, paired with AC Hotels’ design-minded flair makes this hotel ideal for today’s modern traveler.”
“After months of anticipation, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the day we open our doors and welcome guests to the hotel,” said Ahmed Elassy, General Manager of AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay. “Travelers in town on business or those looking to escape for the weekend to South Bay, are going to love our central location and the sophisticated look and feel we are bringing to the market. The debut of our rooftop experience later this summer with our unique cocktail and culinary offerings will further enhance the overall experience.”

The stories of Krishna interspersed with rendition of bhajans laced with the parallels she drew of its relevance to the current times were no less than an intricate dance of the warp and weft of a marvelously crafted fabric.
The four-day sojourn started with the child form – Lalan Shyam Sundar and his tales growing up, Krishna’s role in Arjun’s life, his struggles in the human form and finally his death. Didi Maa narrated an incident where in Sage Durvasa for his ‘Chatur Maah’ or the four-month period of fasting, austerities and more was hosted at and served by Lord Krishna and Queen Rukmini at their Palace in Vrindavan. At the end of this period, Sage Durvasa asked Lord Krishna to smear kheer all over his body as an offering of Prasad to the Sage. An obedient devotee, Krishna consents but refrains from doing so unto the soles of his feet as a mark of respect for Sage Durvasa’s blessing. Years later, Krishna breathes his last  due to an arrow that shot him in the soles of his feet; the only place that was left out of the blessings of the Prasad. The gist or message in this clip was that nothing in life is coincidental. There is a purpose to every event that occurs in our life and hence we should  be wise and conscious of that which is within and around us. Didi Maa kept drawing everyone’s attention to ‘surrender to the supreme’ through ‘bhakti aur prem’ as a way of living joyfully; “When perspectives change, perceptions change,’’ she said. Some present-day issues such as obsession with name & fame, selfishness, image, looks , were dealt with through the stories of  Krishna . She emphasized repeatedly on the attitude of gratitude. Irrespective of the kind of experiences, she stressed on the importance of offering thanks to Krishna. Only in doing so, does one become enlightened.” 
She not only sang, but also danced on stage to the tune of the bhajan “Meethe Ras Se Bharyo,”  as did the devotees . Her team of bhajan singers – Kishenchand Juneja,  Vijaya Verma and tabla player  Amit Mishra enhanced the emotional quotient of the program with their melodious presentations. Didi Maa’s administrative assistant, Amrita Parikh was a great help.
It takes a village to bring to fruition an event of this nature and  many familiar names in the So Cal volunteer and donor list made it possible. 
The volunteer donors collected a whopping $ 200,000 which added more excitement and Didi Maa thanked everyone and extended a warm invitation to all to visit Vatsalyagram and see the heroes of  her stories in person. 
Didi Maa is the founder of the Non Profit Organization Param Shakti Peeth headquartered in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh in India. Since its inception in 2002, it has evolved into a full-fledged non-profit serving various sectors of India . Didi Maa’s signature project, a one of its kind is Vatsalyagram.
A unique concept, which combines an orphanage, a widow shelter and an old age, home all under one roof. The philosophy of unity plays out with all these people living as a family in a happy coexistence model called the Gokulam.  Other projects under Vatsalyagram are: Kamadhenu Gaushala (Home of the Cows); Samvid Gurukulam (Secondary School); Krishna Brahamratan Vidya Mandir (School); Vaishishtyam (School for Children with Special Needs); Vasuki Shreyam (Rehabilitation Program); Chikitsalya (Hospital). 
Param Shakti Peeth of America Foundation is located in SoCal under the aegis of Avdhesh Agarwal and his team of Anil Parekh, Vijay Tekiker andRamjibhai Patel.

uninformed individuals and urged her to help with other Sikh national agenda issues. They hoped she would help open the doors of the US Army for the Sikhs with preservation of their 5Ks. Sardar Jagjit Singh, board member of Walnut gurdwara presented her with a plaque and Surinderjit Singh with a picture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Those who attended the  fundraiser were Dr Amrit Singh, Dr Harjasbinder Kaur, Zorawar Singh, Dr and Mrs Arinder Singh Chadha, Dr Piara Singh, Baljinder Singh, Mani Singh Kang, Democratic Party delegate, Jaswinder Singh and Lucky Sondh, Haripal Singh.

and Apna Punjabi Group organized American Independence Day celebration on July 4, at Joy of Sharing Community Center, here and also paid tribute to Indian pioneers and patriots who started India independence movement in the US in the early 20th century.  The celebration included a seminar which covered topics such as America’s War for Independence, Early Indian Immigration and Settlement, Struggle for US citizenship, Fight for India Independence (Gadar Movement), Indian-Americans’ Philanthropic Contributions to India and the US and Indian-Americans who have made India and Indian-Americans proud.
The seminar started with the national anthems of America and India by Henna Noor. Inder Singh, principal organizer,  in his welcome remarks, talked about Americans’ sacrifices to gain freedom from the British. Many Americans lost their lives, properties, lifelong earnings during their fight for independence. He also talked about the early Indian immigrants’ unimagined hardships, racial violence, bigotry, and discrimination which they faced in the US. 
Vasu Pawar, President GOPIO Inland Empire spoke of the American war of independence from ​the British. She said that the American colonies formed the First Continental Congress to persuade the British government to recognize their rights. When this didn’t work, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and war was declared. Independence from Britain was won in 1783. The colonies became states and United States of America was born as a country. Ashok Madan, past president NFIA, spoke about Early Indian Immigration and Settlement Problems which Indian Immigrants faced when they came to in the US in the beginning of the twentieth century. 
Rajbir S. Husson, President Indo American Social Association  spoke about India Independence Movement known as Gadar Movement which was started in the US to free India from the yolk of British rule. After World War I started in 1914, several thousand overseas Indians went to India to free their motherland from the British. The British spies foiled their attempt to throw the British out of India. Many were arrested, 48 were given death sentence, and 69 life imprisonment. Inder Singh talked about the sacrifices of heroes of the Gadar movement, Sohan Singh Bhakna and Lala Hardyal. Rani Kuusto talked about Kartar Singh Sarabha, Aparna Hande spoke about Vishnu Ganesh Pingley and Dr. Asmath Noor talked about Maulvi Barkatullah.
A young high schooler Sagar Dhunna spoke on ‘Freedom is Not Free’ and won the hearts of the audience. He said, we live the way we do today because of the many brave men and women that have sacrificed their lives. There is no doubt that we paid a huge price for this freedom.
Kewal Kanda, treasurer GOPIO-Int’l, spoke about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and reminded the audience that this year is the centenary year of that incidence. He also told the audience how Gen Dyer sealed off the only exit and indiscriminately fired 1650 rounds in 10 minutes without warning and massacred over 1000 innocent and unarmed people who had gathered there to celebrate Baisakhi. Mahatma Gandhi was so moved by this massacre it became a prelude to his full commitment to the cause of Indian nationalism and independence from Britain. 
Charu Shivakumar, President Excel Foundation, spoke about the struggle of Indians for US citizenship. After a long struggle, a bill was passed in the US Congress in 1946 allowing 100 Indians to become US citizens annually.  President Truman invited Sardar JJ Singh and Anup Singh who had been fighting to gain citizenship rights, to the White House on July 2, 1946 to witness the signing off the bill into law. 
Dilip Butani, GOPIO Area Coordinator, Southern California, talked about philanthropic contributions of Indians, which far outweigh those of any other recent immigrant community to the US.  Inder Singh, gave a power point presentation displaying the names of Indian-Americans who have significantly contributed in the fields of science, sports, education, economy, agriculture, yoga, politics, and in several other fields of human endeavor. They have made Indian- Americans and India proud of for their achievements.
About 150 people attended the seminar.  For many attendees,the history of Indians in America presented in the seminar, was an eye opener. Rajinder Dhunna, Baljinder Tahim, and Vilas Jadhav helped to manage the event.

community connections and reduce the stigma of mental health related issues. SAAHAS for Cause held discussions at beauty salons, senior groups, apartment buildings, and churches. 
Saahas gathered participants of all six sessions at Nanking restaurant here on June 3 to celebrate the achievement of community connectedness through this project. The event was marked by  motivational speeches and Bollywood dances. 
Care packs were distributed. The Saahas team was satisfied with this accomplishment. Survey results were very positive and showed that the community wanted Saahas to continue such efforts. This project was supported by a grant from the Department of Mental Health.

Shah & Sadras brothers. The 200 plus strong audience was very motivated and enthusiastically practiced the Common Yoga Protocol guided. Seniors engaged in their own unique practice while seated on chairs and in the purview of senior yoga instructors and all participants were fully engrossed. Swami Satyamyananda gave the keynote address connecting ‘yagna’ to yoga.  Internalization of the ‘yagna spirit’ is Yoga, he said.  Thus it is that every thought, word, and deed must be infused with the spirit of yoga – calling for engaged balance between expression and self-restraint.  This is the way to relieve dramatic stress that seems to hang in the air, and the way to integrated living, he reiterated.   In keeping with the theme of Climate Change for IDY 2019, participants were asked to consciously treat nature with reverence.

the Red Cross. Travel restriction within previous 12 months to certain countries including India was one of the major barriers that disqualified many donors. Low level of iron in the blood was another major factor that prevented donating blood. Red Cross provided refreshments to donors. Red Cross personnel thanked GOPIO-LA and RAOA volunteers for organizing the drive and Joy of Sharing Community Center for providing the facility. They requested the organizers to continue to hold such drives in future to help replenish blood banks that are running low lately. Rajinder Dhunna, President RAOA and VP GOPIO-LA took the lead in organizing the blood drive. Dhunna said he and his associates will continues to help Red Cross in future. 

which epitomizes the mom & motherhood, be it Maa Kunti of Mahabharata or Kaushalya of Ramayana, it was refreshing to hear about the single parent/dad King Shantanu and Son Devrutt (Bhishma Pita later) and King Dashrath the Father who dies when his son Ram leaves Ayodhya and the don Ram who in a blink of the eye gave up his throne and accepted exile for 14 years to keep his father’s promise. This depiction of the love between a father and son resonated with Vasavada who also lives with his ailing dad and looks after him in Rajkot, India. 
“Dads are unsung heroes,” he elaborated.  “ A mom knows her child from conception, whereas the dad only does so after the birth of the child. He drew parallels from the West of dads of famous personalities as Thomas Abraham- dad to President Abraham Lincoln who instilled the value of honesty even in his most troubled times and President Ronald Reagan as the dad who guided his son on the secret of a happy married life. Dads are protectors and providers and stand as tough supporters in times of turmoil in the lives of their families. 
“Their roles oscillate from the erstwhile Gabbar Singh from Sholay to the Santa Claus that fills the stockings with hope and love on a cold Christmas night!” quips Vasavada. All along however, he silently oversees the trials and tribulations of his family often missing out milestones of his children in his role of a ‘food–chaser’. 
On a lighter note, the movie `Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ brings out the fun element between Harrison Ford, the son and Sean Connery the dad who justifies his absence in his son’s life and says” I gave you freedom son”; highlighting the importance of space in thriving in life. The role of the modern dad has now changed from the stoic disciplinarian to a softer dad who changes nappies, takes paternity leave to tend for his little tender ones. ‘Mankind’ is now seeing the ‘kind’ in the ‘man’ and loving it too.  Vasavada reminisced about the late Uka Solanki who bestowed love and care during  his visits to LA and acknowledged the contributions of  Bhikhubhai Patel to the community . He also fondly mentioned the efforts of the GSSC Vice President. Pramod Mistry in getting him to commit to this program. A healthy attendance was a testimony to the success of the program, as were the sales of  Vasavada’s  books.