January 2016 - Amazon Web Services

January 2016 - Volume 0116
INSIDE
2
Let us get together to celebrate
an anniversary of a day of peaceful
merging of ancient culture with a modern book
of law;the constitution.
President’s Message
3 Happy Jewish Story 4
Happy Jewish Story (Cont.) 5
Comprehensive Medication
Reviews 6
Outdoor Yoga
7
Aipno Scholarship 8
Shiksha Daan
9
Kashmir Issue 10
Project Seva
11
Community News
12
67th Republic day of India
SATURDAY, January 23rd 2016, 6:00 PM
Holiday Inn, 6001 Rockside Road Independence,Ohio
$50/person
$40/current members*
$25/children 14 or under
$6/drink ticket available at the door.
Entry, dinner, raffle, D.J, cultural programs, babysitter
LOTUS TEAM
Publishing & Editorial
For ticket reservations and payment please email
[email protected]
or call 216 791-FICA
Reservations by January16 2016
No walk ins please.
Sujata Lakhe Barnard
Ramesh “Ray” Gehani
Priyanka Gopal
Email Distribution &
Advertising
Atul Verma
[email protected]
Hosted by FICA
Federation of India Community Associations
of North East Ohio
216 791-FICA
www.FICAcleveland.org
Public Relations/Creative
Paramjit Singh
[email protected]
*Membership form on ‘membership’ tab or
“paynow” with paypal at www.FICAcleveland.org
FICA is a registered non-profit organization under
the IRS 501(c)(3)Tax ID of 34-1215066
Checks to FICA, 12412, Cedar Rd, Cleveland Ohio
44106
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
CLEVELAND,
OHIO
PERMIT NO.
1051
For Lotus related questions
/ comments, please email :
[email protected], or
call 216/791-FICA(3422),
and leave a message
Let us make 2016 a big year for our community and our organization FICA; Let us continue to keep going with Perseverance, Optimism, Wisdom, Energy and Resilience and the
sponsorship and funding needed to sustain our programs: Shikshadaan, Project Seva, Asian
Indian Heritage Project, Indian Cultural Gardens, The Lotus, Cultural celebrations and sister
organizations. Let us strengthen our mission with a unwavering solidarity in diversity. Let us
continue our success as a community and keep moving forward!
Happy New Year to all!
67th Republic day of India
SATURDAY, January 23rd 2016, 6:00 PM
Holiday Inn, 6001 Rockside Road Independence,
Ohio
$50
Hosted by FICA
$40
Entry, dinner, DJ, cultural program,raffle, babysitter
Or Current Resident
INDIA COMMUNITY CENTER
12412 CEDAR ROAD
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH 44106
FEDERATION OF INDIA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
1
A Monthly Publication of the Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) Since 1967
FICA Matters
Community News
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ADMIT
ONE
Federation of India Community Associations of North East Ohio
www.FICAcleveland.org
[email protected]/216 496 7155(cell)
$25
RD-2016
Raffle prize
Hint :
Real food
sustains us,
inspires us, and
fuels us to be our
best!
Free Monthly Subscription - A Non-Profit & Tax Exempt Organization - Tax ID# 34-1215066
2 FICA Matters
Story of
Shakuntala and
Bharat will be
told at 2016
Republic day by
Cleveland
Museum of Arts
Sponsorship Info
67th Republic Day of India 2016
6:00 PM, Saturday, January 23, 2016***
Holiday Inn, 6001 Rockside Road,
Independence, Ohio
$3,000 OR MORE (DIAMOND LEVEL)
Reserved dinner table for Ten, Name display of Host on table,
Program Brochure, Recognition on Lobby Signage, A SPECIAL RECOGNITION FROM THE PODIUM, video recognition during event,
Page Ad in THE LOTUS Newspaper 4 times in a 12 month period,
the same Ad displayed on the website www.ficacleveland.org for a
year.
$2,000 OR MORE (GOLD LEVEL)
Reserved Dinner table for Ten, Name display of Host on table,
mention in Program Brochure, Recognition on Lobby Signage, A
SPECIAL RECOGNITION FROM THE PODIUM, video recognition
during event .
$1,000 OR MORE (SILVER LEVEL)
Reserved Dinner table for Ten, Name display of Host on table,
mention in Program Brochure, Recognition on Lobby Signage, video
recognition during event.
Sangita Bafna with her
husband at opening
of school in Cleveland
named after Mahatma
Gandhi
$500 OR MORE $300 for students (BRONZE LEVEL)
Reserved table for Ten, Name display of Host on table, mention in
Program Brochure.
***All sponsorship pledges are to be made by January 9, 2016
by emailing [email protected] checks payable, by
16th of January, 2016 to FICA/RD 2016 and mail to:
FICA, 12412 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights., Ohio 44106,
or by Paypal at Website : www.ficacleveland.org
Anil Kumar Singh with his wife at Indian Cultural
Garden 10th anniversary gala
Suyog Bapat walked and volunteered for
Independence day-2015
Dr.Manish Gupta with his wife was a wonderful
volunteer at the Independence day celebration
last year.
Geetanjali Thakur at RD last year with her
husband
Anu Giri, who is a constant presence at many
community events and whose husband serves on
FICA executive board
FICA Matters
FICA Staff
Administration
Board of Trustees
Chittaranjan Jain, Chair
[email protected]
440/942-4369
Executive Board
Sujata Lakhe Barnard, President
[email protected]
216/791-FICA(3422)
Giri Guruswami, Vice President
[email protected],
[email protected]
440/317-3911
Vacancy, Treasurer
[email protected]
216/791-FICA(3422)
Ashish Deshpande
[email protected]
626/202-6662
Sujata Lakhe Barnard
Editor & Publisher, The Lotus
[email protected]
216/791-FICA(3422)
Priyanka Gopal , Lotus Copy Editor
[email protected]
512/201-0443
Atul Verma, Lotus Business Manager
[email protected]
[email protected].
704/307-5470
1
Jessica Kumar, Secretary
[email protected]
660/349-0480
India Cultural Garden
Raj Pillai - Chair
[email protected]
440/724-4398
Shiksha Daan
Sanjay Garg - Chair
[email protected]
440/590-1261
Project Seva
Mona Alag, Chairperson
[email protected]
Sister Organizations
Association of Indian physicians of
Noth Ohio (AIPNO)
www.aipno.org
Dr. Umesh Yalavarthy, President
216-513-4964
[email protected]
Bengali Cultural Society of Cleveland
www.bcscle.org
Sujit Ghosh, President
440-542-0363
[email protected]
Marathi Mandal
www. neomm.org
Dr. Sharad Wankhade
330-321-7677
[email protected]
Odisha Society
Birendra Jena, President
330 544-1725
[email protected]
3
President’s Message
I hope all had a holiday
season of joy and fervor
and are looking forward to
a fantastic 2016. I am writing to urge all of you to
also keep in mind our upcoming Republic day celebration. This will be 67th
day, when India (Bharat)
adopted a new book of
law, written by much deliberation by highly intelligent leaders of our country, leaders who came from
diverse social sections, that is India’s Constitution.
I am urging all of you to attend the celebration
in honor of this day on January 23rd, 2016 at 6:00 PM at
Holiday Inn, Independence, Ohio. It will be an opportunity to display “unity in diversity’ that Indian community has grown to be in the greater Cleveland area.
Various Indian communities, organized on the basis of
languages, ethnicities and religions can all come under one roof that evening to exchange warm greetings
and celebrate an underlying culture which extends the
length and breadth of what is known as INDIA today.
Celebration on January 23rd will begin at 6:00
PM and go up to 11:00 PM. There will be registeration/
appetizers/drinks/raffle ticket sale, FICA (&sister organizations)information tables in the pre-event area until
7:15PM. There will be a separate dining room and baby
sitter(S) available for children. Please don’t forget to
bring some cash for wine/beer coupon and for tipping:)
Banquet hall doors will be opened at 7:15, when a
procession of children dressed in various patriotic characters will lead everyone into the hall to the tune of patriotic/peaceful songs.After a singing of national anthems,
a welcome address will be by the Chairman of FICA’s
Board of Trustees, Chitranjan Jain and by me. “Story
of Bharat” will be presented by artists from Cleveland
Museum of Arts with the aid of giant puppets created
in their own workshop, a local accomplished artist will
present Bharatnatyam, a local Kathak school students
will perform a short piece followed by Bollywood inspired live music and dance by Case students and local
artists. There will be short speeches from community
organizers, Award announcement and raffle winners
will be picked and announced with segue-way into announcement for dinner. We will end with opening up
of the floor for dancing and dessert/coffee, at this point
small children can join their parents on the floor if they
like.
The committee for organizing this event consists of, following and a shared email address is established:
[email protected]:
Geetanjili Thakur 440 836 2449
Anu Giri 440 318 1275
Suyog Bapat 440 334 0287
Anil Kumar Singh 440 463 6598
Manish Gupta 1 704 280 9275
Sangita Bafna 216 906 9064
Sujata Lakhe Barnard 216 496 7155
We wanted to bring to your attention a special email address
established for requesting tickets: 67republicdaycleveland@
gmail.com. Send a message to this email with your names
and number of tickets and phone number or other method of
contact and we will be certain to get back to you.
Please note you can pay by Paypal on our website www.
FICAcleveland.org, make sure to mention in ‘notes’ area
the number of tickets and the it is for “67th republic
day”. You can also pay by check and send it to FICA/67
Republic day celebration, 12421, Cedar Road, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106.
For questions or to order by phone, leave your name,
number of tickets, phone contact and mode of payment
with the people whose cell phones are provided above.
If you wish to pay by VISA or Master Card by calling
one of the following numbers, you would have to give
them, Complete card number, Expiration date, Security
code/CVV, Billing ZIP code.
Please see if you yourself, your employee or
your organization will be interested in Sponsorship
with benefits as indicated in information document
published else where in this paper. Feel free to direct
your questions for the committee to a special email address for this event to which all committee will have
access:[email protected].
Wishing Health, wealth, wisdom
and peace to all in the year 2016!
Now sign up on our Website, www.ficacleveland.org to receive The Lotus in
you Inbox.
4 Events Future & Past
In Search of a Happy Jewish Story - in India
Part 2 of 3
Mumbai
Jews settled in Mumbai (Bombay) in
the 18th century: first Baghdadi arrived in 1730s and then Bene Israel
began migrating from the countryside into the city in the 1740s. Today, Mumbai has the largest Jewish
community in India: 3500 to 4000
people, most of whom are the Bene
Israel. We visited two of the city’s
eight synagogues: Kenesseth Eliyahoo and Magen David. Both were
built by the Sassons, the wealthiest
family of the Baghdadi Jews. The
elegant blue structure of the Mogen
David Synagogue was erected by
David Sasson in 1861. Hanna and
Eliyahoo were waiting for us inside.
Hanna and Eliyahoo of Mumbai
Hanna Shapurkar and Eliyahoo
Benjamin showed us the imposing
Magen David Synagogue. Hanna is
an art historian and a tour guide. She
is petite, vivacious, and outspoken.
We talked about our families and
the food we like to cook for the holidays. “Yeeeak, beef!!” she grimaced
when I tell her about my usual holiday brisket. Hanna said that though
she is Jewish, she would never eat
meat of a cow, a holy animal for the
Hindus. Her family cooks “mutton”
for Rosh Hashanah. We also talked
about Jewish education in India and
importance of the JCC as a unifying
center for the young Jews of Mumbai. Like Ezekiel Malekar of Delhi,
Hanna is a Bene Israel Jew.
Eliyahoo Benjamin is this synagogue’s caretaker. He proudly told
us about the 150-year-old history of
his synagogue. At one time, his congregation did not accept the Bene
Israel. “They were thought to be too
dark-skinned, not pure Jewish in
blood,” he said. But now, when so
few are left, the differences are forgotten and they often pray together,
especially during the holidays. Eliyahoo is a Baghdadi Jew. His and
Hannah’s first language is Marathi.
Muslim youths of Mumbai defending the shul
The Magen David Synagogue is
now in the middle of the Muslim
neighborhood. Hanna and Eliyahoo told us, that during one of the
Hindu-Muslim clashes, the street
youngsters wanted to make sure
that no one harmed the synagogue.
The group of Muslim boys joined
their hands and formed a protective
wall across the building’s gates. This
-By Irene Shaland
Part 1 of 3 was published in November 2015 issue of The Lotus
is the house of God, they said.
We also visited another great Mumbai synagogue called Kenesseth Eliyahoo; it is located in the famous
Colaba district, not far from major
city landmarks like the Taj Mahal
Hotel and the Gates of India. And
this is where Hannah told us about
the Indian Jewish philanthropy.
Hanna is an art historian and a
tour guide. She is petite, vivacious, and outspoken. We talked
about our families and the food
we like to cook for the holidays.
“Yeeeak, beef!!” she grimaced
when I tell her about my usual
holiday brisket. Hanna said that
though she is Jewish, she would
never eat meat of a cow, a holy
animal for the Hindus. Her
family cooks “mutton” for Rosh
Hashanah.
Jewish philanthropy
Colaba, an affluent area in the center of Mumbai, is where most of the
richest members of the Baghdadi
community lived, including the Sassons, whose ancestor David Sasson
fled Iran in the early 1800s. He and
his eight sons created an international commercial empire and became one of the wealthiest families
in India. They also created something that never existed in India
before: philanthropy. The Sassons
built synagogues and kosher shops
of course, but also schools, hospitals
and leper asylums. They erected important Mumbai landmarks as well:
the elegant Flora Fountain and the
Venetian Gothic-style David Sasson
Library. After visiting the Kenesseth
Eliyahoo Synagogue, we went to the
Sasson’s library’s imposing reading
room, absorbed its colonial splendor, and reflected upon the impact
the Jews made into so many world
cultures.
But in order to meet the oldest, continuously-living Jewish community
in the world, we had to leave the
cosmopolitan Mumbai and fly to the
south of the country, a town of Cochin.
Cochin: One-street Jew Town and
the foreigners’ shul
The oldest continuously living Jewish community in the world dates
back 2500 years and consists now
of a few families living in the Jew
Town part of the port city of Cochin
in the southernmost state of India
called Kerala. The Jew Town now
is just one long north-south street
bustling with shops and boutiques,
some of which have signs like “A.X.
Taylor’s Shop.” The street is called
Synagogue Lane and this is where
we go to meet Mrs. Salem.
Reeva Salem
Reeva lived all her life on the Synagogue Lane. She looked a lot like
my own late mother: tiny and pale,
an elegant lady in her eighties. She
and I talked about Canada, where
her children and grandchildren
live, and Cochin, which she said she
would never leave because this was
her real home, where she was surrounded by her many friends, Jewish, Muslims and Christians. The
Salems, Reeva’s husband’s family,
were among the oldest families of
Cochin, tracing their ancestry to the
first arrivals from the Kingdom of
Judea 2500 years ago. Reeva herself
came from the Paradesi or the “foreigners,” the Sephardim running
away from the persecution in Spain
and Portugal in the late 15th-early
16th centuries. Both Reeva’s and
her husband’s family are the Cochin Jews. Their native language is
Judeo-Malayalam.
The Salems, Reeva’s husband’s family, were among the oldest families
of Cochin, tracing their ancestry to
the first arrivals from the Kingdom
of Judea 2500 years ago. Reeva
herself came from the Paradesi or
the “foreigners,” the Sephardim
running away from the persecution
in Spain and Portugal in the late
15th-early 16th centuries
I bought a book from Reeva that
Abraham Salem wrote about the
450-year-old Cochin Synagogue. I
remembered seeing its model displayed in the Diaspora Museum
in Tel Aviv. Then Reeva showed us
where her street ends and the synagogue stands. The synagogue has
the most remarkable Clock Tower
with different faces. The clock facing the street displays Roman numerals for merchants, the one facing
the synagogue has Hebrew letters,
and the side facing the harbor has
Indian numerals. The “foreigners,”
the Spanish Sephardim (Reeva’s ancestors) built the synagogue in 1568.
The name Paradesi means “foreign.”
The Paradesi Synagogue is the most
popular site in Cochin. Most of the
tourists are Indians. The synagogue
structure is unique and resembles
Kerala Hindu temples, which are
very different from the other Hindu
temples throughout the subcontinent. The red-tiled roof covers two
of the synagogue’s whitewashed
buildings, and the entrance is a
plain wooden door leading to a treeless courtyard. The caretaker,
Mr. K. J. Joy, told us that the courtyard is used for Simhat Torah procession just like Hindu temple courtyards are used for their celebrations.
We were asked to remove our shoes,
just like anyone should when entering a Hindu temple.
Inside, we saw the most colorful of
interiors: blue tiles from China cover
the floor (every one of them is different); silver and brass chandeliers
from Belgium; and a multitude of oil
lamps of every possible color. The
Holy Ark, a work of art, made by
the Kerala wood carvers, houses the
famous copper plates, upon which
is written the Raja’s guarantee of all
freedoms for the Cochin Jews. The
Ark is covered by a beautiful curtain. Mr. Joy told us that the curtain
was made from a ceremonial dress,
called mundu, that Cochin Jewish
women make for their weddings or
when their six-year-old son reads
from the Haftorah.
No longer do they have a Rabbi, but
a few remaining congregants continue to pray together every Shabbat
and on holidays. The synagogue is
adjacent to the Krishna Temple. Mr.
Joy told us that one might hear the
chanting from the Temple during
the prayers at the synagogue. This
could be a manifestation, I thought,
of uniquely Indian harmony: two
ancient civilizations, with their languages and religions blending together in peace.
Our final visit in Cochin was to the
grave of an old sage.
Everybody in Cochin prays to a
Jewish saint
The ancient cemetery that was in that
part of town for many centuries did
not survive. Small houses surround
the only remaining grave memorial
that is honored by many symbols
brought by Muslims, Hindu and
Christians. The people of India are
the most pious and tolerant, we are
told. They come to pray, bring their
grievances, and ask for favors from
( Continued on Page 5 )
In Search of a Happy Jewish Story - in India
Community News 5
(Continued From Page 4)
an ancient Jewish saint, who they say has divine
powers. The sign reads in Hebrew: “…the abundance of the light of his wisdom (“Torah”) shines
on all communities…let his soul be in the bundle
of the living , his rights will protect us, Amen…”
(Translated by Hanoch Ben-Yami, Ph.D., Chair,
Philosophy Department, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary)
Delhi, Mumbai, and Cochin were along our Jewish pilgrimage route. All our newly made friends
are members of the tiniest among the smallest Indian minorities: the Jews of India. They are the
least known among the Diaspora and arguably
are the most interesting. These new friends, our
US friends, continue asking “are they Indian or
Jewish?”
Magen David Synagogue, Mumbai
The Holy Ark behind a
beautiful curtain.
…..to be continued in last part of this series in the
next issue of The Lotus
The Paradesi Synagogue of Salem, one with
multi-faced clock tower, is the most popular
site in Cochin. The synagogue structure is
unique and resembles Kerala Hindu temples.
The courtyard of the synagogue is used for
Simhat Torah procession just like Hindu
temple courtyards are used for their celebrations. We were asked to remove our shoes,
just like anyone should when entering a
Hindu temple.
Hanna Shapurkar and Eliyahoo
Benjamin of Mumbai
Raja’s guarantee of all freedoms
for the Cochin Jews.
oldest continuously living Jewish community
is in Cochin, Kerala
Cochin Sarah
Cochin Reeva
The elegant
blue structure of the
Mogen
David
Synagogue
was erected
by David
Sasson in
1861.
450-year-old Cochin Synagogue with Clock
Tower with different faces.
Synagogue lane in Cochin,
Kerala
Inside The Paradesi Synagogue.
6 Community News
“Comprehensive Medication Reviews” (CMR) can reduce overall patient costs
& improve outcomes!
Dec 23, 2015
-By Dr. Michael Sreshtha
MTM (Medication Therapy Management) programs are intended to optimize therapeutic outcomes through improved medication adherence
and reduced risk of adverse events such as drugdrug interactions or clinically inappropriate therapies. In addition to offering eligible beneficiaries
MTM services, Part D plans are required to offer
all MTM enrollees a comprehensive medication
review (CMR).
A CMR is a systematic process of collecting
patient-specific information, assessing medication therapies to identify medication-related
problems, developing a prioritized list of medication-related problems, and creating a plan to
resolve them with the patient, caregiver and/or
prescriber.
A CMR is an interactive person-to-person or telehealth medication review and consultation conducted in real-time between the patient and/or
other authorized individual, such as prescriber
or caregiver, and the pharmacist or other qualified provider and is designed to improve patients’ knowledge of their prescriptions, overthe-counter (OTC) medications, herbal therapies
and dietary supplements, identify and address
problems or concerns that patients may have,
and empower patients to self manage their medications and their health conditions.
Unfortunately most people are not aware of
these benefits and during 2015 only one per cent
of the Medicare patients have had a medication
review. To change this CMS (Center of Medicare
and Medicaid Services) has embarked on an ambitious project, giving incentives to complete
reviews to providers and insurance carriers, for
most of their patients in 2016.
I have helped a vast number of patients by timely
intervention in their therapy and my experience
is not unique as thousands of other pharmacists
are doing the same throughout the country.
Additional Information related to
Dr. Sreshtha’s write up above.
Pharmacists are health care providers, but they
are not recognized as such under federal law.
Provider status legislation would recognize pharmacists as health care providers, so patients will
have improved access to pharmacists’ services. To
learn more, visit the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) at http://pharmacistsprovidecare.com
Dr. Rajiv Shah and Dr. Timothy Ulbrich explain
the benefits in TED talk published on Oct 26,
2015. Dr. Shah is the CEO of MyMeds (www.
my-meds.com), a digital health company whose
medication adherence platform engages patients,
physicians and pharmacists to work together.
Technology is disrupting consumer industries
across the globe. In healthcare, technology is being used to improve systems, but the new disruption will be driven by people – patients and
pharmacists. Like never before, patients are demanding consumer technologies to help them
become more engaged on their changing health
care team. The new team brings pharmacists off
the bench and puts them in a starring role to help
solve one of healthcare’s biggest issues – the $300
billion problem of medication non-adherence
(not taking medicines properly).
Healthcare should be reformed, and made personal again. as Dr. Shah says technology can be
used to improve the health care system. by involving more people such as the pharmacist the
doctor patient relationship can be made stronger,
and bring more trust. One of the problems mentioned was that the patient and doctor hardly get
any time together, which can be very frustrating.
When going to the doctors and you or a family member isn’t feeling well, the majority of the
time should not be spent in the waiting room or
with administrative staff. With technology being
driven by patients health care can be greatly improved. Technology can take away some of the
time that is wasted during the administrative
process, and get people to the doctor quicker. Dr.
Shah’s idea of putting the patient back at the center and making things more personal in order to
treat them most effectively seems very good.
Dr. Shah is the CEO of MyMeds and a Board-certified nephrologist who practices in Minneapolis.
Combining his front-line experience of understanding the multiple roles (patient, provider, entrepreneur) in a rapidly-changing health environment, and his dedication to implementing digital
health IT to improve health outcomes, Dr. Shah
provides a unique perspective on innovation in
healthcare today. He received his M.D. from the
University of Minnesota Medical School, and attended Boston University, from where he graduated with a B.A. in Cognitive Psychology with
a focus on memory creation. This provided the
foundation on which the MyMeds adherence
platform was created to improve medication-taking behaviors.
Letter to Editor
Good evening Sujata.
India Visa / OCI application camp in Cleveland
There was a successful “Indian VISA & OCI” application camp organized by the Federation
of Indian Association (FIA) Columbus chapter on October 10, 2015 in Independence, Ohio.
It was first time in many years a camp like this was held in the greater Cleveland area. This
was linked with the Indian Government outreach program and it allowed for many people
to meet and become aware of the community. MR. Niranjanbhai (Neil) Patel, a well-known
community activist serving as the president of FIA in Columbus, took the initiative to organize this camp with his team. MR. Patel worked with the Deputy Consulate General at
New York, MR. Manoj Mohapatre and the new appointed Consul Consulate for VISA / OCI
affairs, MR. Sandeep Ku-mar. With the help of these two consulates the out sourcing company, CKGS came to Holiday Inn at Independence, Ohio in order to accept the applications
and fees.
“It was a great response from the local community and the FIA Columbus team to provide
ground support to make it success” said by Ranjeet Singh, the leader of CKGS. CKGS has
met with more than 150 applicants, handling more than 100 applications. As a result there
have been just shy of 100 complete applications processed.
Although the main focus of this camp was to provide VISA’s or OCI’s for those lacking,
the camp served a greater purpose. The camp also provided personnel, face-to-face help to
those who had any further questions, any preceding conflicts with the system, or a number
of other queries. As a result the camp found great success in providing general relief to all
applicants and creating a pleasurable ambiance for those who traveled from afar.
Consulate MR. Sandeep Kumar extended his personnel thankyou to Mr.Niranjanbhai (Neil)
and his team. Niranjanbhai’s team included: FIA Vice-President Mr. Urvish Shelat and Secretary Mr. Rushikesh Vyas Including notaries MR. Surinder Singh Khalsa and MR. Dharminder Kampani.
Special thank you to FICA to circulate emails, media coverage by MR. Mahesh Desai from
“T.V. Asia” and MR. Prakash Sinha from “India International” a community newspaper.
Last but not list to appreciate all other volunteers and participants who took an advantage
of this camp.
Thank You,
Neil Patel
[email protected]
Oct 15
Dear Sujata,
Thank you for the article on DAWN in Lotus. We are very appreciative of the generous
saree donations. Our mini project with the Bhutanese/Neapli women continues to do well
because of community support. Our sales have done well at Holiday Bazaars.
I love the smiles and the growing confidence of our students, improving language skills
and their joy in discovering to help themselves. Our volunteers , a small but very dedicated
group has per-formed miracles.
Thank you.
Manju Rastogi
DAWN: Developing Alternatives for Women in New communities
Change a Life: Help Build a Children’s
Library in Tamil Nadu
Jared Scott Miller wanted to share his love of learning with
underprivileged children in India. To fulfill his dream & to
honor his memory, Jared’s parents, Cheryl & Paul Miller,
are raising funds for a library at New Colors, a creative
learning center in Tamil Nadu.
The Jared Scott Miller Library is a living memorial to the
Miller’s son that will help thousands of village children, from youngsters to teenagers.
Celebrate Jared’s life with a tax deductible donation.
Send a tax-deductible donation to Cheryl & Paul Miller, PO Box
21703, Cleveland, OH 44121-4048.
Please make the check out to “Gabriel Project Mumbai,” the organization that is helping the Millers raise funds for the library. Or go to http://www.
rootfunding.com/campaign/jareds-library.
For info, email the Millers at [email protected]
www.facebook.com/jaredscottmillerlibrary
Health & Arts 7
Take time to practice Yoga outdoors
- By Vishali Gupta
Vishali is a certified Yoga teacher who lives in Solon with her family. Yoga is her passion. She learnt Yoga while growing up in India and also completed a
200 level teacher training at Chagrin Yoga. She teaches group classes in Chagrin Yoga and Solon Recreation Center. She offers an inspiring and powerful
combination of asana, breath, meditation, and chanting that leaves students uplifted and empowered. Vishali specializes in Yoga and meditation techniques
to promote overall wellness strengthen the core muscles to bring agility and alleviate back pain. She also helps private clients and also does instruction for
individuals training to be Yoga teachers at licensed Yoga Schools. She can be reached at [email protected]
The practice of Yoga is a journey to our
inner Self through Asanas, Pranayama, and
Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) as given in
the eight limbs of Yoga sutras of Patanjali. Yoga
practice does not require any special gear. It just
requires you and your awareness. When the
weather is sunny, take time to be outdoors. Being
outdoors can enhance the experience of Yoga in
many ways. Warm sun makes the muscles more
pliable, fresh breeze heightens breath awareness
and the presence of trees, rivers and soil allow us
to be one with the universe. That is why so many
asanas are named after animals such as cobras
(Bhujangasana) and things in nature such as trees
(Vrkshasana) and bridges (Setu Bandhasana). I
know it is hard to even think of being outdoors
in the Cleveland winter, but at least just imagine
greenery and nature when practicing and don’t
forget to OM when at sunny vacations at Bahamas or some such place.
In addition to all the reasons above, uneven sur-
faces such as rocks and grass can make the practice more challenging and fun. It invigorates the
muscles of the feet and engages our core more
actively and improves our balance. Also, being
bare feet in nature stimulates our nerves. Research also proves that being outdoors lowers the
stress hormone cortisol and looking at the beautiful scenery releases endorphins, the feel good
chemicals that give us joy. No wonder sages in
ancient times were always in the forests. And not
to forget, Buddha received enlightenment under
the Boddhi tree. Time to OM outside.
One of the days when it was sunny and warm I
took my practice in a park and was inspired to
do the following asanas.
Vrkshasana (Tree)
This posture strengthens the ankles, invigorates
the legs and engages the core. It clears the mind
and provides contentment. Pressing bare feet into
the earth provides more grounding energy into
the pelvic floor thus lengthens the spinal column.
Viparita Dandasana
This is a challenging asana that lengthens the
spine, removes rounding of shoulders, and energizes the legs and ankles. Having a bench in the
park encouraged me to practice this asana with
ease.
Utkata Konasasana(Goddess)
This is a posture of stillness and rootedness within
us like a big rock sitting quietly in the middle of a
flowing stream of water. This asana tones the pelvic floor, strengthens the feet, opens the hips and
facilitates our connection with the divine within.
It builds your inner and outer strength. With the
strength in your legs and energy moving through
the core of your body, receive the force of KALI.
Kali represents the power of spiritual insight that
cuts through all negativity, illusion and duality.
20600 Chagrin Blvd, Suite #150
Shaker Heights, OH 44122-5327
(216) 295-0400
www.thesaffronpatch.com
8 News of Interest
Issues that matter
AIPNO Scholarship Program for Resident Physicians
7
- By Ramesh Shah
Dr Yalawarthy;President of AIPNO presented a check for $5,000
to Medical YATRA for Resident Physician program.
In the year 2013, Dr. Mukunda, then President of AIPNO instituted Scholarship
program for young Resident Physicians to get involved in social and humanitarian
work at early age and help Medical YATRA program to recruit young talents with
‘state of art’ knowledge and expertise.
Scholarship is awarded to two Resident Physicians with a good academic
record and good recommendations from their supervisors working at St. Vincent
Charity Hospital, willing to have 4 weeks rotation in India under experienced physician and hospital willing to give credit, and Residents willing to write a scholarly
report and also prepare poster for AIPNO research showcase at annual dinner.
In2014, Dr. Pushkar Kannade was selected to travel to India under the leadership of Dr. Wiseman, a Cardiologist. He did a great job and helped lot of coronary
patients with medicines and referred 130 patients for Angiography, 11 patients for
Angioplasty and 7 for bypass surgeries. He saved lots of lives in Gandevi, Gujarat
in the year 2014.
In 2015, Three Residents Physicians were awarded scholarships: Dr. Kathleen Moses, Dr. Emilie Prot, and Dr. Ronak Bhimani -all from St. Vincent Charity
hospital-. All of them presented Research Posters at AIPNO Annual dinner on October 24th-Saturday at Cleveland Convention Center.
Dr. E.Prot and Dr. Bhimani also did research survey investigations and
shall present a paper @ American Medical Symposium in Atlanta, Ga.
Association of Indian Physicians of Northern Ohio (AIPNO)
Thru Medical YATRA programs, AIPNO also provides service to aid to underserved areas and disaster affected sites in India and around the world.
AIPNO physicians have traveled to Mexico, Haiti, Peru, Burundi, Ecuador,
Uganda, Kenya, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guyana and India.
In India, YATRA Medical Mission program have been conducted in Kerala,
Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, Orissa, Gujarat, Uttarkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka and W. Bengal. AIPNO has served more than 200,000 patients and more
than 100 physicians from USA, Canada, UK and India have participated.
Visit our website: aipno.org and clevelandpeople.com for more information
Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Rural South India and the Unmet Need for
Healthcare: A Cohort Study during the Medical YATRA 2015. At annual dinner,
Oct 24th, AIPNO presented a check of $ 5,000 to take two-2- more Resident Physicians to India for YATRA-2016. Dr. Ramyashree Tummala and Dr. Kapil Mahajan
have been awarded the scholarships to travel to India with YATRA team-2016. To
work in Dharampur, Gujarat. Dr.Gita Gidwani & Dr. Jaya R. Shah are Co-Chairs,
Medical YATRA program ([email protected])
News of Interest 9
A letter from Sanjay Garg, of Shiksha Daan, a FICA subsidiary.
Dear friends:
Shiksha Daan is currently in its third
year of operation. We are very grateful
for the enthusiastic support we have
received from the community, both in
terms of time and money, to help us
continue to grow strong and give back
to the broader community.
In late August we had a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch and Open House
which was attended by 60 people. We
want to thank all those who have been
supporting our programs.
Published below is a flyer which provides an overview of all our programs
and also lists the point of contact for
each program. There are many opportunities available to help the Cleveland
city youth with their education and
development. So please take a few moments to look through the flyer and consider giving some time back to the community as your schedule permits.
There are two specific programs that we
need help with:
i) The Bhutanese/Nepalese refugee children tutoring in Cleveland Heights. We
do the tutoring 2:30-4:30 on Sundays.
We have 25 students enrolled in the
program and typically have 18 students
coming every time. We need at least 10
tutors each time to make it a valuable
experience for the students. Please consider signing up to help with this program - contact Akhilesh at akhilchowk-
The Gift of Education
Shiksha Daan was established in June 2013 as a new initiative of FICA to get the local
Asian Indian community more involved in the education and development of the underprivileged youth in the Greater Cleveland area. Shiksha Daan has had a highly successful
2 years.
•
The program we had started for tutoring children of the Bhutanese/Nepalese
refugee community in Cleveland Heights on Sundays is going along well with 15 active
students in the program and 25 active tutors. In Fall 2015, we are opening the tutoring
programs to all the residents in the area of the Church where we tutor.
•
Our partnership with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) continues with
our volunteers supporting the resume writing and mock interview workshops, and E-City
business coach planning and judging. Shiksha Daan received the Y.O.U. Volunteer of the
Year award for 2014. We are working with Y.O.U. to help place low-income family students
in internship programs with Indian owned businesses.
•
We support mentoring of 8th grade students at one of the schools in the Breakthrough Schools system, and are looking to expand our partnership to include mentoring
and tutoring at other locations.
•
We have recently partnered with College Now to provide mentoring for low-income family students attending college. We have established a yearly scholarship of $2000
for a student enrolled in the College Now program.
•
We have also partnered with Refugee Response which provides one-on-one tutoring for students of refugee families at their homes – opportunities are available both on the
East side as well as the West side.
We appreciate the strong support we have received from the community for both volunteering as well as providing financial contributions to support the Shiksha Daan activities.
The Lotus, first Asian community newspaper started in US in the
year 1967, is seeking Volunteers to help out with Marketing, Editing,
Story writing, Local event reporting, Community outreach. Please
send your interest, experience, availability and contact information to
[email protected]. You do not have to be of Indian origin, just
interested in events, arts or anything influenced by and has a potential
to impact people of Indian origin in North East Ohio.
[email protected], 440-645-5819.
ii) Refugee Response in-home tutoring
program - we recently started a partnership with Refugee Response which
matches tutors with students and the
tutors go to the students home once a
week for a hour and half. Opportunities
are available in Lakewood to work with
children of Burmese and other refugees.
Gita Gidwani has worked with Refugee
Response managers to allow Shiksha
Daan volunteers to work in pairs when
visiting the refugee’s home so that they
will be comfortable. Please contact Gita
at [email protected], 571-8304333, if you can help with this program.
Our daughter Aditi has started tutoring
a 7 year old girl under this program and
is enjoying the experience.
I will be sending you another e-mail
shortly with information on some volunteering opportunities with Youth Opportunities Unlimited.
Once again, thanks for all your support
and encouragement. Please do not hesitate to contact me or one of the people
listed on the attached flyer if you have
any questions or suggestions for us.
Sanjay
Chair, Shiksha Daan Committee
If you are interested in learning more about our programs, supporting us as a volunteer or
contributing funds to Shiksha Daan, please contact us at: [email protected]
or contact one of our Program Coordinators:
Y.O.U.: Ramesh Shah, [email protected], 440-460-1037
Y.O.U. Student Internships: Vinod Nagpal, [email protected], 440-821-0479
Breakthrough Schools: Meera Kansal, [email protected], 440-572-3857
Cleveland Heights Tutoring: Akhilesh Chowksey, [email protected], 440-6455819
College Now: Sanjay Garg, [email protected], 440-590-1261
Refugee Response – Gita Gidwani, [email protected], 440-646-9163
FICA board announces two awards!
To be given annually at Republic day celebration in January each year
1. FICA Valuable Contribution to Community The award which recognizes an individual, a group or an organization’s contribution in line with FICA’s stated mission to promote the rich cultural heritage of India in greater Cleveland; to facilitate
ongoing dialog with civic leaders regarding issues of importance to Asian Indian
families in the region; to facilitate the mainstreaming of Asian Indian families by
creating a platform for the community’s active participation in the civic life; to
collaborate with local organizations to promote goodwill and understanding between diverse communities; to partner with business groups that promote ties
between Indian and US firms and foster economic development.
2. FICA resiliency Award The award which recognizes an individual, group or
organisations from FICA community who is resilient, who has overcome the odds,
who has gone through lows to come back up to make a journey towards robust
and thriving life.
Although this year we have already identified recipient of these awards, we are
planning to receive nominations for it all year round by establishing a three member committee, whose contact info will be made available to the community. The
committee will be responsible for choosing the award recipients to be announce at
Republic Day celebration in year 2017. One Individual/company can receive this
award only once.
10 Community News
Kashmir issue as I understand it.
- By Om Julka
During the Christmas season
and the New Year eve, I happened
to be located in Macon, Georgia at
my granddaughter’s home. Visiting
the shopping Malls with her and my
great grandson aged ten, was really a great experience. We watched
crowds of excited parents and children rushing in and out of the shops
in the malls for purchasing gifts unlimited just before Christmas. Later,
the gifts were dished out to all as
usual. This ritual is a common occurrence every year.
By now it is New Year and
the gifts must have been opened
by all concerned. Heaps of crinkled
wrapping paper and some ribbons
etc. must have been put in the Garbage bins everywhere. We always
assign value to the gifts nicely
packed in colorful wrapping paper.
But have we ever considered that
there are some ultra-valuable gifts
which we receive without any shiny
wrapping paper or multi-colored
ribbons. The older I got, the more I
remembered and realized our true
value gifts received from our parents, the gifts of life, of love, affection
and security. Having lost my father
even before my thirteenth birthday,
I could not much visualize how
valuable gifts I got from him which
have been molding and shaping my
character and attitudes. However, it
was subsequently my mother who
took care of me and other siblings.
She lived long enough with me.
It was she who gave us the priceless unwrapped gifts which helped
me with her prayers and blessings,
to reach where I have eventually
landed. I am really grateful to my
wonderful and amazing parents for
having left such good and lasting
impressions on me. I am sure all of
us have had such good experiences
too. Even though my parents passed
away many years ago, I keep their
pictures on my bedside table so that
I never forget them even for a day.
It reminds me of a song
which I heard in a Movie which
eulogized the sacrifices and gifts of
a mother in the following words:
“Mata, kuchh kar ke dikha denge.
Ay maan tere charno par Akash
jhuka denge” (O, mother we will
do something (to honor you), even
bring the sky down under your
feet) Such sentiments have been
very common in our culture and
must never be forgotten. Even in my
younger days in India there was a
Punjabi song which I partially recall:
“Har paasse garm hawaawan ne;
Ik manwaan thhandian chhawaan
ne” “Manwaan di shaan ucheri ay;
na teri ay na meri ay” (When hot
winds blow everywhere, it is the
mother who shields the children in
cool comfort; mothers are on a much
higher pedestal than anyone else”
Let us therefore keep our
parents love and affection in the topmost respectful shelf of our life.
ARUN’S LEGAL CORNER
BY: ARUN J. KOTTHA, ESQ.©
As your family
is sound asleep
one night, you
are awakened
by a loud crash.
You rush downstairs to find the
living room in
flames. Luckily,
you performed
the Maha Mrityunjaya puja
that very night
and
everyone
escapes unharmed.
The house,
however, is completely destroyed.
A fire investigation reveals that a
natural gas line cap manufactured
by Bhayaanak Industries developed
a leak that caused the explosion.
You make a claim with Udaar Property and Casualty Insurance Company, your homeowner’s insurance
carrier. You rejoice to learn that
Udaar will fully compensate you
for all incidentals (hotel, food, etc.),
lost clothing, furnishings, and other
household articles, and the entire replacement value of your home. You
will be entirely set to rights. Udaar
informs you, however, that it will
be pursuing a lawsuit against Bhayaanak Industries for product defect
and that your entire family will have
to give depositions, provide documents, etc. You quickly respond that
you want nothing to do with a lawsuit. You have no financial loss and
simply want to be left alone. Udaar
says that you must cooperate in the
lawsuit or lose your payments.
What’s at play here?
At issue is the concept of “subrogation.” As an insured, you have every
right to receive payment for covered
losses under your insurance policy.
Due to space constraints story about
Mahatma Gandhi Campus in
Cleveland will be in a future issue.
Erratum:
Meena Morey was wrongly printed
as Meena Mone in front page index
in november 2015 issue.
The concept of subrogation allows
an insurance company that has
paid a claim to recoup the amounts
from the party actually responsible
for the loss. In other words, the insurance company “steps into your
shoes” and can file a lawsuit against
Bhayaanak Industries for the damage it caused to your home which
necessitated the insurance payout.
Insurance policies typically include
a clause obligating the insured to cooperate in any litigation that may be
required to recoup their payments.
This makes sense because the insured is the only one in possession
of the information and documents
relevant to the case. Thus, you must
cooperate in the lawsuit, even if you
don’t want to.
Mahatma Gandhi has stated that
“nobody can hurt me without my
permission.” Your family was safe-
ly delivered from a dangerous situation. Isn’t that what really matters?
Whether you let the prospect of
litigation upset you is solely within
your own power.
###
Arun Kottha is an attorney with
Tucker Ellis LLP in Cleveland, Ohio.
He focuses on the defense of personal injury, product liability, and commercial lawsuits. Please feel free to
submit a topic for a subsequent article. Contact: [email protected].
This article is for informational
purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You
should contact an attorney to obtain
advice with respect to any particular
issue or problem.
Community News 11
It was indeed a proud day for Project Seva.
- By Mona Alag
Being recognized for the 27 years of consistent community service is indeed an honor.
The true heroes are of course the donors who have responded to our appeal year after year.
The working committee has changed over the years,but our supporters
and their dollars have kept coming.
Meals,blankets,hygiene packages have been the main focus of Project
Seva. From time to time we explore other avenues too. Right now, “
Clicking Needles” is in full swing,where volunteers are knitting 100 blankets to be donated to babies being treated in Rainbow Babies And Children Hospital. The yarn is donated by a long term supporter of P.S..
The Cleveland City Council and COSE ( Council of Smaller Enterprises)
recognizes an organization doing outstanding humanitarian work every
year. This year our own Project Seva was thus honored. Sanjay Garg accepted the award on behalf of Project Seva. This awards ceremony took
place on Thursday December 10th at the downtown offices of COSE.
Separately, at the same event Sudarshan Sathe received an MBE Urban
professional Award for Entrepreneurship for 2015. You see Sudarshan
and Sanjay together in the photographs below, with their respective
awards.
We humbly thank the community for its support. This award is being accepted in their name. Please circulate to your circle of contacts.
Best.
Sanjay Garg.
Harsha Rane.
Paramjit Singh.
Satish Parikh.
Poonam Punwani.
SANGITA Bafna.
Seema Sharma.
Chitra Mishra.
Mona Alag....Chairperson Project Seva.
In fond memory of
Hitesh Patel
March 6th 1963 to
December 13th 2015
Sadly missed along life’s way,
Quietly remembered every day.
No longer in our life to share
but in our hearts,
You are always there!!
Funeral services were held on
December 15 at Busch Funeral
home.
Our community was shocked and extremely saddened by this and our our deepest sympathy to surviving wife
Manishaben Patel, daughter Henna and son Jay.
Here are some messages received by FICA office after hearing about the news.
Manhar Shah of Shiva-Vishnu temple:
My personal condolences to Manisha Henna & Jay for this loss. Hitesh will always remain in our Prayers.
During such time If I can be of any help now or in future Please do not hesitate to call me or temple.
May He rest in peace.
Om Shanti.
Inder Suneja:
Incredibly sorry to hear about your loss! May Holy Almighty be with the departed soul, always! The greatest
‘Healing Therapy’ for family and friends at this stage (and thereafter) would be Love, Friendship & Care for
each other / one another!
Om Julka:
Please convey our deepest condolences to the family of the departed Hitesh Patel who was a dedicated worker
in the Temple also. May his soul rest in Peace.
Objectives as described in FICA of NEO
Constitution and By-laws - Amended April 2002
ARTICLE II: Objectives
The following objectives are to be furthered by FICA:
To educate the community about India, its people, culture, heritage and
needs as follows:
1.Through the holding of language, dance, music, art, cooking and yoga
classes;
2. By providing seminars, discussion sessions, visiting guest lecturers, and
maintaining a speakers’ bureau;
3. By publishing books, magazines, and other printed material;
4.By making available documentary films, radio and television programs;
5. Through the holding of music and dance concerts;
6. By initiating essay and debate competitions that will further the understanding of India and its culture;
7.By providing support for Indian studies programs in the United States.
To enhance Indian culture and heritage through the establishment of informational centers, libraries, cultural exchange programs, and other activities
profiling India in the community at large.
To foster educational opportunities for Indians, Indian-Americans, and
their friends by providing monies to educational institutions for the establishment of student grants, loan funds and scholarships, or to individuals
for the purpose of defraying educational expenses.
Cathy Poilpre:
I am so sorry to hear this. My children are friends with Jay and Henna
Very wonderful family.
To sponsor and promote Indian religious teachings, seminars and festivals
in a nonsectarian manner.
Margaret Wong:
Condolence and respect and offer to help in anyway possible.
To organize other programs that will further scientific, educational, literary,
charitable or religious purposes.
12
Community News
Please send us your feedback on LOTUS - [email protected]