Detroit Mayor - Kenneth V. Cockrel, Jr. to be interviewed on Swar Bahar Radio

Rajiv Sanghvi, host and producer of Swar Bahar Radio Program will be interviewing Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel on Sunday February 1st. The interview can be heard on WNZK 690AM at 11 AM.

Rajiv informs that in the interview the Mayor will be talking about a range of topics which includes Economic Stimulus Plan, The Green Initiative, The New Chief of Police, Increasing Jobs in the City of Detroit, Cobo Hall expansion and his election next month.

Tarang 2009 - Evening of Raas, Garba and Bhangra

This post is kind of late but then I was just informed of it.

Asha for Education at MSU, a chapter of an international non-profit organization that is dedicated to raising money to support education for the underprivileged in India presents Tarang 2009 on January 24th from 7 to 11 pm at Demonstration Hall, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI.

Tarang 2009 is a evening of Garba/Raas/Bhangra dance. It's a dance event where people including students and adults from the community come out and dance to different Indian cultural music. MSU Raas team will be giving a special performance.

There's more information at Asha for Education (MSU chapter) website.

Saturday January 24th, Indian comedians at Music Hall! Be there or be square

So are you ready? For what you ask? Fun and laughter of course!

It's been a cold, snowy winter, the Deeeetroit economy is causing stress, spring is still a good 3.5 months away, and New Year's eve fun seems like many moons ago.

So take a break from the stressors of routine life and enjoy some laughter with these three young comedians who are coming to town on Saturday, January 24th, 2009.

Sugar Sammy, Dan Nainan, and Jazzmann are three young, handsome, and funny, funny, funny comedians of Asian Indian descent. If you're thinking "who", check out their videos on www.vindaloovandals.com. I also had the opportunity to record a podcast with each of them and you can listen to them on this site: http://miicc.com/podcasts.php.

Tickets are $25, $35, & $45 and are still available. Call Music Hall directly to order your tickets (ticket master has a huge service charge, ugh!). And if you are between the ages of 18-25, click here to buy tickets to the afterglow party.

So, guys and gals, be there or be square (you know what I mean)! See you Saturday, 8 pm sharp, Music Hall in Detroit!

Genetic Mutation causing Heart Attacks in Asian Indians?

This week's issue of the Nature Genetics journal states that at least 4% of Asian Indians carry a Genetic Mutation that virtually guarantees a heart attack in their later lives. It also states that one percent of the world's population is at risk due to the existence of this gene.

Other scary facts stated by the journal, Nature Genetics, are that:

• This mutation is only present in people from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia
  
• Asian Indians from the South and West are more prone to having this mutated gene than those from Northern India.

So it's not just the lack of exercise and eating habits that include sweets, ghee, and fried foods that can be blamed for the high occurrence of heart disease in Indians! Some of us can finally blame "the genes" and get away with it.

But do we want to just blame the genes? Or should we improve our lifestyle and eating habits?

As we get older, genetics or not, a balanced diet, regular exercise, and stress management are the key to a healthy life. The genetic mutation notwithstanding, make 2009 your best year ever by implementing some small changes in your lifestyle so that you can live a healthy lifestyle.

If you are wondering about me, I'm a good eater and I workout regularly. What I don't do too much of is manage stress. So my 2009 resolution is to manage my stress better by taking yoga and meditation classes. Hope you'll take small steps to improve the quality of your life too!

"Nick" DJ Tiger - Michigan Indian DJ

Meet, Harnek ‘Nick’ Braich aka Dj Tiger, a British born, Michigan based Dj/Producer/Dholi with over 10 years experience. Nick is the proud owner of Dj Tiger Production, a company which offers Dj’s, Dholi’s, Photographers, Videographers, Mehndi Services, Bhangra dance teams, Punjabi/Hindi Singers and full event management. Dj Tiger is ranked Michigan’s #1 Desi DJ plus America’s Premier DJ, and has been featured in Cineblitz Magazine, Real Detroit and India West.

Nick specializes in a range of music from Bhangra, Bollywood Hits, Hip Hop, Top 40’s, Reggaeton, and Club Remixes. He does a wide range of events from private parties, weddings, college events, and club parties. Being a true International DJ, Nick is fluent in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish. For all events, Nick always interacts with the crowd, plays custom music for your specific event and can MC to make sure you and your guess have a great night partying and just having fun.

In additional to the weekly events he does, Nick also releases an extensive array of remix CD’s which are available online and in many local Indian stores. Nick has released over 15 remixes CD’s and his two latest releases for 2009 are Bollywood Hit List 2; a remix cd which features bollywood hits remixed with bhangra and hip hop, and his other latest 2009 release is Club Bhangra 3; a non stop bhangra remixes CD which is features the latest and greatest bhangra tracks all remixed by Dj Tiger.

For DJ booking, contact Dj Tiger directly at 734-968-7444. He is also available via email at djtiger@djtiger.com plus you can visit his website for full information and do check out his online promotional video. Contact Dj Tiger for all your local and nationwide events.

Note: DJ Tiger is also the resident DJ at Mirchi (the new indian club/bar/resturant) in novi, and you can check out DJ Tiger on jan 23rd and jan 24th.

Our Condolences for the Tragic Death of Rajinderpal Singh Dhillon of Oakland Township

Rajinderpal Singh Dhillon (52) of Oakland Township was killed instantly on Monday January 5th, 2009 when a tow truck struck him on I-75 in Oakland County. According to Detroit Free Press

Dhillon was working on his vehicle, the make of which wasn’t immediately available, and had suddenly stepped into the right lane when he was struck by a wrecker driven by a 39-year-old Lansing man around 3:10 p.m. Dhillon was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The incident shut down southbound I-75 between Sashabaw and Joslyn roads in Independence Township for nearly four hours as authorities investigated.

State Police Trooper Jaci Raab said the incident remains under investigation, so it’s not known whether the wrecker driver might face charges.

Services were held last week. Paul Dhillon was a successful Certified Financial Planner and was the Principal of Dhillon Financial. He is survived by his wife and four sons.

Larry Sterzinger from Google - Guest Speaker at MIICC meeting on January 14th, 2009

Michigan Indian Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly meeting on January 14th, 2009 which will feature guest speaker Larry Sterzinger from Google.

I wish I could attend this meeting but personal reasons will prevent me from showing up.

The meeting will be held at Dykema Gossett Law Offices: 39577 Woodward, Bloomfield Hills, MI from 5.30 pm to 8.00 pm.

PLEASE register for the meeting by visiting MICC.

Call Nipa at 248-470-6299 or send email to admin@miicc.com with any questions you may have.

Have you heard of 313rd.com?

I did not until I read about it in metromedia.com

Raji Bedi a Southfield/Farmington resident has a

entertainment website 313rd.com He launched the website three years ago after graduating from the University of Michigan, where successfully promoted parties for four years at school. And he thinks facilitating social connections between 20- and 30-somethings might just help save Detroit. As he looked into the local social scene, he found that it was pretty difficult to uncover good, unbiased information about the restaurant and club scene. "It was hard to find basic information on what there is to do, so I decided to put it together myself," he says.

And 313rd was born.

So what exactly is 313rd.com about

The site provides everything from basic listings and maps to local hotspots to reviews, event ticketing and directions. There's a search function that allows users to enter cross streets or even to type in the name of a street and a nearby landmark so that you can find what you need. For example, let's say you're thinking of checking out a restaurant you once saw but can't remember its name. All you know is that it's near the Taco Bell on Woodward in Ferndale. 313rd.com allows you to type "Taco Bell", "Woodward" and "restaurant" and then generate a list of nearby eateries.

"The site is constantly evolving – it gets smarter as people use it," Bedi says. "We can tell if everyone is looking at specific nightclub and know that's the hot nightclub we should be promoting."

And now "The Coolest Desis of 2008" from outside Michigan

Yesterday I put out there a list of some of the outstanding Michigan Desis, and today I have mapped a list of "The Coolest 50 Desis of 2008" from outside Michigan.

(cross posted from mibazaar.com)

What is a desi?. Quoting Wikipedia:

The term "Desi" refers to a person of South Asian heritage, from either India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, or Maldives.

DesiClub.com has come out with its annual list of "Top 50 Coolest Desis of 2008". So where in the world are these "The Coolest Desis". Here's a look on Google Maps which shows the places where "The Coolest Desis" are from:

Jolly Auto Service in Berkley, Michigan

Jolly Auto Service owned by one of our community members Mr. Jag Singh, is a full service auto repair shop. They perform all repairs on Domestic and Foreign cars.

Please visit Jolly Auto Service at:
3280 West Eleven Mile Rd
Berkley, MI 48072 (phone no: 248-398-3000)

Hours:
M-F (8am - 5pm)
Sat (8:30am - 3pm)