Gandhi Jayanti Celebration in Canton, MI

What is Gandhi Jayanti?

It is a national holiday celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the "Father of the Nation"

Canton Cultural Commission Multicultural Committee is organizing "Gandhi Jayanti Celebration" a FREE family event on Friday October 2nd, 2009. This event is scheduled for Friday October 2nd, 2009 at the Village Theater at Cherry Hill, 50400 Cherry Hill Road, Canton, MI 48187. The doors open at 6.30 PM.

The Keynote Speaker for this event is Dr. Madav Deshpande - Professor of Sanskrit and Hinduism at the University of Michigan.

Amit Paul comes to Michigan

Bichitra Inc is sponsoring Indian Idol sensation Amit Paul's visit to Michigan on Friday October 2nd. Amit Paul will be live in concert on October 2nd at West Bloomfield High School located at 4925 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323-2964Auditorium from 8 pm to 10 pm.

For tickets call Paula Gangopadhyay, president of Bichitra Inc at 248-305-3051. Tickets for Students is discounted and can be purchased by calling

• Michigan State University - Easha Kumar (517-285-2503)
• University of Michigan - Reejuta Joshi (248-739-9230)
• Wayne State University Tanuka Dutta (tanuk@wayne.edu)

Here's Amit Paul singing Nasha Yeh Pyar Ka - Awesome!!

Mumbai - A Short tour in Google Earth

Here's a video I created of Mumbai as seen in Google Earth. Some of the buildings are in 3-D like Gateway of India, Bombay Stock Exchange, Air India Building and the 5 star hotels which were attacked by terrorists last year. Also seen in 3-D is the newly constructed Bandra-Worli sea-link.

Stop Domestic Violence Walkathon on October 3, 2009

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. So MAIFS (Michigan Asian Indian Family Services) is organizing a 5K walkathon to end domestic violence in our community. Domestic violence does take place in our South Asian community. Eighty percent of calls received by MAIFS on their helpline is related to domestic violence. Domestic violence refers to a pattern of physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse inflicted by one partner over another in a relationship.

The 5K walkathon event is scheduled for October 3rd, 2009 at Rochester Muncipal Park, 400 6th Street, Rochester MI 48307. Sign in is from 8 AM - 10 AM and then there is family fun activities (face painting, raffles, mehndi and more) from 10 AM - 1 PM.

For more details including registration please visit MAIFS website.

Bharatiya Temple offers FREE Health Plan

WXYZ is reporting that Bharatiya Temple, located in Troy, MI is offering FREE Health Plan to unemployed and uninsured through its SEVA Program.

Lalit Sehti, a member of the SEVA committee at the temple wanted to find a way for the Hindu community to make a difference in the society at large. So with this goal the temple recruited dozens of doctors and dentists to take on 2 patients a month for free. Even mental health professionals have signed on.

One of the doctors is Dr. Bindu Suresh who volunteered for the program. This is what she had to say “I can see in my own patients, they don’t come in or they wait a long time before they come in, not filling their prescriptions. I wanted to do something to give back to the society because I’ve lived in Detroit for a long time.”

This program is open to everyone and not just the members of Indian Community. You or a family member just have to be temporarily out of work and without health insurance.

The SEVA Hotline number is 248-341-3727.

Vivekananda Camp 2009 at Pendalouan, MI

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (Michigan Chapter) along with VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) organized a 2 1/2 Days Vivekananda Camp from September 4th to September 7th at YMCA Camp at Pendalouan (north of Muskegan, MI). Approximately 40 families attended this camp. (I have added some photos at the end of this post).

This was our first camping experience. It was just awesome. We all had lots of fun and weather was just perfect. The organizers had planned lot of activities which included Boating, Horse Riding, Hiking, Campfire, Wall climbing.

If you want to get involved with activities of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh in Michigan, please contact Alka at alka77[at]aol[dot]com. The organization conducts Balagokulam classes where kids get to appreciate their cultural roots through games, yoga, stories, bhajans, shlokas, arts and crafts.

Miss Michigan USA (2010) contestant(s)

Meet Miss Nikki Shah, a contestant from the Michigan Indian Community for "2010 Miss Michigan USA" pageant which will be held on September 18-19 at Mcmorran place theater, Port Huron, MI.

Nikki Shah (20) is a Junior at Wayne State University, majoring in Theater and Performing Arts. Nikki has been modeling for local boutiques for last 2 years. Nikki recently participated in a fashion show for brand name "Ed hardy".

Best Wishes to Nikki for the upcoming "2010 Miss Michigan USA" pageant. The winner of 2010 Miss Michigan USA Pageant will represent Michigan in the upcoming (Spring 2010) "Miss USA Pageant".

Do you know any other contestants from Michigan Indian Community taking part in the upcoming Pageant, then do let us know here.

Networking Dinner Cruise on September 15th, 2009

Michigan International Chamber of Commerce is organizing a "Networking Dinner Cruise" on board the Infinity Yacht which will cruise the Detroit River for 2 1/2 hours. This is scheduled for Tuesday September 15th 2009 from 6.00 pm to 10 pm. The cost is $99 which includes an elaborate dinner, open premium bar and sumptuous desserts.

The goal as mentioned in the event brochure is to "facilitate 'effective' networking between business owners and community leaders". The chamber has confirmed participation from a leading political and business power broker from Washington D.C. Other invitees include entrepreneurs as well as business and community leaders from Michigan and outside of Michigan.

Please call MIICC at (248) 470-6299 for more details about this event.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visits Michigan on September 17th, 2009

Oakland University presents as part of their Varner Vitality Seminar Series, an evening with the Former President of India - Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 7.30 p.m. (doors open at 5.30 p.m.). The Varner Vitality Lecture Series is designed to sustain the scholarly aspirations of the university community while enhancing, invigorating and uniting university life.

This event will be held at Oakland Univeristy O'rena, Rochester, Michigan. Lecture is open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited. For more information call (248) 370-2090 or visit Oakland University website.