Anuja Rajendra of BollyFit featured in Detroit Free Press

In a article titled "Inventive routines make the right workout for hard times" in yesterday's Detroit Free Press, Erin Chan writes about a talented Michigan Indian - Anuja Rajendra of Bollyfit.

A class called "Bollyfit" in Ann Arbor merges culture and fitness by incorporating Bollywood dance into workouts. Designed by Ann Arbor resident Anuja Rajendra, the class puts a fitness emphasis on the choreography and upbeat movements of the dances Bollywood movies made famous.

The dancers learn some steps each week, and by the end of an eight-week session, they will have pieced together a complete dance.

At the front of the room, Rajendra, a lithe mother of two, leads the women in a series of sweat-inducing hand gestures (mudras), half-sits (araimandis) and other moves that, once put together, form a routine during the 6-minute song.

"One of the hardest things I do," she says, "is achieving the right balance of dance, fitness and accessibility."

Raised in Okemos, Rajendra, 36, began her training in classical Indian dance 30 years ago. For years, she performed with her two older siblings as the Rajendra Sisters Dance Troupe.

The dancing stopped when one sister, Rachana Rajendra, was killed in a car accident at the age of 27. For the next decade, Rajendra shoved dance aside.

"Just the idea of dancing," she says. "There wasn't joy in it."

That changed a couple of years ago, after the birth of her second son. She had gained 60 pounds with her first pregnancy and 45 pounds with her second, and "I was literally waddling around and looking for a way to get healthy again," she says.

"I started dancing, and not only was the weight coming off, but the joy was coming back. A spark that had been gone started re-emerging."

When friends wanted to learn, that prompted Rajendra to begin teaching a class at the YMCA two years ago. It became so popular that she parlayed the concept into Bollyfit and teaches twice a week in Ann Arbor and once a week in Plymouth.

The classes possess a peaceful, free-flowing feel. The routine's moves are not fixed and the people who attend often vote on them.

The classes have a sisterly quality -- Rajendra describes a move by shouting, "The legs move, but the hips get the credit!" -- and have drawn mostly women. Rajendra says men are welcome and could get their own class, like the one she will offer for toddlers within the coming months.

The women in the class say the social appeal mixed with the unorthodox workout keeps them interested.

"You feel like you're with a group of friends," says Deasha Perry, 22, of Ypsilanti. "I don't even think about it being exercise until the end, when I'm all wet and my muscles ache."

MIBAZAAR gets a NICE mention in Detroit Free Press

Mike Wendland of Detroit Free Press has written a very nice (very....generous) article about me and my work here at MIBAZAAR. Click here to read Mike's article at Detroit Free Press.

Click here for more coverage on MIBAZAAR, in print media and on the web.

Careful!! - Mike's Hard Lemonade is not your plain Nimboo Pani

Christopher Ratte is a tenured professor of classical archeology at the University of Michigan. This means (quoting Detroit Free Press)

on a given day, he's more likely to be excavating ancient burial sites in Turkey than watching "Dancing with the Stars" -- or even the History Channel, for that matter.

Christopher goes to Comerica Park (downtown Detroit) with his 7 year old son. At Comerica Park he stops by at the concession stand which has a sign (shown in the image) to buy lemonade for his son. Considering the Professor's background I doubt if he realised that the lemonade had alchohol in it.

So he buys Mike's Hard Lemonade for his son. His nightmare starts now. Some snitch in the stands complained to the Comerica Park security guard. The Security Guard then escorted Dad and son out of the stands to a police station where it was decided that the professor's son had to be checked out at the Children's Hospital. What happens next (from Detroit Free Press)

an ER resident who drew Leo's blood less than 90 minutes after he and his father were escorted from their seats detected no trace of alcohol.

"Completely normal appearing," the resident wrote in his report, "... he is cleared to go home."

But it would be two days before the state of Michigan allowed Ratte's wife, U-M architecture professor Claire Zimmerman, to take their son home, and nearly a week before Ratte was permitted to move back into his own house.

Read more on this story at Detroit Free Press.

It was a colossal overreaction by the State. Now if the Dad really wanted to give alchohol to this son why would he do it in front of thousands of people at Comerica Park?

Canton Hindu Temple allowed to rebuild

Despite a strong opposition from the residents of the area, the Canton Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday (4/22/2008) to approve the rebuilding of the Hindu Temple.

The plan is to tear down the existing temple and construct a larger one in the center of the oblong lot on Cherry Hill just east of Canton Center Road. (via Detroit Free Press)

More Arrests made in Brij and Aasha Chabbra Murder case

Detroit Free Press is reporting that FBI agents have arrested two more individuals in connection with the murder of Brij and Aasha Chhabra.

FBI agents took Narayan Thadani and Douglas Tabor into custody in the Houston, Texas area on federal charges of conspiracy to commit murder in conjunction with the slayings of Birj Mohan Chhabra, 65, and his wife, Aasha Chhabra, 56. The couple was found dead Tuesday inside their Troy home.

Thadani and Tabor are awaiting an appearance before a federal magistrate in Houston. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit and Detroit FBI Office anticipate their extradition to Detroit to face federal charges in this case in the near future.

Now a total of 4 individuals are in custody in the brutal killing of Brij and Aasha Chhabra. Miguel Angel Servando and Nelson Mendoza who were arrested earlier in Michigan and now Narayan Thadani and Douglas Tabor who were taken into custody in Houston.

Note:
Aasha Chhabra had filed a lawsuit in 2006 against Thadani, a life-long friend in Texas, whom she had hired to manage her assets in India. The couple accused the man of mismanaging their assets, according to court documents. The case still is pending.

Ron Shahani of Northville, MI featured in Detroit Free Press

Ron Shahani, one of our community members is featured in today's (12/16/2007) Detroit Free Press.

Ron Shahani is the founder and President of Acro Service Corp. which is located in Livonia, MI. Acro has grown from a staffing company with a single client to a $100-million multinational company.

Some quotes from the Detroit Free Press Article:

In May, Shahani was honored by the Detroit Regional Chamber as an Emerging Global Leader. In March, he was one of 10 representatives from the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership who went to India to promote Detroit as an excellent business location.

When asked what will improve the Business Climate in Michigan, this is what Mr. Shahani had to say

"We must diligently work to revive the auto industry, while at the same time, and this is key, work to rapidly grow alternative industries in Michigan. We should take an interest in the auto industry's issues, and if we are in a position to do so, buy at least one American car per family, so we can experience the tremendous improvements that have been made. In terms of growing alternative industries, I think we should aim to make Michigan the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. Lastly, I think we need to accelerate the revival of Detroit, making it a desirable place for anyone to safely live, work and have fun."

"Bump and Pump" Scam at Detroit Area Gas Stations

Today's Detroit Free Press is reporting that some bad elements in our society have come up with a new scheme to rob you at the Gas Station. Here is how it works.

• A supposedly good Samaritan approaches you, offering to pump gas for you while you sit in the car
• When your car is filled up, the good Samaritan asks you to move forward as there is another car behind you
• Remember the good Samaritan does not hang up the nozzle
• The car behind you is the good Samaritan's buddy
• If you don't pull your car forward, then the good Samaritan's buddy begins nudging your car forward. When you finally pull away, the lowlife begins fueling the car driven by his buddy.

Moral of the Story:
Fill it up yourself! (ALWAYS!)

Quicken Loans to move headquarters from Livonia to Detroit

Detroit gets a boost. Quicken Loans announced today that it is moving its headquarters from Livonia to Detroit. The move involving approximately 4000 employees will take 3-4 years. Dan Gilbert Chairman and CEO of Quicken Loans has (via Detroit FreePress)

contractually promised the city that he will make a final decision within the next 12 months between two possible sites for the new Quicken headquarters – a 2-acre parcel above the Premier Garage on the site of the former J.L. Hudson’s store, and a site off Grand Circus Park that once housed the now-
demolished Statler and Tuller hotels and vacant United Artists Theater.

Fly to Premier Garage Location, Detroit in Google Earth or view in Google Maps.

Fly to Statler Hotel site (now demolished), Detroit in Google Earth or view in Google Maps.

Michigan India Chamber of Commerce launched

Detroit Free Press is reporting that one of our community members Nipa Shah has just launched Michigan India Chamber of Commerce.

Quoting the Free Press article:

She launched the chamber envisioning a networking organization that would benefit the Asian-Indian community in business and other areas. She has signed up seven members in the first month of operation and hopes to quickly reach 25.

"The Michigan India Chamber is not just for business owners," says Shah, who earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Bombay and an MBA from Lawrence Technological University. "It's also for individuals, homemakers, companies, youth and those who aspire to be entrepreneurs."

She wants her organization to become a resource center to meet the education, mentoring and networking needs of the Asian-Indian community.

Ajay Murthi of Oakland Township, MI killed in a car crash with a Street Sweeper

Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ajay Murthi, 38 of Oakland Township who was driving a Porsche, died from injuries sustained in a car crash at Livernois, south of Walton, in Rochester Hills late Thursday (August 30, 2007).

Quoting Detroit Free Press:

Ajay Murthy was driving a 2004 Porsche northbound on Livernois just before 11 p.m. when he ran into the back of a street sweeper truck, according to the sheriff’s office. Murthy was transported to Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A passenger in the Porsche — Jayabalan Kunjunni, 62, of Canton — was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where he is listed in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office.

Police say they believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Southfield based Nadanta featured in Detroit Free Press

Nadanta Dance Troupe based out of Southfield, MI is featured in today's Detroit Free Press.

The Freee Press article written by EMILIANA SANDOVAL talks about Chaula Thacker and how she started Nadanta. Here's a quote from the article:

Nadanta was founded in 1980 by dancer Chaula Thacker and her husband, Bharat. She's a native of the Gujarat region of India, where she studied dance and microbiology. When she moved to Michigan, she began teaching dance and yoga, letting science fall by the wayside. She also is a storyteller.

The Southfield-based Nadanta -- the name means cosmic dance of Shiva -- has performed throughout the Midwest and in Denmark, Spain and what was then the Soviet Union. Shiva is a Hindu god who is the lord of dance.

Of the eight styles of Indian classical dance, Chaula Thacker focuses on bharata natyam.

"I wanted to teach something that uses everything from head to toe. There are hundreds of hand gestures. It's a 5,000-year-old art. That's what they study, but for competition, they're doing folk dance. Each province of India has different folklore and art."

Recently Nadanta's Team took part in midwest and nationals dance competitions and did pretty good.