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eNews
A monthly communiqué
November 2016 No. 4
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IAGB Invites Members to Complimentary Holiday Luncheon
On Saturday, December 10, from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., India Association of Greater Boston will host a complimentary holiday luncheon for its life and annual members, supporters, sponsors, and community leaders, at Mehfil Restaurant, 1777 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA
.
In what promises to be a fun and relaxed afternoon, guests can mingle with each other, meet old friends, make new ones, network, and enjoy delicious cuisine. Guests will also have an opportunity to chat with IAGB's Executive Committee members, who generally work behind the scenes, and hear about the organization's accomplishments and plans for future events.
Seating is limited. RSVP by Monday, December 5, to reserve your place. Click on the names of one of the following IAGB officers to send an email, or give a call:
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IAGB's First-Ever Antakshari Highlights 68th Republic Day Event
IAGB is going all out with exciting plans for its Republic Day mela on Saturday, January 28, 2017. The highlight of IAGB's first-ever all-day event will be the antakshari competition. The mela will also feature several other contests and activities for a diverse audience of all ages and talents, including:
- Patriotic Theme Art
- Kite Making Competition
- Science Quiz for Kids
- Chess Tournament
- Geography Bee
- Patriotic Sonnet/Poem Writing
- Trivia Quiz
- Essay Competition
- Cultural Program
The contests will culminate with the grand finale of the antakshari competition. A program of group performances, of the kind that our audience expects to see every year, will follow the antakshari grand finale.
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Community Collaboration Meeting Yields Fruitful Discussion
IAGB held a Community Collaboration meeting on October 23 in Burlington. We had an animated discussion, focusing on IAGB's efforts to facilitate community-related information flow between the 65-plus organizations in New England. We also talked about the value of coordinating community-oriented events such as “Walk for Hunger” and the like. The following organizations sent representatives to the meeting:
- Saheli: Gouri Banerjee
- Old Martinian Association of New England: Sidharta Jeewan and Atri Girish
- LearnQuest Academy of Music and Hindi Manch: Pradeep Shukla
We were happy to receive attendees' feedback that the community appreciates the launch of IAGB's first monthly e-newsletter. One of the suggestions was that community organizations would help distribute the newsletter, in order to extend its reach. The group also identified community information sources such as the Consulate General of India in New York, the US State Department, and state-level departments from Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
We, at IAGB, are excited to receive the community's response to our collaboration initiative. We commit to hosting more such community collaboration meetings and events and will extend our invitation to include more organizations: social, cultural, educational, regional, and town-based.
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IAGB Participates in Community Meeting at Indian Consulate
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To further strengthen collaboration with community leaders, the Consulate General of India in New York invited association and community leaders for an informal interaction at the Consulate on October 10.
IAGB Director
Venu Rao
(second from right in picture above) represented IAGB at the session, which discussed future community activities as well as ideas for community development. Consul General Ambassador
Riva Ganguly Das
chaired the meeting.
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Saheli Launches Purple Purse Fundraising Challenge
In 2016, IAGB's affiliate Saheli launched a bold online fundraising challenge to new donors called the Purple Purse, in which over 250 domestic violence agencies nationwide reached out to supporters, friends and families for online donations. Agencies that raised the most received additional funding from the Allstate Foundation that underwrote the Challenge.
We are proud to report that Saheli raised $8,274 in October, and we expect some bonus funds to also be available soon. We thank you, our generous donors; your generosity means a lot to the women in Saheli's Economic Empowerment Program.
Three extraordinary young women on Saheli's team,
Amrith Fernandes-Prabhu
,
Shivangi Shah,
and
Katy Hurley,
not only managed the technical/web side of the campaign, but also created the images, videos, and messages. After the challenge launch, they called members at home to motivate them to donate, wrote letters and attended board meetings, working relentlessly for three weeks. Saheli thanks these wonderful women, without whose help it could not have participated in the Challenge.
Saheli also launched the first ever letter-writing campaign to past donors in November. Sahelis wrote letters to 200 friends and family members, who had not participated in Purple Purse. While donations continue to come in every week, they remind those who have not had a chance to donate that there is still time to do so. Saheli's Friends and Family challenge will continue through December 31.
Please consider donating to Saheli! We greatly appreciate your generosity, which will help a woman and child in our community to have peace and hope in the New Year.
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Natyaranga Presents Marathi Play at
NEMM: November 12
Natyaranga, a not-for-profit group, is staging a Marathi play "Char Chaughi," at the New England Marathi Mandal (NEMM) Diwali program on Saturday, November 12, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union Street, Marlborough, MA.
Written by the celebrated playwright Prashant Dalvi, Char Chaughi means "any four women." It is the story of a mother and her three daughters. The mother, facing impossible odds in a male-dominated society, fights for the right to make her own choices in life and raises her daughters to be independent, thoughtful and responsible individuals. The play was widely acclaimed and is considered to be ahead of its time.
The mother is played by Madhu Nene and the daughters are played by Rucha Deshpande, Suparna Joshi, and Eesha Ingle. The play is directed by Rahul Joshi.
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KEI Remembers Salman Dar at Complimentary Dinner: Nov. 12
The Kashmir Education Initiative (KEI) invites you to a complimentary fundraising dinner on Saturday, November 12, from 6 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. at Islamic Center of Boston, 126 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA.
The program includes the following:
- A brief tribute and prayer for a departed friend, Salman Dar. Salman was a popular singer who participated in Boston-area concerts.
- A slide show on the work of KEI.
- A presentation by KEI scholar Maheen of Wellesley College, and a brief fundraising effort.
- A keynote speech by Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, MD, about the role of religion and education in the Ebola crisis in Africa.
Check out the flyer above and click to RSVP.
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Free Seminar on
Indian Americans in Town Governance: Nov. 12
The Getting Involved Group (GIG) of Lexington is conducting a free seminar on Saturday, November 12, from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. at room # 237 of the Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington. The session is intended to educate the Indian American community on why and how to get involved in the activities and governance of the town. It will feature a keynote address by Jessie Steigerwald of the Lexington School Committee. All interested persons are welcome to attend this free event. Tea and light refreshments will be available.
Indian Americans of Lexington and the elected Town Meeting members collaborated to create GIG. The mission of GIG is to actively reach, educate and encourage other Indian Americans to participate in the governance of the Town of Lexington and its committees.
In 2014, six Indian Americans, including IAGB Director Syed Ali Rizvi, successfully ran for and were elected as Town Meeting members. The momentum increased in 2015, when five more Indian Americans were elected. The year 2016 is crucial for completing the cycle and building sustainability, as each Town Meeting member is normally elected for a three-year term. Additionally, there are many opportunities for Indian Americans to participate in town committees and contribute their skills. Reach out to GIG at ialgig.ma@gmail.com if you have any questions.
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Editor: Zehra Khan, IAGB Communications
Contributors: Avinash Patil, Venu Rao, Syed Ali Rizvi, Jayashree Voruganti
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