Countdown 2011 - Three days to go

In just three days, under 72 hrs we will be saying bye bye to another year. Most people are planning to celebrate the arrival of the new year by attending parties, midnight drinking binges, dancing the night away, etc. What is the big deal about New Year, I still don't understand. Except for changing calendars, what else happens on January 1? Government's don't change; fiscal policies remain the same; elections don't take place; nothing changes in the solar system or in the universe. The earth continues to revolve around the sun. Sometimes I think New Year is just another excuse for people to party and for corporations to sell stuff in the name of new year. Then there is the New Year resolutions, most people in America resolve to exercise more and lose weight in the next 12 months. Who gets to benefit most from this resolution? The people who make and stick to the resolution benefit the most, no doubt, but they are not the ones who derive maximum benefit. Gyms, health clubs, personal trainers, coaches, sports clubs, nutritional supplement manufacturers and sellers, etc are the one's who make the real money at this time of year. People who wish to lose weight sign up for memberships to all these places and buy products, services that they hope will help them lose weight and attain a beautiful body - high school slim - that is what they call. I don't know when humans will give up this frenzy of event-based lifestyles and live according to what they need and when they need.

Happy Diwali 2011

Image by Jayesh Bheda via Flickr
Wishing all my readers, friends and family a very very happy Diwali 2011. May the year bring only light and no darkness in your life and if at all there is anything that is bothering you may the god bless you with enough joy that everything you touch becomes gold.

Diwali is the festival of joy, light, and the victory of good over evil. Every year it is one celebration that most Hindus don't miss. Now it has become so ubiquitous in India and the World at large that many non-Hindus have made it part of their culture to celebrate this festival of lights. The American Congress celebrates this festival as a official event. There are numerous Diwali parties that are happening across America in which several non-Indians, non-Hindus participate with full fervor.

Times of joy are to be shared and the happiness doubles for both the giver and the receiver. Let us promise ourselves that we will give out only joy to others from this day on. That would be the true spirit of Diwali 2011.

Liberty Fest, Farmers Branch

Today was the second day of the annual three-day Liberty Fest held at Farmers Branch, Texas. I came to know about the fest through some posters and decided to participate. Today's highlights were an outdoor expo which featured a lot of recreational vehicle marketers, two artificial outdoor rock climbing walls, a micro-mini petting zoo with all the farm animals, such as chicken, rabbits, pigs, calf, and a llama. These animals are so common in small towns and some areas of Indian cities but very very rare in US cities. The only place American-born children get to see live animals other than dogs, cats and fish.
My favorite section of the event was of course the car and motorcycle show featuring a wide array of metal steeds and monsters. I have personally almost given up the hope of ever riding a motorcycle again, but when I see a beautiful set of wheels I can't help but take a closer look and oogle at it.
Anyway enough of my chatter... here are some pictures of the Liberty fest.

Important Indian Events in Dallas

Dallas area has a fairly large Indian community... something or the other seems to be happening always. I try to keep abreast of different activities that take place in the area, if I don't attend it personally I end up reading about it on someone's blog or looking it up on a forwarded email and sometimes even on desi event sites. Couple of days ago I received this information about the Hasya Kavi Sammelan 2010. This is the third year in a row and according to the organizers the show has been sold out the past two years. I am quite sure this event will be enjoyed by Hindi speakers and listeners, I have viewed some programs on TV when I was in India. The Kavi Sammelan's are usually quite hilarious and also provide important lessons to society.

Details of the Dallas event are as follows:
Date: Friday, April 9th , 2010

Venue: DFW Hindu Temple, Irving

Ticket price: $25 at the gate but only $20 if purchased in advance. VIP tickets are $50

Presenter: International Hindi Association

And like most Indian events, first food and then show. The Kavi Sammelan is also serving Complimentary dinner for ticket holders and dinner is served from 5:45PM to 7:45 PM.

Show begins promptly at 8PM.

Happy Republic Day 2010

It is India's 60th Republic Day tomorrow (January 26), of course Indians in Dallas already celebrated the event on Saturday. The true celebration and the fantastic parade of the Indian army can be seen on TV. It is one of the grandest events in the Subcontinent. I have never attended one of the parades personally but have watched it on TV for several years.
Due to the terrorist threats from across the border the security measures have been heightened in Delhi in the past few years. I wonder why our neighboring country which got its everything from our country is so hell bent on fomenting terror. It is ironical that they broke away from India and instead of becoming a richer, prosperous nation they have degenerated into terrorism, regional strife and poverty. While India though experiencing hostile neighbors in all sides, terror attacks from more than one neighbor, and numerous internal problems has tread the path of national development and is slowly but surely emerging as a economic power. I wonder when the fanatic neighbors will realize this and start improving the quality of life of their citizens.
Anyway for now it is a very happy Republic Day to all of you.

Hectic Summer!!!

It has been over 10 days since I blogged. Not because nothing happened in my life but because too many things have been happening and there has been no time to do anything other than, work, school, home and trying to put together an event plan for a fund-raising bicycle rally for Sankara Eye Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to eradication of curable blindness in India. Hopefully if this event becomes successful then the organization SEF will gain popularity and earn some money which will help open eyes in India.

Meanwhile I found a part time job with a small enterprise, wonder how long this job will last. The previous part time job lasted three months before it got Bangalored. This job will definitely not get Bangalored but in America nothing is permanent. So I don't know how much I can rely upon my job. At least I am glad for one thing, this will help pay for my college fees for fall 2009.

On the education front, things are still uncertain. Though the worst grade I have got is a B (80-90%), the average student here gets an A. I hope at least this fall I will manage to make straight A's and once again make it to the Dean's list. Let us see what is in store for me in the next few months.

Back-to-School Fair in Dallas

I read about this wonderful initiative of the Dallas City Council in Dallas Morning News couple of days ago. The article showcased the annual Back-to-School Fair which attracted about 50,000 people (double from last year). During the fair people were handed out free school supplies, administered innoculations, given haircuts etc.

The initiative is primarily aimed at poor families who find it difficult to put their children through school. Through this initiative the parents get free supplies and feel less burdened. And with slumping economy in the US the numbers queueing up for dole is only going to get more.

This initiative was started in 1997 and is funded by the federal government and began as a drug prevetion program. But since the city identified other needs in the community they expanded it to include several other facets to the program. Like every other free offering there are simply too many people wanting to get them, for this fair too there were people who waited in the line for upto six hours so that they don't miss out on anything.

But something that really impressed me is the spirit of the people who attend and take help at such fairs. They know they are taking help and gratefully acknowledge it, and in the same breath they say that they want to become rich and sponsor such fairs. That is the spirit of enterprise which needs to be inculcated in every individual in the world.

I was wondering that in India we have lot of initiatives to give free stuff to school children. But most of them are centered around government schools and children who attend private schools are not beneficiaries of such initiatives. Moreover if an independent fair of this type were to be held it would attract people who can afford to buy supplies too and the real target of the program may not actually benefit. This shows an abject lack of self-respect and enterprise and a desire to get everything free from the government.

I wish things change sooner and we start developing quicker.