Lokvani is delighted to present the second set of community unsung heroes to be honored at the 3rd Annual Lokvani Community and Youth Night to be held on Dec. 7, 2019 at Ambrosia Banquet Hall in Foxborough, MA. Kirit and Rekha Upadhyaya, Yogesh Parikh and Jharna Madan are being recognized for their tireless support of community work. We humbly salute their work. In addition to honoring the heroes, the evening features great entertainment, a lovely feast and DJ dancing. Buy your tickets for the heroes night. Come celebrate the holidays with us!
Kirit Upadhyaya and Rekha Upadhyaya
The dynamic duo Kirit Upadyaya and Rekha Upadyaya are long time very dedicated and compassionate volunteers of Shishu Bharati. They both have been volunteering from day one in 1976 and both have made very profound contributions to Shushu Bharati’s success and mission. Both have played various roles and were there all the time, all these 43 years, every weekend, and at every major milestones, teaching (Gujarati), culture. No job is small or big, but very important for them. For instance, Kirit has been volunteering and heading the snack for the kids at the break (between language and culture class), and the two snack teams simultaneously. Our big events (Explore India etc., where all three-locations 2,000 people gather to celebrate India’s proud heritage and culture, Kirit is the architect and planner of the event, while Rekha leads and executes the decorations, stage and other esthetic planning. They both play very important role and serve as role models, mentors and stand and create the great volunteer sprit. Kirit even indulges 3-4 year children (while their older siblings are in the class), in the joy of volunteering at snack section. Of course, A number of you have seen those children enjoy that opportunity Kirit provides.
The volunteerism and serving is in their blood, as they not only serve at Shishu Bharati but also at many other organization. Rekha’s service includes IAGB - events and special programs, Gurjar Association - events, Satsang - events, meal program, Pinestreet inn shelter, Framingham Callahan senior center, Swaminaryan temple - teaching balvika and as a Domestic violence advocate, while Kirit has volunteered with Satsang temple, Jain center, Swaminaryan temple and at Pinestreet inn - a homeless shelter.
So, much so even when Kirit was admitted in the hospital, Rekha still used to come to Shishu Bharati, and Kirit was at Shishu Bharati soon after he was out of the hospital. This truly shows how much dedication, passion, and compassion they have for serving Shishu Bharati and helping hundreds of students and their family to learn, cherish and be proud of Indian Languages and proud Heritage.
Yogesh Parikh Yogesh Parikh has served our community through Indian Circle for Caring USA Inc. for the past seven years. He has contributed to various initiatives such as conducting workshops for Health Care Proxy and Living Will; leadership role in Special Needs initiative and yet to be announced initiative for Lifestyle Center to mitigate the risks of Heart Disease and Diabetes. Yogesh promotes and presents ICC initiatives and activities at various social forums to increase the community awareness for ICC mission, objectives, and accomplishments.
He particularly values his role in serving individuals and families as a volunteer during challenging times. Working with families during their acute and chronic emergencies has been - and continues to be - his primary focus at ICC. He is involved in planning and coordinating care as well as facilitating, and providing support during hospitalization, hospice care, and “final ritesâ€. His comforting support and caring presence makes a huge impact and leaves a lasting impression at such a critical time for the lives he touches.
He has served India Society of Worcester (ISW) in various capacities including its President (1999-2000). He is also active in various other social activities.
Yogesh has been in the US since 1969 and has made Massachusetts is his home as a professional and now in retirement. As a professional he has worked in senior management positions in High Tech Industry with a distinguished career spanning over 37 years. He earned his Master Degree in Industrial Engineering from Delaware.
He and his wife Pallavi live in Hudson. They have two daughters, a son-in-law and two delightful grandchildren. He enjoys the Great American Outdoors and, when not with his grandchildren, he looks for travel opportunities to explore and experience the wonders of nature.
Jharna Madan
Jharna Madan served one of the five members of the Hindi Manch Steering Committee, which has led the organization and its activities. She heads the Publicity/Marketing, Baal Yuva Vibhag, Vendor Management and Welcome/Registration/Decoration departments for Hindi Manch.
She is committed to the cause of the organization and is a very dedicated and hard-working volunteer and leader. Her is work is always very creative and elegant. She helps everyone and is liked and respected by everyone in the organization. Her presence brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to any team.
In 2018, Hindi Manch hosted its first ever 3-day Hindi Manch Rashtriya Mahotsav – a national festival of Hindi in the US. Everyone who attended the event called it the beginning of a new and incredible tradition in the US, to support the noble cause for our language and culture. It was a mega Mahotsav (event) with 16 large scale events and more than 1500 audience members during the three days and included 357 committee members. Jharna’s leadership made this event possible and Hindi Manch is steadily reaching new heights.
In addition to Hindi Manch, Jharna helps many non-profit organizations in the New England area. She is also the Boston area anchor for TV ASIA. Overall, Jharna is a great community leader in the New England area and works hard to promote the community.
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