Our Voice and Yours……...
September is a busy month. Summer vacations are over; children are back into schools and the rush of activity creeps up slowly on us. At Lokvani too, there is a constant buzz as we try to bring the best of the New England community through our website and our bi monthly ezine.
It is at times like these that you actually relate to your readers on a one to one level. Starting this issue we launch yet another regular feature – ‘Our Voice and Yours’ or so to speak. We hope to pause and share a personal moment with our reader in this column and talk about what inspires or affects us most besides an overview of what the ezine holds for you.
At the community level, we sadly report the passing away of Prashant Fadia, CEO of Abacus Software and a fine human being. We offer our condolences to his wife Saloni, his family and well wishers. Death snatches away at unexpected moments those near and dear to us and leaves a void that is so hard to fill. Fadia had invited Lokvani to attend a celebration event on Sunday Sept 11, 2005 and it is hard to believe that he is no longer with us.
The impact of Katrina has been felt deeply by Indian students in New Orleans. Those without social security numbers have had a hard time getting help. PAN-IIT Tie and other organizations are pitching in to help. You can help by going to http://www.lambdanets.com/katrina/
Moving on, we have two interesting people we would like you to meet, Jay Tuli, and Prasanthi Gandhi. Tuli, a New England native talks about his multimedia company motionflicks.com and Gandhi highlights the work of her organization SAATHII USA, which is leading a concerted effort to combat the AIDS disease in India.
We have all your favorite features, Bollywood Baatein, Technology, jokes, recipes, film and book reviews and events….. Oh yes ! Plenty of good events not to be missed.Also keep in mind that Lokvani's annual College workshop is scheduled on October 16th at Tufts university . A great resource for college going students and lots of free advice. So spread the word !
Now for the inspired moment: This week, we are heartened to learn that the NYC City Council held a hearing this Tuesday about a piece of legislation that would make Diwali part of the city's official "parking calendar." If successful, the bill would mean that Diwali would join the long roster of holidays (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) on which New Yorkers would be allowed to suspend the so-called "alternate side of the street" parking rules.
To anyone who has been to New York or has been a New Yorker, this is a big deal. Such legislation helps not only New York but will be a symbolic victory to all Indians and may translate to other recognitions as well in future.
You can make a difference too. Send letters of support to City Council Member John Liu, Chair, and Committee on Transportation by fax to 212.788.8964 or email to infhom@council.nyc.gov.
Enjoy this issue! Till then "Cheers"!
Lokvani team
Nirmala Garimella, Ranjani Saigal, Anil Saigal and Anoop Kumar
www.lokvani.com
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