Post on 12-Mar-2016
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Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Life is a journey. The path we take, what we look back
on, and what we look forward to, is up to us. We determine
our destination. It has indeed been a long and enriching
journey of 50 years. We are gathered here today to
celebrate the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Indian
Association of North Texas (IANT). Your presence is a
source of inspiration and encouragement for us and I
extend a hearty welcome to you all. On this momentous
occasion, as I take you down memory lane, I am reminded
of what Winston Churchill once said. I quote “You know
you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so
far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of
the climb”. I begin this glorious journey with a historical
perspective.
In 1962, exactly 50 years ago a few like-minded people
of Indian origin realized the need for an organization
that would strive for the needs, their welfare and a binding
of both culture and social ties. This very thought brought
us to where we are today. The IANT has grown through
the time in the DFW area with the growing needs of the
Indians and in accordance to its vision, IANT has proven
to be a binding force of a nation that delivers multi-faceted
people.
Friends. What would IANT be without your support! Today,
it gives me immense pleasure to say that IANT has its
own building in the heart of the metroplex – Richardson!
Our board actively supports and organizes social issues
like environment, relief and cultural programs like Anand
Bazaar, and India Nite. IANT has produced some of the
finest leaders’ right from the inception of the organization
and I stand tall, beaming with pride to own the dias to
express these views with each of you. I would be failing in
my duty if I do not express my gratitude to all those who
have helped in making this organization a cherished and
vibrant one. As many of them continue to support and
inspire us we will ever remember them with love and
gratitude. Friends, let me take a moment here and extend
my gratefulness to few organizations without which IANT
wouldn’t have come this far.
National Federation of Indian-American Associations
(NFIA) which is an umbrella organization to many Indian
associations here in America. Asian American Hotel
Owners Association (AAHOA) a vivacious Indian business
community, Global Organization of People of Indian
Origin (GOPIO) again a global umbrella organization
of Indian associations. American Association of Physicians
of Indian origin (AAPI) a forum that facilitates patient care
and research.
I would like to make a special mention about the
nationwide Centennial Celebrations of Gadar movement
that are being undertaken by the National Coordination
Council, an informal bonding of the four largest Indian
American Associations: NFIA, GOPIO, AAPI and AAHOA
and IANT is proud to launch these celebrations today
with AAPI’s Texas chapter TIPS.
My choicest words of acknowledgment go to Ms.
Shabnam Modgil Chair of Board of Trustees and her team,
Mr. Jack Godwani immediate past president, Mr. Loknath
Patro president-elect, other office bearers and directors
of IANT, the corporate advisory board that oversees the
strategic planning.
I am sure you will extend your wholehearted support and
co-operation to IANT in the years to come as we march
ahead into a new dawn with renewed vigor and hope. I
would like to conclude with these lines.
“It’s in our hands, we cannot know what will occur.
Just make our journey worth the taking and pray
we’re wiser than we were, in the beginning now we
begin.”
God Bless us all! Jai Hind!!!
Dr. Sridhar R KorsapatiPresident - IANT
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Dear Friends,
“Rivers know this; there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
We sometimes call 50 years 5 decades, but half a century sounds better.
Half way to a hundred, and even though a lot of us today will not be present to see that milestone, we
resolve to celebrate this one in a big way, for it is never to return.
There are 3 things we cannot recover in life!
The WORD after it is said.
The MOMENT after it is missed.
And the TIME after it is gone.
On this golden occasion, all of us here in the North Texas region, felicitate and bring cheer.
We thank you for celebrating this wonderful achievement with us, and we are very proud of the grace and
dignity with which we have reached here, carrying out our duties, each one representing the whole
Association.
We have reached our goals by looking forward, pulling together, uniting our strength as a community, in
the name of India, our motherland, and the USA, our home now.
The commemoration of 50 years of the India Association of North Texas is also an opportunity to officially
and personally thank those that have made this possible with their loyalty and hard work.
Vince Lombardi said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination
that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
You all are winners. But winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a
while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.
So let’s continue that habit....for we still have far to go, and we will only be able to do this all together
When we flatter each other, we may not believe one another with our whole heart. When someone
criticizes you, you may not like that person too much. If one ignores you, you may be bothered by it. But
when someone encourages you, you will never forget that person.
So let us each try to be an encouragement to the one next to you, and in that way we will keep that chain
going....
Happy Golden Jubilee!!!!
God Bless America,
and Jai Hind!!!Shabnam ModgilChair - Board of Trustees
India Association of North Texas
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Message from theChair of the Board of Trustees
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I strongly believe in "service to mankind is service to god". We as physicians can fulfill our noble intentions
through patient care. I am proud to be associated with "Texas IndoAmerican Physician Society", as our
organization provides free care to patients who cannot afford to pay for their health care through our
charity clinic. I would like to thank Dr. Kamna Kapil, Dr. Raj Kakarla, Dr. Maryada Reddy, Dr. Anup Shetty,
Dr. Prasanna Kumar and all the other physicians and volunteers for their hard work and dedication in
running the charity clinic.
I was anxious about my ability to carry forward this great organization's goals, but the task was easy with
the help of the team of office bearers and the exucutive committee . I would like to thank the president
elect Dr. Srini Potluri and his team in making the CME program a grand success with more than 100
attendees this year. I would also like to thank Dr. Anup Shetty and his team for organizing the annual
health fair at the Hindu temple and Gurudwara. My special thanks to Drs. Ashwini Agarwal and Nabeel
Syed for their time and effort in assisting me with various activities of TIPS.
I take great pride in raising funds for our national organization AAPI through the Shreya Ghoshal concert.
I would like to thank Dr. Narendra Kumar the president of AAPI for giving me the opportunity to be part of
his efforts to make AAPI a more vibrant and progressive organization. Special thanks to IANT president
Dr. Sridhar Korsapati, Shabnam Modgil and the board of IANT for the collaborative effort in raising funds
for AAPI, TIPS and IANT. It was a wonderful experience working with the Shreya Ghoshal concert steering
committee and I sincerely appreciate all the dedication and hard work of the members. My heart swells
with pride to see all organizations and communities coming together for a noble cause.
In this world of interdependence, in order for our chapters to survive, we need the members to step up and
volunteer. I urge all our members to actively participate and set an example for the younger physicians to
join our proud and vibrant organization. My dream for TIPS is to become self sufficient, procure its own
office and clinic in the near future.
Last but not the least I would like to thank my wife Sunita and my kids, Shreya and Rahul for their support,
without which I could not have spent countless hours in planning and executing the TIPS events over the
last year
Truly
Srinivas R Gunukula MD. FACC.
Dr. Srinivas R Gunukula
President'sMessage
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2012 marks the fiftieth year of the founding of the
India Association of North Texas, more popularly
known as IANT. As the organization celebrates its
Golden Jubilee, we reflect upon the past decades of
its existence and the challenges it has overcome to
emerge as one of the most vibrant Indian communities
in the United States of America. Throughout the years
stalwarts emerged to give leadership and cohesiveness
at every point in the course of time. I share some of
my thoughts of the heroes of our organization in
recognition of their sterling contributions to maintain
and sustain our Indian heritage in our new adopted
homeland, the united States of America.
After almost a decade of gestation, at first a modest
community of immigrants of Indian origin felt the
growing need to organize itself due to the substantial
increase in their numbers. In 1962, The India
Association of North Texas was born to give voice and
substance to an increasingly professional viable
segment of the national society, in the region of North
Texas.
It all began when a hand full of nostalgic professional
Indians in a new economic and social
environmentfound themselves in a bonding community
to be remindful of their common heritage and
traditions.
List of persons in order in which they came to Dallas
area. to the best of my knowledge.
Late Iqebal Singh, 1955-56,
Late MeghbaranNaraine,(1957)
Late Nagi Rao 1960-61
( I never saw him in IANT Meetings)
Prof C.H. Kapadia SMU in 1962
EARLY HISTORY OFINDIA ASSOCIATION OF NORTH TEXAS
AMAL MUKHERJEE, PRESIDENT, IANT, 1979
Mrs. Olivia White (1963-64)
Mr. Kumar Pallana and Ranjana Pallana of
Yoga Center in 1963-64
Late Mr. Vasudeorao 1964-65
Dr. MohendirBawa (A Scientist at TI- never attended
IANT) A retiree living in Plano area.
Mr. SudeshArora (Engineer in Petrolium Industry)
A retiree lives in Plano Trustee in DFWHTS.
Mr. Ashok Khilanani An Engineer in TI -1965
Mr. SabuShaikh, Hamid Khan, Jagadish Prabhakar
in Late 1965 and early 1966.
Mr. KishinSurtani June 1966
Dr. P.B. Ghate , sept 1966.
Prof. Soma Gupta Joined SMU injune 1967
Prof M.D. Srinath joined SMU in Sept 1967
Mr. Gandhi Desai, Mr. ManojPatel 1966 onwards,
Prof. Narayan Bhat Joined SMU in 1969
Dr. K.S. Rajagopalan arrived in Dallas in 1969
I am sure I have missed some others.
It is with great reverence that we honor the contributions
and memories of the late Dr. Nagi Rao andVasadeva
Rao whose imprints in the 1950’s are still felt. It was
the era of the movie famous Kumar Pallana. At that
juncture in time, 1957, MeghbaranNaraine, my late
father- in- law of then British Guyana, South America,
a descendant of Indian immigrants found permanence
in Dallas, Texas.With the help and corporation of civic
like-minded individuals of the caliber of Dr.C.H.
Kapadia of the Department of Statistics of the Southern
Methodist University, Dallas, Professor Raj of the
Biology Department of the same University,indomitable
Iqbal (Ike) Singh Sekhon , SabuShaikh, KishanSurtani,
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Ashok Khilnani, JagdishPrabhakar, Hamid Khanand
Ghates from fromDallasandIshwarBhately, Bhushan
Bajaj, and Dr.Mahendru from Fort Worth harnessed
the individual energies striving for Indian community
recognition and identity into an organized body. The
aforementioned individuals must be credited as
founders of what is today the vibrant and nationally
recognized India Association of North Texas.
The year was 1962 and the emergent growing
community of people of Indian origin sought out the
leadership of Ike Sekhon. With the overwhelming
support of his Indian Diaspora residents in North Texas,
“Ike” as IqbalSekhon was popularly referred to,
became the de facto leader and was officially elected
as the first President in 1962 of the then nascent body.
The India Association of North Texas today has
blossomed into the encompassing umbrella of over
fifty affiliated organizations representing diverse
groups of people of Indian origin. It maintains its
original objectives of a non-profit organization serving
the multiple professional, socio economic and cultural
interests in the North Texas region of the State of Texas.
As we celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of IANT’s
existence, we ponder on the common bond that holds
members to their Motherland, India. This common
bond that brought the founders together fifty years
ago holds strong while in no way compromise their
members’ patriotism to their adopted new homeland,
India’s sister democracy, The United States of America.
The incentive for the formalization of an organized
forum to bring the Indian Diaspora in the North Texas
region were the visits of Indian dignitaries who would
visit the DallasMertoplex. Most notable of these of
whom the Diaspora had the privilege to honor was
the first President of India, and world renowned scholar
and philosopher, His Excellency Dr. S. Radhakrisnan
who visited in the formative years of the sixties. Their
Excellencies, India’s Ambassadors to the United States,
B.K.Nehru and M.C.Chagala also gave credence to
the need for an a statutory body representing the
common interests of Indian immigrants resident in the
North Texas region. His Excellency Ambassador
T.N.Kaul visited in the 1972- 1973 presidency of Mr.
NalinSoni. He met with Dr. P.B.Ghate, Ike
Sekhon,SabuShaikh and Nanak Karachiwala over
dinner.In 1979, His Excellency, Ambassador Dr.
NaniPalkiwala visited Dallas and spoke at the
University of Texas at Richardson.
In the formative years of the nineteen sixties the
environment of the Southern Methodist University
provided the incubative pad for the activities of IANT.
It was the encouragement and active support of the
likes of Dr. Mandyam D. Srinath, Professor of Electrical
EngineeringDr. Som Gupta, Dr. NarayanBhat,
ArunGholkar, Chandu Palanikar and then students
under the auspices of the Indian Students
AssociationHarshad Parikh, ShashiSanzagiri,
Jayakumar, Mohan Rao, Yogi Pandya, Rajashekharan,
VinodShukla andV.I.Bhaskar, nephew of the current
Minister of External Affairs in the Government of India,
the Honorable S.M.Krishna that sustained abiding
interest in the fledgling organization. Incidentally, the
Honorable S.M. Krishna studied law at Southern
Methodist University, Dallas.
In 1965 Ashok Khilnani was elected to lead the
Association, and the following year SabuShaikh took
over the reins at a meeting in the Community Hall of
Garland, a suburb of Dallas. In 1968, Dr. Chander
Kumar, a scientist at the then Texas Instrument was
elected president and the executive committee included
S.Joshi, H.S.Patel and Dr. M.D.Srinath. It was during
their tenure that the first India Night was organized
with a dinner and cultural program on the occasion
of Diwali. During IANT PresidentDr. Olivia White of
the University of North Texas in January, 1969with the
able support of PrabakhakarB.Ghate, then a Scientist
of Texas Instrument and his wife Asha, Dr. Dasarahty,
Vasudeo Rao, Terry White, Jayakumar, Vinod Shukla
and Dr. Frederic Streng of the SMU, IANT
commemorated the centenary Birth Anniversary of the
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Mahatma, M.K Gandhi. Mr. Eric Johnson,Mayor of
Dallas (Founder of Texas Instruments)proclaimed the
week of January 19 - 25, 1969 as Gandhi week. Dr.
Raja Rao, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas
at Austin, was the Key Note Speaker.
For the first time in 1971,in the history of IANT, IANT
with the help of Indian Students Association of SMU
raised funds to help the refugees from Bangladesh to
India. A check for $1109.09 was sent to the Prime
Minister’s Relief Fund.
Dr. P.B. Ghate led the Association into the decade of
the seventies. It was during his tenure as IANT’s
President and with the help of Dr. Rajagopalan, Dr.
Anant Jain, Dr. M.D. Srinath, Dr. Kapadia, Yogi Pandya,
Yogi Patel, DipakSarkar, Jyoti Bhatia and a few others
that the initial draft of IANT constitution was ratified
by the membership in 1971. Later ,In the year 1976,
with an updated IANT Constitution was registered with
the State of Texas as a non-profit organization, (501)
(c)(3).
This decade was noted for its annual India Night,
cultural programs and the Birth of the now famous
Anand Bazaar which today attracts tens of thousands
to program. The Anand bazaar, with the help of Dilip
Shah, Yogi Patel, Sham Gupta, DipakSarkar, Shyamal
Mukherjee and a few others, was first held in 1978 at
the Flagpole Hill, White Rock Lake, Dallas with a
modest crowd of 250 in attendance.
To provide cultural emersion and cohesion, picnics
were regularly organized in the seventies. The first
picnic was in 1973. The initiative was provided by the
SMU Indian Association. It was just before this period
in time when the viewing of Indian movies in SMU
and at Richland College became a regular feature of
the Indian community collective activities. Apart from
their initial association with academics and technology
in the North Texas Region, businesses sprang up to
satisfy the growing culinary and other household needs
of the Indian community. In 1973, Mr. MadanGoyel
opened the doors of the first Indian Restaurant, Piya’s
India House, in the Dallas Metroplex.
One recall with fond memories of the fledgling start
up businesses in the North Texas Region to satisfy some
of the growing needs of the growing Indian community.
Mr. Kumar Pallanaand Mrs. RanjanaPallana catered
for Yoga practice on top floor of their small grocery
store. Sharma International store wasopened in 1974
by Mr. Raj Sharma and his wife.
To sustain interest and to inform the growing
memberships, BHARATI, the official media voice of
the India Association ofNorth Texas was first published
in June of 1982. The president of IANT at the time of
BHARATI’s first publication was Mr. Sham Gupta and
the printing was done in the printing shop of the late
Mr. Francis.
This is a brief history of early years of IANT. Since then
IANT have grownsignificantly and is considered as one
of the leading Indian organizations in the United States
of America.Now a community of over 60,000
households with a head count of almost two hundred
thousand strong, is an approved Federation of Indian
Association (FIA) umbrella organization in North Texas
area by the National Federation of Indian Associations,
registered as India Association of North Texas. The
association provides a common secular and cultural
base for identity in the American salad bowl of national
and cultural mix.
I am indebted to Dr. P.B. Ghate and Mrs. AshaGhate,
Dr. M.D.Srinath, Mr. Sham Gupta, Mr. Nanak
Karachiwala for their invaluable assistance in providing
the information used in this condensed historical
highlights of early years of The India Association of
North Texas.
If I have inadvertently omitted any information I
sincerely apologize, and I take full responsibility for
the above article.
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Texas Indo American Physician's Society (TIPS) is a
medical society consisting of doctors of Indian origin
from all over Texas. North East Chapter of the TIPS is
headquartered in Dallas Fortworth and our membership
includes over 500 doctors in the D/FW area, extending
as far west as Abilene, TX and east to East Texas, north
to Paris/Bonham, TX and south to the Temple, TX area.
The membership spans the entire spectrum to include
all specialties and sub-specialties of the practice of
medicine.
Central to TIPS-NE Chapter’s mission is to remain
steadfast in our resolve to unite all doctors and their
families for mutual and collective growth continue to
perform above standards of excellence in our
professional careers, enhance the organization by our
contributions with ideas and vision; and provide a forum
to pursue their aspirations as valuable members of
society.
Our vision is to bring greater value to its members,
participate in collaborative community outreach in a
truly altruistic sense, expand the activities of the TIPS
Charitable Foundation, continue to provide an excellent
forum for intellectual exchange through the CME
initiatives, community education on promoting health
of the South East Asian community, to stay abreast with
changing legislation and how it is likely to affect our
practices in medicine.
TIPS charitable foundation runs the free clinic near DFW
Hindu Temple and treats about 120-160 patients per
month from various ethnic and religious backgrounds.
This is a clinic run by volunteer physicians and well
wishers. We have doctors from different specialties
serving the community in this clinic.
TIPS NE chapter has been conducting health screening
and awareness fair every year for the last 18 yrs. We
conduct one health fair at the DFW Hindu Temple and
one at the Gurudwara in Garland.
TIPS offers CME activities to the physicians to share the
latest medical advances with the local phycisians. It
also conducts several educational seminars to increase
awareness in general health and wellbeing for our
community.
Some of the other activities that we have done in the
last few years are, providing physician volunteers for
the Hispanic Fair at Market Place, Community medical
education and Vaccination drives.
TIPS has paved the way for others in leadership. Dr
Jayesh Shah from San Antonio is the Incoming President
of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin
(AAPI), our national body and Drs Venkata Ram and
Dr Sharad Lakhanpal from DFW area have been the
presidents of AAPI in the past. In addition Dr Sumit
Kumar was the President of the state level TIPS 2 years
ago, Dr Tara Reddy was the Regional Representative
for AAPI last year, Dr Srinivas Gunukula, the current
President of TIPS NE chapter is the Local Representative
for training the doctors coming from India. Dr Arti
Gupta, our immediate past president is the Foreign
Medical Graduate Representative for Texas Medical
Association. The board members of TIPS NE chapter
are in Leadership positions in the various hospitals in
DFW area and at University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School, showing their excellence in leadership,
medical care, teaching and Medical research.
Texas Indo-American Physicians Society(TIPS) History
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1 1962 The year was 1962 and the growing community of Indian origin sought out the leadership of “Ike”, as Mr.Iqbal Singh Sekhon was popularly referred to, and he was officially elected the First President of theIANT.
2 1969 In 1969, IANT President, Dr. Olivia White, of the University of North Texas, comemmorated the centenarybirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi where Mr. Eric Johnson, Mayor of Dallas and Founder of TexasInstruments proclaimed the week of January 19 - 25,1969 as Gandhi Week in Dallas.
3 1970 Natya Samrat Gopi Krishan of “Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje” gave Dallas an Indian Classical Danceperformance at the Archer Auditorium, SMU with the joint sponsorship of the IANT and the SMU StudentsAssociation.
4 1971 Funds were collected jointly by the IANT and the SMU Students Association for the Indian Prime Minister’sRelief Fund to be sent to India to help the refugees from Bangladesh.
5 1976 In the year 1976, IANT was registered with the State of Texas as a non-profit organization, (501) (c)(3)and continues to enjoy that status till today.
6 1977 First Diwali celebration was called INDIA NIGHT with dance performances, music and singing at SMU’sMcFarlin Auditorium.
7 1978 For the first time in the North Texas area, India’s Independence Day was celebrated at the Flag PoleHill, near White Rock Lake in Dallas.
8 1981 Visiting all the way from India, 2 concerts were held for the Indian community-Jagjit Singh and ChitraSingh and M.S. Subbalaxmi, and both were enjoyed by the community which did not witness manysuch concerts then.
9 1982 The Bharati Magazine was started as a publication of the IANT to keep the Indian community informed,and the magazine still continues to be enjoyed by all.
10 1983 The Republic Day celebrations of the IANT continued to grow and blossom under the name of India Niteevery January and encouraged increasing participation from all ages to showcase their talent.
11 1986 The IANT hosted a business delegation from India, called “Indo-American Chamber of Commerce” andthe IANT was made an honorary life member of the Bombay-based Chamber.
12 1987 Leading film actress and noted Bharat Natyam dancer Hema Malani and her group performed “Ramayana”which generated funds to take the IANT to another level.
13 1988 The IANT played a key role in “Expedition India” during J. C. Penny’s corporate move from New York toDallas, showcasing the Indian culture for several weekends in all stores.
14 1988 The first IANT office was rented in the City of Farmers Branch, and the Consular Services wereinaugurated here as a beneficial service to the Indian community of North Texas.
15 1990 The first Anand Bazaar in celebration of India’s Independence Day was officially started by the IANT inFort Wort with a huge participation by the Indian community of Fort Worth.
16 1991 Radio Bharati was born on KNON 89.3 as a voice of the IANT and brought to the Indian communitynews and information along with plenty of music.
17 1993 The Social Services Forum was formed to deal with the social issues of the growing Indian communityin the North Texas area under the guidance of Dr. Bhanu Ivatury.
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18 1993 IANT raised funds for the 7.4 magnitude1993 Latur earthquake that killed close to 20,000 people anddemolished 52 villages in Maharashtra.
19 1994 The Senior Citizens Forum was established to focus on the needs and interests of the aging generationof Indians in the North Texas area.
20 1995 Nav Yug – Nav Youth, the Youth Forum of the Indian community was started with support by TexasInstruments and still enjoys sports and camps for the pleasure of our young generation.
21 1996 The IANT hosted a business delegation lead by Mr. Jamshed Godrej, with participation from severalbusiness entities of India, that was attended by the Mayor of the City of Dallas and other distinguishedguests.
22 1997 The IANT celebrated “Freedom 50” - Golden Anniversary of India’s independence, and collected 50thousand food cans for the Dallas Food Bank to commemorate the occasion.
23 1998 The Community Outreach Forum was established to reach out to mainstream America, and the MedicalCamp was also started at the IANT office, for those in the community in need of medical attention.
24 1998 The Anand Bazaar was moved to the huge Lone Star Park in the City of Grand Prairie and the first everfireworks display, sponsored by New York Life, brought a touch of American freedom celebrations toDesi Azaadi.
25 1999 The Women’s Forum Inauguration - with Ms. Shabnam Modgil as Chairperson, and the kickoff wasdone at the Realtors Hall in the City of Plano, as the women of the community continue attending eventsregularly.
26 1999 The NFIA granted the IANT the status of “Umbrella Organization” of the North Texas region, the bylawswere updated accordingly and many organzations were added as members under this status.
27 1999 The Jai Jawan Fund for the soldiers families in India was initiated and the IANT offered its sympathyand condolences to the families of the brave soldiers who lost their lives guarding our motherland.
28 1999 The Orissa Cyclone Fund once again gave the IANT a reason to rise to the occasion to help its motherland,and it’s success was marked by very generous contributions and participation by the community ofNorth Texas.
29 2000 The IANT very sucessfully hosted the National NFIA Convention at the Sheraton Park Central in Dallasand this national event was attended by delegates from all over the country and brought the IANT intothe limelight.
30 2001 Money was collected by the IANT towards the relief efforts for the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurredon the 52nd Republic Day of India in the Kutch district of Gujarat, helping rebuild a village of 252families and 3 schools.
31 2001 Various communities got together with the IANT and donated generously towards NY/DC Relief Fundas part of the 9/11 calamity.
32 2002 The IANT helped start Hindi Classes at SMU and the University still continues offering them to studentsfrom all over.
33 2002 A community banquet was hosted to celebrate the 40th anniversary of IANT and was attended byseveral Mayors and Congress members, and the NAMASTE hand book was launched on this occasion.
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34 2002 The IANT and it’s volunteers secured the freedom of 52 Indian workers who were held in captivity at theJohn Pickle Co. in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
35 2003 The project of Habitat for Humanity was undertaken by the IANT in which Board members and volunteerspainted homes of local low-income families in the Dallas area.
36 2003 The IANT website was created to keep in touch with the growing community, and in keeping up with theadvancement of technology the accounts of India Nite and Anand Bazaar were all computerized.
37 2003 The IANT started celebrating Mahtama Gandhi Peace Day with walks and other peace projects incollaboration with mainstream organizations, and continues this annual event every October.
38 2003 In Arlington IANT participated in paying homage to Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla fromUT, Arlington, who was one of the seven that perished in the Texas sky in the Space Shuttle ColumbiaDisaster.
39 2004 The IANT introduced annual Sponorship Packages for the larger corporations and the major sponsorsright now include Pepsico / Fun Asia / NY Life, and many others.
40 2004 The Tsunami Relief Fund was channelled through CARE International – IANT collected funds to helpthe millions who were affected by the terrible natural disaster in Indonesia.
41 2006 The Speakers’ Forum was started as another arm of the IANT to provide all community members withan opportunity to listen to distinguished speakers from all walks of life.
42 2006 The IANT restructured it’s byelaws for checks and balances within the Board, and in this process theAdvisory Board was changed to a “Board of Trustees” that remains very active in the operations of theAssociation.
43 2006 The weekly Radio Bharati program that is broadcast every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon was moved tothe airwaves of FunAsiA Radio in 2006, and continues to have a large listenership and popularity in thecommunity.
44 2007 Educational testing center for ICFAI for Indian students was established and students from all over theUSA and Canada came to the IANT office and attended their tests for graduate studies, while theproceeds of this program were given back 100% to the needy and orphaned children’s institute in India.
45 2008 A multi-faith candlelight vigil and memorial service was held for the victims of the terrorist attacks inMumbai.
46 2008 HEB (Hurst-Euless-Bedford) School District recognized Hindi as a second language and students in theDistrict now had a choice of learning Hindi as a part of their curriculum.
47 2010 The Mahatma Gandhi Statue Project was started to initiate the efforts for the installation of a statue ofthe Father of the Nation in the North Texas area, and the work continues diligently.
48 2010 The Corporate Advisory Board was formed by the IANT with members representing the various companiesthat are supporting the activities of the Association.
49 2011 The “India Association Center” - a “home” for the IANT was purchased in the City of Richardson.
50 2012 THE IANT CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE ....….GOLDEN JUBILEE!!!!
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The Gadar1 Movement was the saga of remarkable courage,
valor and determination of overseas Indians to free India from
the shackles of British slavery. Indians had come to Canada
and the United States either for higher education or for
economic opportunities. Instead, they imbibed the fire and
zeal of revolutionaries and became the trail blazers of
freedom struggle for their motherland, India. They may have
lived ordinary lives but they left an extra-ordinary legacy.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, both India and Canada
were British dominions. As such, Indians had easier access
to emigrate to Canada. The new immigrants were hard
working and accepted lower wages. Some Canadian
companies wanted more cheap labor from India and thus
publicized the economic and job opportunities available in
Canada. During the first few years, about 2000 immigrants,
mostly Punjabi farmers and laborers, were permitted to come
every year. As the number of immigrants increased, the locals
felt threatened by labor competition from the hardy and
adventurous Punjabis. Fear of labor competition led to racial
antagonism and demands for exclusionary laws from cheap
foreign “Asian workers”. The local press carried many scare
stories against the “Hindu Invasion.” In 1908, under pressure
from labor unions, the Canadian government required Indian
immigrants to have $200 in their possession upon landing.
Also, the Indian immigrants were denied entry if they had
not come by “continuous journey” from India. Since there
was no direct shipping between Indian and the Canadian
ports, legal immigration of Indians to Canada virtually ended.
The restrictive legislation led to growing discontent and anti-
colonial sentiments within the Indian community.
When Indian immigrants saw the doors closing on them in
Canada, they started coming to the United States which
needed more people to do hard labor work to build new
communities. Indians came as sojourners and without
spouses, were paid low wages and could afford to live only
in the poor squalid part of the town or in shanty structures.
They lived frugally, subsisted on low income that was
prohibitive for whites to survive on. The Indian workers
maintained low standard of living and many shared crowded
lodging to save money to pay off their debt or meet family
obligations back in India. They were willing to do any kind of
manual job. Within a span of few years, the number of
immigrant workers had grown, so they also started facing
widespread hostility. The pent-up frustrations of the white
workers manifested in violence against Hindu workers,
vandalism of Hindu belongings and hatred of their religion,
lifestyle and living.Like Canada, the United States, which had
initially welcomed the Indian workers, enacted Asian
exclusionary laws to bar Asians emigrating to the United
States.
The Japanese and Chinese governments sympathized with
their overseas nationals for discriminatory treatment and
damages in race riots and negotiated with the American
government for compensation for life and property losses.
But the British Indian Government would not make any
representation to the U.S. Government for similar
compensation for Indian nationals. Indians soon realized the
difference between the citizens of a “slave” country and those
governed by their own people. Higher education in American
universities was a powerful magnet for young people even
during the beginning of the twentieth century. America
provided them opportunity to “earn and learn” and so Indian
students were attracted to seek admission in the US
universities. However, several students upon graduation were
not able to get jobs commensurate with their qualifications.
The unfair and discriminatory hiring practices were against
the very ideals of liberty and freedom they had experienced
in their university environment. The Indian students
attributed the racial prejudice anddiscrimination to their
being nationals of a subjugated country and were motivated
to get rid of the foreign rule in India. They were determined
to fight for freedom for their motherland and started
fostering feelings of patriotism and nationalism among their
fellow Indian immigrants.
Gadar- Overseas Indians Attempt to Free India from British Slavery
By Inder Singh
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Many Indians in the USA, as also in Canada, England, Germany
and France, articulated nationalist feelings and started
advocating freedom for India, their motherland, from the
British serfdom. They formed organizations to collectively
assert their birthright to independence for India and explored
ways and means to attain self-rule. RamnathPuri who came
to California at the end of 1906 and worked as interpreter to
the Sikhs arriving in California, started a paper in Urdu
Circular-i-Azadi in 1907 with declared objective of political
education of the Indians. Taraknath Das, a student, started
publishing a magazine Free Hindustan in 1908 in Seattle,
advocating armed rebellion against the British rule as a means
for achieving independence. He also established the East
India Association in 1911. P.S. Khankhoje of Maharashtra
came to USA in 1907, wanted to get military training and
procure weapons for fight against the British rule in India.
He established “Indian Independence League.” In New York,
a Maratha Christian Samuel Lucas Joshi (S.L. Joshi) and Maulvi
Mohammad Berkatullah of Bhopal formed “Society for the
Advancement of India’ in 1907. In Vancouver, Canada, G. D.
Kumar started a Punjabi paper SwadeshSewak.2
In 1905 in London, Shymji Krishna Varma founded Indian
Home Rule Society and India House, ostensibly a residence
for Indian students but used for revolutionary activities. He
also published Indian Sociologist. BhikhaijiRustomCama
(born in Bombay into a Parsi Patel family) was involved with
Krishna Varma’s Indian Home Rule Society in London. She
moved to Paris where she formed Paris Indian Society and
started publishing BandeMatarammagazine. She unfurled
the “Flag of Indian Independence” at the International
Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, Germany on 22 August
1907. HarDyal renounced his scholarship and studies at
Oxford University and joined the freedom movement. In
Paris, HarDyal edited BandeMataram in 1909.
HarDyal who had come from England, had been a faculty
member at Stanford University for some time. He was
identified with nationalist activities in the United States. He
inspired many students studying at the University of
California at Berkeley and channelized the pro-Indian, anti-
British sentiment of the students for independence of India.
Two of his many student followers, Katar Singh Sarabha and
Vishnu Ganesh Pingle later on played very prominent roles
in the Gadar movement. Dyal’s fervor for India’s freedom
spread beyond the university campuses to Punjabi farmers
and laborers who had already been victim of racial attacks,
discrimination and repression from the host community.
On April 23, 1913, some patriotic and enlightened Indians
held a meeting in Astoria, Oregon, where HarDyal,
BhaiParmanand and others passionately spoke for throwing
the British out of India and securing liberation by all means
at their disposal. It was at this meeting that Hindustan
Association of the Pacific Coast was formed with a major
objective to liberate India from British colonialism with the
force of arms, just as Americans had done more than a
century ago, and help establish a free and independent India
with equal rights for all. Sohan Singh Bhakna, a lumber mill
worker in Oregon, was elected President the association,
HarDayal, as General Secretary and Kanshi Ram as treasurer.
HarDayal provided leadership for the newly formed
association and was the central figure and the force behind
the new organization.
Punjabis had come to the United States with the highest of
expectations but they were disillusioned when they faced
hostility, humiliation and racial prejudice from the American
people. When the Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast
was formed, they whole-heartedly supported its objectives
of ridding India of the colonial rule, enthusiastically became
its members and willingly and liberally helped financially.
The headquarters of Hindustan Association of the Pacific
Coast was established in San Francisco, which served as a
base for coordination of all the activities of the association.
Later, a building was purchased with funds raised from the
community, primarily Punjabi farmers and farm and lumber
mill workers and it was named Yugantar Ashram. The same
building is now known as Gadar Memorial Hall. The
association launched a magazine appropriately titled
Gadarfor free distributionto promote the aims, objectives
and activities of the organization.
The editorial in the first issue of the Gadar paper declared:
“Today there begins in foreign lands, but in our owncountry’s language, a war against the British Raj.
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What is our name? Gadar.What is our work? Gadar.Where will Gadar break out? In India.The time will soon come when the rifles and blood willtake the place of pen and ink.”
Gadar literally means revolt or mutiny and was published in
Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, among other languages. It carried
articles on the conditions of the people of India under British
rule and also on problems of racial prejudice and
discrimination against Indians in the United States. The
magazine contents expressed community’s pent-up anger and
suppressed feelings and exhorted like-minded people to join
the association. Through the magazine, the Indian people
were called upon to unite and rise up against the British rule
and throw them out of India. The activities of the association
were intense and incessant. The Gadar magazine became very
popular among Indians and over a period of time, the
Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast itself became
known as the Gadar Party.
“The first issue of the journal Gadar was in Urdu and was
published on November 1, 1913. An edition of the journal
was brought out next month in Gurmukhi and in May 1914 a
Gujrati edition of the journal was also published.”3 Within a
short period of time, the magazine became sought-after
periodical for revolutionary and patriotic ideas. Besides
Gadar, the group brought out various publications to raise
the consciousness of the Indian people for revolt against the
British.
Gadarliterature was sent to Indian revolutionaries in India,
Europe, Canada, The Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Malysia,
Singapore, Burma, Egypt, Turkey, and Afghanistan. In a short
period of time, publications from the YugantarAsram became
very popular. The British government got alarmed and used
every means to stop the circulation of Gadar and other such
publications, particularly in India. The magazine, being the
principal patriotic literature, reached many people; even if
one copy reached India or to a fellow revolutionary
elsewhere, multiple copies were made for circulation.
The visible effects of the Gadar publications started to
manifest in India and abroad.Many committed volunteers
opened branches of the Gadar party in other countries and
worked tirelessly to promote the objectives of the party. They
had imbibed the fire and zeal of revolutionaries and were
motivated to fight for freedom for their motherland. The
movement became the symbol of political consciousness of
the overseas Indians. The influence of the Gadarmovement
was so powerful that when called upon, many overseas
Indians returned to India to fight for India’s freedom.
The British government became alarmed at the popularity
of the Gadar movement and free accessibility and availability
of the ‘seditious’ literature. They used every means to stop
its circulation, particularly in India. They also tried to suppress
the Gadar movement and had hired agents to penetrate the
Gadar party and watch their activities. The British were
convinced that removal of HarDyal would bring an end to
the revolutionary movement. Under pressure from the British
Indian Government, HarDyal was arrested by the U.S.
Government, but later released on bail on March 24, 1914.
HarDyal jumped the bail and left for Switzerland and from
there, he went to Germany.
The sudden departure of HarDyal did create some vacuum
in the organizational structure of the association but it did
not cause the demise of the organization. The seed of revolt
that HarDyalsowed, had developed into a formidable
organization. Many committed and dynamic volunteers
continued to work tirelessly and pursued the planned
activities of the association. Ram Chandra Bharadwaj became
president of the Gadar party and also the editor of the Gadar
magazine.
Indians in Canada were very unhappy with the new laws
which effectively prevented Indian immigration from India.
An enterprising and resourceful Indian in Singapore, Gurdit
Singh, chartered a Japanese vessel KomagataMaru to comply
with the Canadian exclusion laws and brought 376 passengers
in May 1914. The Canadian government refused
disembarking of the ship at Vancouver. The Indian community
in Canada was outraged, rallied in support of the passengers
and sought legal recourse. After a two-month legal wrangling,
only 24 passengers were allowed to immigrate and the ship
was forced to return to India on July 7. The action of the
Canadian government created bitterness, frustration and
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vengefulness not only among the passengers but also among
the Indian people in Canada and the US. On reaching Calcutta
on September 29, 1914, the British Indian government
wanted to transport the incoming passengers to Punjab while
most of the passengers wanted to stay and find employment
there. When the arriving passengers refused to board the
special train for Punjab, the police opened fire on them
resulting in several fatalities. The police also arrested over
two hundred passengers and put them in Jail. The brutal
treatment of the returning passengers generated a wave of
resentment against the British government and encouraged
more Indians in North America to join the Gadar party.
The Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast was still new
when in August, 1914, World War I broke out, in which
Germany fought against England. The Germans offered the
Indian Nationalists (Gadarites) financial aid to buy arms and
ammunitions to expel the British from India while the British
Indian troops would be busy fighting war at the front. The
Gadarites started an energetic campaign to mobilize the
overseas Indians in Singapore, Burma, Egypt, Turkey and
Afghanistan and particularly Punjabis in Canada and the
United States. They drew plans to infiltrate the Indian army
and excite the soldiers to fight – not for the British but against
the British Empire – and free India from the shackles of British
imperialism. The Gadaritesinspiredthousands of Indians to
go to India to launch a revolution.
The German government had great sympathy with the Gadar
movement because the German government and the
Gadarites had the British as their common enemy. In
September 1914, Indians formed Berlin Indian Committee
(also known as the Indian Revolutionary Society) members
of which were HarDyal, Virendra NathChattopadhyay
(younger brother of politician-poetess Sarojani Naidu),
MaulviBarkatullah (after his death, he was buried near
Sacramento), BhupendraNathDatta (brother of Swami
Vivekananda), Champak Raman Pillai (a young Tamilian)
andTarakNath Das (a foundation is named after him in
Columbia University, New York). The objectives of the society
were to arrange financial assistance from German
government for revolutionary activities and propaganda work
in different countries of the world, training of volunteer force
of Indian fighters and transportation of arms and
ammunitions to reach the Gadarites for a revolt against the
British Government in India.
The Indian Revolutionary Society in Berlin successfully
arranged substantial financial aid for the Gadarites from
Germany. The German Embassy in the United States engaged
a German national to liaison with the Gadar leadership in
San Francisco. Several ships were commissioned or chartered
to carry arms and ammunitions and batches of Indian
revolutionaries to India.
The Gadarites also sought help from anti-British governments
in other countries. In December 1915, they established a Free
Hindustan government-in-exile in Kabul, Afghanistan, with
Raja MohinderPratap as President, MaulaviBarkatullah as
Prime Minister and ChampakaranPillai as Foreign Minister.
The government-in-exile tried to establish diplomatic
relationships with countries, such as Turkey, Germany, Japan,
and others, opposed to the British in World War l. The
Gadarites established contact with the Indian troops at Hong
Kong, Singapore, and in some other countries and hoped for
their participation in the uprising against the British.
The British Government tried to suppress the Gadar
Movement and had hired agents to penetrate the Gadar party
almost from the beginning. HarDyal used the columns of
Gadar to caution his compatriots against British spies. The
traitors of the Gadar movement leaked out the secret plans
to British spies who diverted ships carrying arms and
ammunitions to elsewhere. Germany was originally planning
to send more ships carrying arms and ammunition to India,
but lost interest in the venture after seeing the fate of the
original vessels.
Before leaving for India, the Gadarites had hoped that the
embers of freedom had caught fire in India too and Indians
were ready for a revolution. So when the World War l
provided a golden opportunity for them to attain their goal,
they hurried homeward for rebellion and overthrow of the
British Government. The irony of that valiant effort was that
while the Gadarites had gone to India to fight readily for the
freedom of their motherland, the Indian political leadership
openly and willingly co-operated with the British, thereby
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prolonging India’s serfdom. While the overseas Indians
prayed in Gurudwaras and temples for the success of the
Gadarites’ mission, the people in India flocked to Gurudwaras
and temples to pray for the victory of the British!
Many Gadarites who reached India before the end of 1914,
found no arms to start rebellion. A number of Gadarites
including Sohan Singh Bhakna, president, and Kesar Singh
and Jawala Singh, vice presidents were taken captives on
reaching India while Kartar Singh Sarabha, V.G. Pingle and
several others were able to evade arrest. An estimated 8000
Overseas Indians left for India from 1914-18, about 3000 were
intercepted; more than 300 were put in jails while many
more were restricted to their villages.4
Kartar Singh Sarabha and other Gadarite leaders had come
to India to overthrow the British rule and wanted to unite
and work with all those forces that were working to liberate
India. They made alliance with well-known revolutionaries
in India such as RasBehari Bose. They organized meetings to
plan for the revolution, procure arms and arrange funds to
carry out propaganda and other activities for the achievement
of their goal. Since many Gadarites were retired military
soldiers, they planned to infiltrate into various units of the
armed forces, established contacts with their colleagues still
working in the armed forces and incited them to revolt and
become part of the rebellious force to liberate India. The
Gadarites’ plan included recruiting new people to join them,
looting military arsenals, makingbombs and robbing
government treasuries. Most of the plans of the Gadarites
either failed or were foiled by the British agents and by the
end of February 1915, most of the Gadar activists were taken
captives.
The Gadarites were prosecuted in batches by the Special
Tribunal in what are known as Lahore conspiracy trials. As
many as 46 including Kartar Singh Sarabha and Vishnu Ganesh
Pingle were given death sentences, 69 were imprisoned for
life and 125 were given varying terms of imprisonment5. In
the United States too, several Gadarites and their German
supporters, were prosecuted in the San Francisco Hindu
German Conspiracy Trial (1917-18). Twenty-nine “Hindus”
and Germans were convicted for varying terms of
imprisonment for violating the American Neutrality Laws6.
The Gadarites had a flame of liberty lit in their hearts, and
did not hesitate to make any sacrifice for the cause of
freedom, dignity and prosperity of their motherland. They
fought valiantly for their cause. Although the movement did
not achieve its stated objective, but it had awakened the
sleeping India and left a major impact on India’s struggle for
freedom. The heroism, courage and sacrifices of the Gadarites
inspired many freedom fighters to continue their mission.
A prominent Indian writer, Khushwant Singh, wrote in
Illustrated Weekly, on February 26, 1961, “In the early months
of World war I, an ambitious attempt to free their country
was made by Indians living overseas, particularly in the United
States and Canada. Although the overwhelming majority of
the Gadrites were Sikhs and the centers of revolutionary
activity were the Sikh temples in Canada, the United States,
Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, many of the leaders
were of other parties and from different parts of India,
Hardyal, RasBihari Bose, Barkutullah, Seth Husain Rahim,
TarakNath Das and Vishnu Ganesh Pingley. …… The Gadar
was the first organized violent bid for freedom after the
uprising of 1857. Many hundreds paid the ultimate price with
their lives.”
Inder Singh is Chairman of GOPIO, Global Organization of
People of Indian Origin. He was GOPIO President from 2004-
09. He is chairman of Indian American Heritage Foundation.
He was NFIA president from 1988-92 and chairman from
1992-96. He was founding president of FIA, Southern
California. Inder Singh can be contacted by telephone at 818-
708-3885 or by email at indersingh-usa@hotmail.com.
i Gadar spelled same way as in Gadar Syndrome by Mark
Juergensmeye, Indian Immigrants in USA by P Vatma
ii Ghadar Movement, Harish K Puri, ch 4
iii Ghadar Revolution in America, Anil Ganguly
iv The Role of the Ghadar Party in the National Movement by
G.S. Deol, pp 106-107
v Ghadar Movement, Harish K Puri, pp 131
vi www.sikhpioneers.org
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The itihaas of Bharati magazine is similar
to and is as relevant and as evolutionary
as birth of a child. In the growing years of
India Association of North Texas
(IANT)…… in the days of no written mass
communication with members or radio,
there was an absence of a tool to inform
and tie the community together. This is
when, in 1982, under the leadership of
Mr. Sham Gupta, IANT, came up with an
idea for a small magazine and this baby
was born. With inputs from the members
for its name, it was appropriately titled
Bharati. The first quarterly issue was
published in June 1982. Like a baby, it
was small. A mere 7”X8.5” in size that
spanned over 16 pages. Surprisingly, its
contents in the very first issue were similar
to what we see and read today. There was
a president’s message, an article on
immigration, community news, association
events, health tips etc. etc. All this sprinkled
with many advertisements. Full grown
today’s Bharati is colorful, vivid and
vibrant. Its glossy cover page bursting with
colors is a standout. The cover of Diwali
issue quickly injects the holiday spirit of joy,
Rang de Holi issue colors you all over while
the independence day issue creates the
fervor of patriotism and aazadi in you. A
scene from a Rajasthan village on the cover
brings you the vatan ki mitti and reminds
us of our roots. And yes, it has grown and
is big in size. Full 8.5”X11.0” with over 76
pages. For our sponsors and advertisers,
it is a great means to reach their targeted
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audience while second generation learns about India’s history, festivals, culture, food and couture. At the
end, you exit laughing. We wish to thank all India based organizations in Metropolis and our sponsors and
advertisers for their years of unconditional support. We are grateful to all contributors. To our readers of
Bharati magazine, thanks for keeping it going.
Jai Hind
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As the architect of India’s non violent march to freedom
MAHATMA GANDHI is revered as the Father of the
Nation. He has made a major impact on the world scene
inspiring a number of other world leaders to follow this
non violent path to freedom. Apart from his political
attributes he has many spiritual and social attributes,
which many of our readers will agree is impossible to
condense in these columns. The world has largely
recognized him as one of the greatest souls of recent
times, worthy of the title “MAHATMA”.
“GANDHI PEACE WALK” to commemorate the life and
teachings of this great soul,was first initiated as a symbolic
walk along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd with a group from
The City of Dallas by Niranjan Patel and
SuryThiagarajanin 2002. This was followed up with a
service project cleaning up trash and needle infested
parks in South Dallas and along Trinity River with the
help of University students and volunteers. This initial
effort has taken root and is being continuedevery year
since then with anorganized event during the weekend
close to Gandhiji’s Birthday on October 2nd.
The event was scaled up in 2004 as a joint program
organized by one of our community organizations
‘Vibha’. Participation by a number of children from area
spiritual education groups followed by repair and
rehabilitation of homes which were out of compliance
with city codes thru the ‘People helping People’ program
was a highlight of this event. With initiatives from Akram
Syed and support of sponsors Pepsico, PAN, Aegis, Crow
Collection of Asian Art and World Affairs Councilin
addition to our regular sponsors,the event wasfurther
scaled up in 2009. FUN ASIA has been providing live
broadcast of the event helping us to reach a larger
audience.RaghoChamkura, a Senior at Coppell High
School designed the logo being used till date. We also
collected canned food and cash donations for the North
Texas Food bank and they were very grateful for our
efforts. Canned Food is being collected during the events
every year since then and this is helping the Food Bank
immensely during these years of tough economic times.
We were very fortunate that Gandhiji’s Grand Daughter,
SmtUshaGokani could participate in our event in 2011
and this was a God sent opportunity to hear a first hand
account of the various facets of his life. Thanks to the
selfless service year after year of numerous dedicated
volunteers, this event has now been recognized as one
of the major events of IANT. We are glad that this year,
it coincides with our Golden Jubilee Celebrations. Some
of you had an opportunity to participate in the event at
this location this morning
With Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue soon to be installed, we
do expect more enthusiastic response, not only from the
Indian diaspora but mainstream Americans as well, to
spread hisuniversal and timeless message of Peace, Love
and Non Violence. With support from the community at
large, we sincerely hope this will continue to grow as a
major IANT event in the future years. It would be worth
all the efforts if it helps us all to reflect on his life and
teachingsand it inspires at least a few good individuals
to follow his simple yet powerful call to action “YOU
MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE
WORLD”.
JAI HIND
MAHATMA GANDHIPEACE WALK
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Our own India Association of North Texas (IANT) is now fifty
years old and we are going to celebrate this major milestone
"Golden Jubilee" of IANT on October 6, 2012 in Dallas.Let
me make a humble effort to capture everything Indian in Dallas
with IANT as hub with its sphere of influence in the Indian
diaspora activities sinceits founding.
IANT took its humble birth in 1962 and quoting from Amal
Mukherjee (President, 1979) "…the India Association of North
Texas was born to give voice and substance to an increasingly
professional viable segment of the national society, in the
region of North Texas. It all began when a hand full of nostalgic
professional Indians in a new economic and social
environment found themselves in a bonding community to be
remindful of their common heritage and traditions."
Today, IANT is a vibrant social & cultural organization catering
to various needs of the Indian community here in Dallas/Fort
Worth Metroplex area. It is the epicenter of anything Indian,
let it be conducting the annual Anand Bazar or helping victims
of natural disasters in India or elsewhere, or donating blood
for the needy, providing educational supplies for the under
privileged or providing excellent encouragement to Indian
dance & art forms through annual India Day celebrations to
providing much needed senior citizen, healthcare and visa
services to the community at large. These are just a few things
and the list goes on.
Texas has the fourth largest concentration of Americans of
Indian-origin (245,981 out of 2,843,391) as per US Census
of 2010 (4th largest after California, New York and New
Jersey). Among all detailed Asian groups, the Asian Indian
population was the largest in 23 states, of which 13 were in
the South, six in the Midwest and four in the Northeast. Asian
American Indians constitute over 29% of Asian-American
population in DFW Metroplex. (100,386 out of 341,503).
DFW Metroplex holds the 4th position after New York, Los
Angeles, and Chicago as the home for largest concentration
of Asian Indians.
Over the last 50 years, the community in Dallas has grown
from a humble handful to today's nearly 107,000. Census
numbers show that from 2000 to 2010, the population more
than doubled, going from 49,181 to 106,964 for Collin,
Dallas, Denton, Rockwall and Tarrant counties. Asian Indian
business leaders say the rapid growth is a result of several
factors: the draw of high-tech and medical jobs, the economic
relief brought by a lower cost of living, the chance to send
children to strong schools - and just good word-of-mouth.
Fifty Years ofIndia Association of North Texas (IANT)
- The HUB of Everything Indian in Dallas, Texas
Friends and family already living in North Texas have
persuaded others to move to the area, many say.
Indian community has over 20 regional/linguistic associations
in DFW Metroplex notable among them are the Telugu
Association of North Texas (TANTEX), Metroplex Tamil Sangam,
Kerala Association of Dallas, DFW Gujarati Samaj, Antorik
Bengali Association of Greater DFW, Bengali Association of
Greater DFW, Brahmin Association of North Texas, Jain Society
of North Texas, DFW Maharashtra Mandal, Mallige Kannada
Association of North Texas, DFW Oriya Society, Punjabi Cultural
Association of North Texas, Sindhi Association of DFW,
Zoroastrian Association of North Texas, etc. All these
associations work closely with IANT and participate in several
joint events when possible.
Indian Americans have achieved a high level of distinction in
the areas of academics, medical & allied health care services,
business ownership, technical and management fields besides
accounting, financial services, retail, manufacturing,
distribution, Information Technology and related services, etc.
The American Association of Physicians of Indian Organization
(AAPI) boasts of over 65,000 physicians and 25,000 Residents
of Indian Origin. Its associate the Texas Indo-American
Physicians Society NE Chapter (TIPS) based in Dallas has over
400 Physicians as its members. They have been providing
yeoman services regularly through health camps for health
screening and testing services to the Indian community for
many years. Several notable physicians from TIPS have
become Presidents and other office bearers of AAPI.
DFW is home to several major academic institutions/universities
such as University of Texas, Arlington (UTA), University of Texas
at Dallas (UTD), University of North Texas (UNT), Southern
Methodist University (SMU) where IANT's initial student
population and events were held, Texas Women's University
(TWU), University of Dallas, UT Southwestern Medical College,
Baylor College of Dentistry, Parker College of Chiropractic,
Texas Christian University. Over 17,000 Indian students are
currently enrolled in these academic institutions and have
nearly 300 faculty members working in those universities at
various levels. Every university has a vibrant India Student
Association and IANT encourages them all to be part of IANT
activities.
Coming to Religion, DFW has a very high religious diversity
and is home to over 20 Hindu temples, 7+ Sikh Gurudwaras,
10+ Muslim mosques, 10+ Indian Christian churches, 10+
Buddhist temples, and a Jain temple. Notable among these
are D/FW Hindu Temple Society at Irving, Sri Karya Siddhi
MVL PrasadMember, Golden Jubilee Steering Committee; Chairman, Corporate Communications Sub-committee
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Hanuman Temple at Frisco, Sri Ganesha Temple at Plano, Sri
Ram Mandir at Plano, Hindu Temple of Greater Fort-Worth,
BAPS - Swaminarayan Temple, Gurudwara Sikh Sangat at
Euless, Dallas Central Mosque of Islamic Association of North
Dallas, Islamic Association of North Texas, CSI Church of
Dallas, Syro-Malabar Churches, Mar Thoma Churches,
Jacobite Orthodox Churches, Chinmaya Mission of DFW, Jain
Temple of Dallas. All these places of worship are bustling
with people on most weekends and celebrate respective holy
days with a good amount of religious devotion and provide
free food (Maha prasad). They all have qualified priests/
preachers and religious authorities to conduct appropriate
ceremonies on daily basis.
Indian Community of Dallas has phenomenal talent pool of
artists, musicians, dancers and all these art forms are nurtured
with over 75+ dance academies, 40+ music schools, 10+
art schools and many more. Several dance forms such as
Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Folk, Fusion,
Garba, Bollywood are most popular with students. Classical
music from Karnatic to Hindustani is being taught in both vocal
and several instrument forms. Large Ras-Garba events take
place at major temples during Navrathri time and everybody
joins them without any regional basis. Most of our kids enjoy
the Bollywood/Fusion dances and have performed very well
at most of the major events conducted by IANT.
Business is one of dominant professions for many an Indian
in Dallas. Right from retail stores through owning largest
number of franchise stores speaks volumes about the Asian
Indian's business acumen. Asian American Hotel Owners
Association (AAHOA) has a good presence in Dallas in the
hospitality industry. Several major technology based
companies like Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, AT&T have
a high percentage of Indian engineers, technologists, software
professionals and management experts working for them.
Dallas has become a major hub for IT and ITeS services with
over 100 companies, small and big, providing training, staffing
and software services. They promote and safeguard the
interests of IT Consulting and product development
organizations through a professional organization IT Serve
Alliance.
To support and promote all this highly charged business activity
there are major associations and organizations such as Greater
Dallas Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GDIACC),
Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce
(GDAAC), socio-business clubs such as Lions, Rotary
International, Kiwanis, Junior Chamber with a predominant
Indian memberships. IANT supports and promotes several of
these activities. Professional organizations like Malayalee
Engineers Association, Indian American Nurses Association
help promote profession and also lobby for any issues that
will enhance the value proposition.
Media has also played a major role in the rapid growth of
Asian Indians to excel in DFW Metroplex. There are over 10
magazines published in print, several more in digital media,
over 10 theaters and three Radio stations (FunAsia Radio
104.9FM, FunAsia Radio 1100AM, Radio Bharati 1100AM).
Several linguistic groups such as Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Punjabi,
Malayalam, Gujarati and Bengali have taken time slots with
above Radio stations and provide 24/7 music, talk and other
entertainment programs for the community at large. Several
movies are simultaneously released in India and USA much to
the delight of movie-goers.
IANT has been at the forefront of utilizing the power of media
to sustain the interest and inform the Indian public with
happenings in the community. They have been successfully
running "Bharati" magazine since 1982 and"Radio Bharati
1110AM" for several years with a large audience.
Food & Beverage industry has a good concentration of Indian
ownership. There are over 25 top class Indian restaurants
diligently serving the community with fine Indian cuisines with
another 25+ restaurants meeting the hungry demands with
delectable foods from India. Several of these restaurants
provide extensive catering services for private parties and also
have large banquet halls.
Indian population is growing with a significant amount of social
and economic impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
IANT has dedicated itself to serve this group of individuals
through its various activities. IANT is continually involved in
helping improve the quality of life of people who are of Indian
origin. IANT also works towards bringing together all North
Texans regardless of their national origin, color, creed, race
or religion.
Let's all join in wishing the IANT a very happy 50th Anniversary
and may it be blessed with many more such anniversaries!
Note:
While acknowledging the fact that there are many such
areas where Asian Indians of Dallas and Associations have
excelled to be listed here, I humbly submit that the time
and brevity pose severe constraints for this article at this
point.Every effort is made to ensure the veracity of the
numbers from reputed sources with crosschecks from other
secondary sources. I apologize for any inadvertent errors
in presenting the facts and figures.
MVL Prasad
(Prasad is a member of IANT Golden Jubilee Steering
Committee and Chairman of the Corporate Communications
Sub-committee. He is a technology entrepreneur with three
successfulSilicon Valley Telecom startup companies to his credit
and currently performing multiple social & philanthropic
services to the Indian community at large. He is an active
member of several Indian associations such as IANT, TANTEX,
Board Member & former Secretary of GDIACC, Executive
Committee Member of D/FW Hindu Temple. He is an honorary
advisor to Government of Andhra Pradesh for Technology &
Communications and mentor for several startup companies
in technology & management. He lives in Dallas area with
his wife and two children).
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