The Indian Panorama

Tag: Ambassador Jaiswal

  • The Indian Panorama Holi & Hola Celebrations receive huge appreciation of the guests

    The Indian Panorama Holi & Hola Celebrations receive huge appreciation of the guests

    Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman speaks on the occasion. To his right is Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, and to his left is Ragini Srivastava.
    Senator Kevin Thomas presents a proclamation from the NY Senate to Prof. Saluja.
    Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and Ragini Srivastava present proclamation on behalf of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to Ambassador Jaiswal who also received a proclamation for Dr. Abha Jaiswal.
    Crowning of “Mahamoorkh” Tirlok Malik. Crowning ceremony was performed by Ambassador Jaiswal, Ravi Batra, a former “Mahamoorkh”, and members of the organizing committee of Holi & Hola celebrations.
    County Executive Bruce Blakeman enjoying the Gatka performance.
    Ambassador Jaiswal watching a performance

    HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): The Indian Panorama organized the fourth Holi & Hola celebrations at Antun’s by Minar here on March 19, 2023. Attended by over a hundred guests, the event exhibited the fraternal bonds between the diverse Indian diaspora. The very idea of celebrating Holi and the Sikh Hola Mohalla together is to promote brotherhood and amity among Indian Americans practicing diverse faiths and cultures.

    A display of the rich cultural heritage impressed the guests who included the chief guest Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, New York State Senator Kevin Thomas, New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, Town of North Hempstead Clerk Ragini Srivastava, Nassau County former Human Rights Commission chairman Zahid Ali, Ravi Batra, Chair, the National Advisory Council on South Asian Affairs, AK Vijaykrishnan , Consul, Community Affairs, among others.

    A thrilling display of the Sikh traditional martial art called Gatka by the Akal Gatka Gurmat Group led by Sardar Daler Singh, President of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana left everyone spell bound Before the Gatka performance. Master Mohinder Singh, a senior leader of the Sikh community, a founder President of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana, spoke about the traditional Sikh martial art.
    The Gatka performance evoked from County Executive Bruce Blakeman the comment that he had never ever witnessed such a thrilling performance. He was simply awe-struck. The other attractive performances included Holi Dance by the dancers from Rhythm Dance Academy, Bollywood Medley Dance by dancers from RS International group, and a Holi Song by a Florida based celebrated singer Kadambini.
    Prachi Makkar’s Punjabi songs and Bolian brought many to the dance floor. Surya Makkar on Punjabi Dhol was a great accompanist to his sister Prachi. Bollywood singer and director Vicky Kohli regaled with his lovely singing.

    The gathering

    One of the attractions of the celebrations was the selection of the traditional Holi “Mahamoorkh”. Emmy nominated film maker and actor Tirlok Malik was crowned Mahamoorkh through a draw of lots.

    Speaking on the occasion, County Executive Bruce Blakeman said:
    “On the occasion of Holi and Hola. I convey my warmest wishes to all our Indian American community members here in Long Island and we are thankful to Professor Indrajit Saluja for organizing a very beautiful function to get everybody together to celebrate our culture and heritage. We celebrate every race and every religion.

    “You are such an important part of the fabric of Nassau County. Think about what your contributions have been in medicine, law, business, finance, education, technology. Your contributions make this a better County and a better country.”

    In an interview to the TV channels Global Punjab and TV Asia Mr. Blakeman said: “I am glad to be here at Antun’s in Hicksville celebrating with all my Indian Sikh friends for The Indian Panorama Holi and Hola festival. We love the Indian Americans that live here in America. They contribute so much to our county and country- medicine, technology, education, business; Indian American community contributes so much. They make us a greater County and I’m so blessed to be here. Thank you all. God bless you and have a wonderful festival.”

    Gatka performance by Akal Gatka Gurmat Group. (Photos : Jay Mandal-on assignment)

    Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York who has always maintained a close contact with the Indian American community and taken keen interest in its various activities was the chief guest. In his brief address, he praised the Indian American community for preserving and promoting Indian culture.
    The Consul General said:
    “I convey my warmest wishes to all our Indian American community members here in Long Island and we are thankful to Professor Indrajit Saluja for organizing a very beautiful function to get everybody together to celebrate our culture and heritage.” Others who spoke on the occasion included Senator Kevin Thomas, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and Town of North Hempstead Clerk Ragini Srivastava.

    A dance performance by the dancers from Rhythm Dance Academy.
    Bollywood Medley Dance by dancers from RS International group.

    Earlier, welcoming the guests, Prof. Indrajit S Saluja said the idea of organizing the Holi and the Hola Mohalla together was prompted by his desire to promote a feeling of togetherness, amity and brotherhood between the two major communities of Indian origin here. He thanked the gathering for their response and support.

    The organizing committee which worked real hard for the success of the event included Indu Jaiswal, Jyoti Gupta, Amita Karwal, Gunjan Rastogi, Shashi Malik, Anu Jain, Jag, Jaskiran Saluja, and Parveen Chopra. “A lot of thanks to the greatest team”, Prof. Saluja said.
    He also thanked his family for their support and advice always.
    The media persons were extremely supportive and deserve all thanks, said Prof. Saluja. TV Asia, PTC TV , ITV , Global Punjab deserve special gratitude for the extensive coverage of the event.
    Parminder was a great DJ , as usual, with excellent sound service.
    Anmol Dhawan was a great help with banners and publicity. The Indian Panorama is grateful to the young man who has always been supportive. Not to forget the great photographer Jay Mandal whose clicks will surely please our readers. Thank you, Mr. Mandal for your support.

    The food catered by Mr. Neetoo of Antun’s by Minar received approval and praise from all guests who looked forward to another attendance at the place.

    Kadambini sings a Holi song.
    Surya Makkar on Dhol and Prachi Makkar singing Punjabi songs and bolian.
    Vicky Kohli regaled with his lovely singing.
  • India is the fastest growing economy: Ambassador Jaiswal

    India is the fastest growing economy: Ambassador Jaiswal

    The Indian Panorama Editor Indrajit Saluja interviewed Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York. This is the fifth and concluding  part of the interview.

    Consul General of India at New York Mr. Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, a few days after joining the present position on 19th July 2020  in an interview with The Indian Panorama, had spelt out  in brief  his  priorities which included nourishing and  strengthening the already strong bonds between India and the US, and exploring  new areas of cooperation and relationship in diverse fields of  economy, trade, technology, and   culture etc. Ambassador Jaiswal added  that serving the Indian Diaspora remained the primary focused concern of  the Consulate. The strengthening of multi-stake holders relationship will be another priority, he said.

    The Indian Panorama interviewed him a couple of times, and each time, Mr. Jaiswal was forthcoming on all issues raised ,and questions asked.

    Three days to the end of the year 2022, Mr. Jaiswal agreed to sit with the editor of The Indian Panorama to share for the readers of the publication his thoughts. It was a long interview in which Ambassador Jaiswal touched upon all the aforementioned areas.

    In the first of the interview published two weeks ago, Ambassador Jaiswal focused on the vibrant Indian American community and its contribution. In the second part of the interview, we brought  to readers Ambassador’s perspective on Indian students as a powerhouse of knowledge, catalysts of  national integration, and promoters  of Indian arts, culture and values.

    In the third part of the interview, Ambassador Jaiswal spoke  about promoting economic relations between the two nations as one of the important functions of the Consulate, besides reiterating what he had said in the first part of the interview that the Consulate is “committed to public service”.

    In the  fourth part of the interview, Ambassador Jaiswal outlined the big events planned in the year 2023.

    In this fifth and concluding part of the interview, Ambassador Jaiswal speaks of the growth of India at a fast pace which will enable the nation to become the third largest economy in the world.

    Here are some excerpts from the interview.

    “I’m sure with the kind of support we have from our friends here, partners here, we  will continue on  that path and soon will become the third largest economy in the world overtaking Germany  and Japan. So that will be a huge change, huge impact. It will have a huge impact globally. And finally,  to all your readers: stay healthy, stay together. stay united. Let’s think as one,  for therein lies our welfare, our wellbeing. The  motto of India’s G 20  presidency is  ”One World, One Family, One Future”.  Let’s live  it together.”- Ambassador Jaiswal

    TIP: Do you think you would be doing something special on the coming August 15th?

    Ambassador:15th August will be special one way or the otherbecause it will be  culmination of the 75th year of Independence.

    TIP: What else is on the calendar?

    Ambassador:  We have Holi coming up in early March. It’s a popular festival of colors. Don’t miss out on 21st June International Yoga Day. Each time we do a huge celebration at Times Square. And we also use that occasion to promote a more sustainable and  healthy way of living. We promote a lot of Indian products. We have a  one district one product project, and a  lot of superfoods,  a lot of wellness products are available  on the side of the yoga sessions that we hold. We will try to do International Yoga Day in style this time.  Apart from Times Square, we’ll also look for some other innovative ways of celebrating International Yoga Day. We want to reach out and do International Yoga Day in universities so that we can bring the youth closer to yoga. Yoga is something which is helpful to everybody.  We are It helps you to look inside. All your senses are directed outwards. Yoga helps to you to look inwards, and that is a harmony that brings greater happiness and bliss in life.

    Yoga at Times Square, June 21, 2022. Indian Consulate senior staff leads. Front row, from L to R: Consul (Pol & PIC) Vipul Dev, Mrs. Dev, Mrs. and Ambassador Jaiswal, Deputy Consul General Varun Jeph, Head of Chancery Suman Singh, Mrs. Jeph. (TIP Photo)Suman Singh, Mrs. Jeph.

    TIP: I was in Guatemala. It was a pleasant surprise to find Yoga being taught and practiced. India’s ambassador Manoj Mohapatra had me witness one of the Yoga sessions. Later on, I am told a Yoga camp with 5000 was held successfully. This speaks for acceptance and popularity of Yoga in many parts of the world.

    Ambassador:So, you know, today yoga has a true global embrace. Everybody understands the benefits of Yoga. It’s an attraction for people and it has helped them. And, for that reason, we have, regular classes on yoga, because we want  to connect with the yoga community here. Look  at the number of Yoga Studios. You  go to any gym in New York,  or any part of the United States , or any  part of the world, there  will be a session on yoga on a daily basis.

    TIP: I wish you all the best,  sir, I wish India all the best  in the coming years and we have seen how the graph of India has been rising across the world in terms of politics, in terms of diplomacy, in terms of economy, in terms of invention, in almost every field, and hopefully we will have better news in 2023 from you again, and with that only one last thing as we always do. We would like you to give a message to readers of the Indian Panorama.

    Ambassador: Before  I give the message I would like to highlight four data points. One, India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. We should be signing off the year at  6 to 7% .  . Vaccination of  2.2 billion.  14 million bank accounts.  60 million get cleantap water connections, and  so on so forth. Second data point.  40% of digital payments globally is happening in India. That itself will tell you the kind of vibrancy that is there. Third  data point. We have seen a huge expansion as far as connectivity is concerned both on the physical and digital  sides- Roads, expressways. But just to give you an example, in 2014 or thereabout we had 70 airports. Today we have doubled that capacity. We  are looking at around 440  airports in India’s  huge expansion. Fourth data point. Recently, India has become the fifth largest economy in the world, overtaking UK . I’m sure with the kind of support we have from our friends here, partners here, we  will continue on  that path and soon will become the third largest economy in the world overtaking Germany  and Japan. So that will be a huge change, huge impact. It will have a huge impact globally.

    And finally,  to all your readers: stay healthy, stay together. stay united. Let’s think as one,  for therein lies our welfare, our wellbeing. The  motto of India’s G20 presidency is  ”One World, One Family, One Future”.  Let’s live  it together.

    CONCLUDED…

  • Colors and display of Sikh martial art thrill at The Indian Panorama Holi-Hola Celebrations

    Colors and display of Sikh martial art thrill at The Indian Panorama Holi-Hola Celebrations

    A colorful welcome to the chief guest and his family. L to R: Ms Jaiswal, Dr. Abha Jaiswal, Consul general Randhir Jaiswal, Pinky Jaggi, Indu Gajwani, Amita Karwal, Jyoti Gupta, Anu Jain, Rizwan Qureshi and Prof. Saluja. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Jaskiran Saluja, a member of the organizing committee welcoming guests on behalf of The Indian Panorama, the organizing committee, and the community. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal pays a floral tribute at Dr. Ajay Lodha’s portrait to all those who died of COVID-19. Dr. Ajay Lodha, a darling of the Indian American community died of COVID last year after an eight-month long struggle to survive. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Consul General Jaiswal remarked that it was a great pleasure to see people from diverse communities getting to celebrate in a spirit of brotherhood the Holi and the Hola festivals. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Guest of Honor Harry Bolla, Chairman/ CEO of Bolla Group of Companies was very appreciative of the Gatka players. He announced a gift of $1100 to the group. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Gatka players with the chief guest, guests of honor, organizers and community representatives. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Attorney Ravi Batra shared his experience and impressions of COVID-19 (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Gayatri Balsara and Anjana Moolayfrom Muktambar Fine Arts Academy, New Hyde Park performing a classical dance. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Prachi Makkar (left) sang a Punjabi song with her brother Surya Makkar providing exciting Dhol beats. And they made guests dance. (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Vicky Kohli, in the background, made ladies dance to his melodious singing.
    L to R: Pinky Jaggi, Abha Jaiswal, Jyoti Gupta, Ranju Batra, Indu Gajwani (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Mr. Balasubramaniam Elango, Chief Executive, Bank of Baroda, New York, chosen in a draw of lots the Mahamoorkha, an old tradition at Holi celebration, is being crowned by Consul General Randhir Jaiswal. To Mr. Elango’s left is seen the Mahamoorkha of 2019 Mr. Ravi Batra.
    A view of the gathering (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Consul General Randhir Jaiswal being honored with a shawl by Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, publisher of The Indian Panorama on behalf of the organizing committee and the community (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Consul General Jaiswal (seated 6th from left) and Dr. Abha Jaiswal (seated 5th from left) with ladies at the event (Photo / Vijay Shah)
    Ambassador Jaiswal (seated 4th from left) with male guests at the event. (Photo : Vijay ShahAmbassador Jaiswal)

    GLEN COVE, NY (TIP): The Indian Panorama, the leading English language Indian American newspaper, hosted a Holi /Hola celebration April 4 at the Metropolitan Banquet in Glen cove.

    The celebrations were attended by 100 persons drawn from various walks of life, who came despite the COVID-19 threats. However, CDC and New York State guidelines were strictly followed, and guests wore masks, and maintained social distancing, as far as possible.

    Consul General of India in New York, Randhir Jaiswal was the chief guest. He was accompanied by his wife Dr. Abha Jaiswal, and their teenaged daughter.

    Guests of honor included Attorney Ravi Batra, Chair, U.S. National Advisory Council of South Asian Affairs; Ranju Batra, Chair, Diwali Stamp Project; Harry Bolla, Chairman/ CEO of Bolla Group of Companies; Bobby Kalotee, Chairman, Human Rights Commission, Nassau County, and Tirlok Malik,Emmy Award nominee and Happy life Yoga Guru. A riot of colors,a thrilling display of the Sikh martial art -Gatka, dances and songs gave the guest the value of their time.

    Guests were welcomed with a tika of colors by members of the organizing committee- Anu Jain, Indu Gajwani, Jaskiran Saluja, Jyoti Gupta and Pnky Jaggi.

    Jaskiran Saluja extended a brief formal welcome which was followed by a tribute to those who lost their lives to COVID-19. Ambassador Jaiswal and Dr. Abha Jaiswal led guests in paying floral tribute to Dr. Ajay Lodha, a darling of the Indian American community who died of COVID-19 in 2020, after battling for life for close to 8 months.

    Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Jaiswal praised the Indian American community for their love of their festivals and their spirit of brotherhood. He said he was happy to see Holi and Hola being celebrated together, with the presence of people from all faiths, particularly the Hindu and the Sikh. He praised Prof. Indrajit S Saluja who organized the event, and hoped The Indian Panorama will continue the tradition, having been the founder of the event in 2018.

    Appreciating the great performances, Ambassador Jaiswal congratulated the gatka players for giving a thrilling performance. He said, he had earlier also watched gatka performances in India, and was deeply impressed with the performance he witnessed. He also praised the dance performances by the young artists from Muktambar Fine Arts,and singers – Vicky Kohli and. Prachi Makkar, and Surya Makkar who gave a    thrilling performance on Dhol.

    Mr. Ravi Batra spoke about his own encounter with COVID-19 and warned that the only protection against the disease is takingprecaution and following the CDC guidelines.

    Mr. Harry Bolla was all praise for the festivities. The gatka performance, in particular, came in for his great praise. He announced a gift of $1100.00 to the Gatka party.  He spoke briefly about the plight of farmers in India and appealed to the gathering to support the Indianfarmers’’movement for justice.

    Mr. Bobby Kalotee,in his brief remarks, spoke about how important it was for him to try to help people during the pandemic.

    Mr. Tirlok Malik, the well-known Indian American film maker who was nominated for Emmy Award, and who is a happy Life Yoga Guru spoke about the importance of keeping good health. He recommended a dose of laughter to keep the mind, body and soul in good shape.

    In a draw of lots, Balasubramaniam Elango, Chief Executive of Bank of Baroda, New York was chosen “The

    Mmahamoorkha” – an old age practice of having some fun on the occasion of Holi. He was crowned by the chief guest and the Mahamoorkha of 2019 Ravi Batra, with the host committee and guests of honor joining.

    The Indian American electronic media in attendance included TV Asia (Zahid Ali), PTC TV (Gurinder Hothi), Global Punjab TV (Pardeep Gill),and Punjabi Hub TV (Balwant Hothi).

    Friends and colleagues from print media- Sharanjit SinghThind, Publisher of The South Asian Insider and Punjabi Duniya, and Sonia Lalwani fromDesi Talkwere kind enough to grace the occasion with their presence. Prof. Indrajit S Saluja acknowledged their presence and thanked them, as also the guests, the organizing committee, the volunteers, family and friends, and all service providers.

    Prof. Saluja had a special word of thanks for the performers. He said the performances were excellent as also the artists. He thanked Savitri Anand, Director of Muktambar Fine Arts for the Academy’s participation in the celebrations. The performances by the young students- Gayatri Balsara and Anjana Moolay- of Ms Anand’s academy were outstanding, he said. Also, the soulful singing of a Punjabi song by the talented Prachi Makkar, he said had added to the pleasure of the guests. Vicky Kohli (often confused with Vicky Kaushal) was superb. Prof. Saluja thanked the artists and wished them a great future, and hoped they would be ever obliging to him, whatever their preoccupations.

    Rajeev Maini and Onkar Singh, owners of the Metropolitan Banquet were appreciatedfor the venue and wonderful catering. Parminder Singh was thanked for the sound system; Anmol Dhawan for providing lovely banners, and Gurinder Singh and Vijay Shah for photography. Special thanks were given to Gurinder Singh Hothi for videography and Balwant Hothi for live streaming the event.