The Indian Panorama

Tag: Mohan Wanchoo

  • Lotus shows way to celebrate Yoga Day – with a twist

    Lotus shows way to celebrate Yoga Day – with a twist

     

    Eddie Stern had the audience practice Brahma Mudra

    GREAT NECK, NY (TIP): In a soulful celebration to rekindle yoga’s spiritual roots, over 200 people came together to celebrate the International Day of Yoga here. Instead of yoga postures, they were introduced to the higher steps of the discipline that originated in India. The Spirit of Yoga event on June 22 was co-hosted by Parveen Chopra, founder of ALotusInTheMud.com, and the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization.

    For Anjani, Desena and Parveen: Jennifer DeSena, Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, flanked by Sister Anjani Seepersaud and Parveen Chopra.

    Parveen Chopra played a video of the Lotus web magazine he founded three years ago and moderated the evening, along with Erik Larson, Director of Brahma Kumaris WSO. Sister Anjani Seepersaud, Coordinator of the Global Harmony House venue, introduced them.

    Parveen Chopra presented a crystal lotus to Piyush Singh, who represented the Indian Consulate in New York.
    Saeed Hassan, Director Interfaith Outreach for NYS Senator Steve Rhoads, presented citations on behalf of the Senator to A Lotus In The Mud (accepted by Parveen Chopra) and the Brahma Kumaris (accepted by Erik Larson and Sister Anjani Seepersaud.

    While acknowledging that almost all Yoga Day programs and yoga studios focus only on asanas and pranayam, Chopra pointed out, “Asana practice will lead many to explore the spiritual side of yoga.”

    Dr Anjali Grover presented the story of yoga in dance.

    India’s Consul General In New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan was Chief Guest. He was represented by Piyush Singh – Consul, Press, Information, and Culture. Singh relayed the message from the Consulate: “We are privileged to support this inspiring initiative. The energy and intent that radiate from this gathering truly reflect the deeper essence of yoga. Not merely asanas, yoga is a profound spiritual discipline that harmonizes body, mind, and soul.”

    Piyush Singh was introduced by Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, who mentioned that he was witness earlier this month to a record 10,000 people attending a yoga session in San Pedro Carcha in Guatemala, organized by the Indian embassy there, even though only 100 Indian families live in that city.

    Eddie Stern, yoga instructor and founder of the Ganesha Temple in Manhattan, positioned postures in the 8-limb yoga discipline and led the audience in doing Brahma Mudra exercise.

    Jennifer DeSena, Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, thanked Chopra and the Global Harmony House for hosting a meaningful celebration of Yoga Day, adding. “Yoga is not just movement—it’s a journey inward, a practice of stillness in a restless world.”

    Rakesh Bhargava, President of the World Vegan Vision (NY chapter), discussed the vegan lifestyle and yoga. Dr Anjali Grover danced the story of yoga and Andonia Fthenakis presented sound bath meditation.

    In an expression of India’s call of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The World is One Family), the speakers and attendees represented diverse religions and communities.

    Prominent people at the event included Arvind Vora, Chair of Shanti Fund and founding trustee of Lotus, Dr Faroque Khan, Chair of Interfaith Institute of Long Island, Paul Chellani, head of the Sant Nirankari Mission – New York, Kamlesh Mehta – Chairman of The South Asian Times, Prof Indrajit Saluja – Editor-Publisher of The Indian Panorama, Mohan Wanchoo, Varinder Bhalla, Mukund Padmanabhan, Chandra Bhansali, Ashok Vyas, Dr Urmilesh Arya, Rashmin Master, Jyoti Gupta and yoga teacher Anita Rana.

    After the program, people enjoyed vegetarian and vegan refreshments in the sunny outdoors.
    (Photos by Kripa Ranjan Prasad, courtesy of Parveen Chopra/ALotusInTheMud.com)
  • Indo-American Community Unites in Candlelight Vigil to Honor Victims of Kashmir Terror Attack

    Indo-American Community Unites in Candlelight Vigil to Honor Victims of Kashmir Terror Attack

    Long Island, New York | April 27, 2025 — In a powerful expression of solidarity and compassion, the Indo-American community gathered at Eisenhower Park for a solemn candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Organized by Indo American Community Voice.Org, in collaboration with over 40 prominent cultural, spiritual, and civic organizations, the vigil served as a moving tribute to the innocent lives lost and a call for global peace.

    Mr. Bobby Kalotee, Chairman, Nassau County Human Rights Commission, speaking on the occasion.

    The event brought together community leaders, elected officials, and hundreds of attendees under one banner of unity and resilience. Among the key supporting organizations were: AAPI (Dr. Kishan Kumar), AIA National (Gobind Munjal), AIA NY (Beena Kothari), Arya Samaj of Long Island (Dr. Yashpal Arya & Veer Mukhi), American Malayalee Association (Thomas Joy and Hon. Kevin Thomas), FIPA (Dr. Raj Bhayani), APS (Gary Sikka & Mohinder Singh Taneja), ASAMAI Hindu Temple (Gobind Bathija), Bollywood Insider (Varinder Bhalla), FBIMA (Koshy Thomas & Dincil George), Gujarathi Samaj (Harshad Bhai Patel), HOLI (Urmila Shivaram), HSS (Jaya Patil), Humanity First (Omkar Singh), IAAC (Deepak Bansal), IANA (Vimal Goyal), IDP (Vimal Goyal & Deepak Bansal), IAF (Indu Jaiswal), IALI (Jasbir Singh), Indo American Lions Club (Anju Sharma), Indian Panorama (Prof. Inderjit Saluja), Kashmiri Overseas Association (Dr. Virender Hak & Mohan Wanchoo), KKNY (Raghu Ranganath), LIDC (Paul Bindra), LILC (Pinky Jaggi), Lotus in the Mud (Parveen Chopra), MAHIMA (Dr.Purushotaman Paciker), NYTTA (Vani S. Anugu), RANA (Neelam Modi), SAAWA (Dr. Anila Midha), SAAWO (Suhag Mehta), South Asian Times (Kamlesh Mehta), Soul of Hindutva (Gobind Singh Negi), TANA (Deepika Sammeta), TLCA (Sumant Ram), Tri-State Events (Atul Sharma), TTA (Jaya Prakash Enjapuri), The World Voice (Mukesh Modi), Vaishnav Temple (Anil Shah), VHI (Nayan Kisnadwala), WVV (Rakesh Bhargav), and YICG (Rathi Raja)—demonstrating a united front in the face of tragedy.

    Ms Bina Sabapathy who coordinated the event addressing the gathering

    The program began with a solemn prayer by Narinder Kapoor and an ardas led by Bhai Bhupinder Singh Ji, Head Granthi of Gurdwara Shaheedan,  followed by heartfelt renditions of the American and Indian national anthems by Nipun Marwaha. Dr. Bobby Kalotee Chairman of Human Rights Commission – Nassau County, along with Bina Sabapathy, Founder President of Indo American Community Voice, welcomed the crowd with a message of peace and unity.

    Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips speaking on the occasion

    Distinguished dignitaries in attendance included Hon. Binay Srikanta Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Former NY Senator Kevin Thomas, Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava, Councilman Edward Scott, and Wioleta Dusza Human rights commissioner – Nassau County each sharing messages of sympathy, support, and solidarity. Several officials sent representatives, including County Executive Bruce Blakeman (via Elaine Phillips), Chuck Schumer US. Senate Minority Leader for United Sates Senate (Taranbir Kaur), Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino (Harry Malhotra), and Governor Kathy Hochul (Joey Ramirez).

    Mr. Kevin Thomas, a former NY State Senator, speaking on the occasion

    Prominent community leaders such as Kamlesh Mehta, Mukesh Modi, Mohan Wanchoo, Dr. Urmila Shivaram, Indu Jaiswal, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Sgt. Thomas, and Koshy Thomas, among many others, offered prayers and reflections, emphasizing the need for peace, compassion, and vigilance against violence.

    Mr. Mukesh Modi, another member of the organizing committee speaking on the occasion

    Venus Bhasin, representing NY State Senator Steven Rhoads, coordinated along with Onkar Singh hospitality efforts including hot Tea sponsored by Punjabi Dhaba. A soulful musical tribute by Anil Dua echoed messages of peace and healing.

    The highlight of the evening was the deeply moving candlelight vigil, joined by members of Glen Cove, Hicksville, and Plainview Gurudwaras, as well as representatives from surrounding temples. Thousands gathered in silent prayer, united in grief and hope, offering strength to the victims’ families and reaffirming the community’s stand against terrorism.

    The Indian Panorama Publisher – Editor Prof. Indrajit Saluja warned Pakistan to desist from the foolish acts of sending into the Indian territory terrorists to kill innocent people or risk annihilation.

    The program concluded with peaceful prayers led by Acharya Shri Madan Jha and Swami Brajeshwaeanand Ji, leaving the audience with a message of spiritual strength and resolve.

    A special thank you was extended to media partners including TV Asia, ITV Gold, Preetnama, Hum Hindustani, The South Asian Times, The Indian Panorama, The World Voice, Newsday, and Nassau County for providing the Eisenhower Park, Kite Fiend and stage.

    The evening was a testament to the Indo-American community’s enduring values—resilience, compassion, and unity. Even in times of darkness, these values shine as beacons of hope and humanity.

    A view of the gathering at the Vigil
  • New Yorkers celebrate Rama Mandir consecration with Car Rally

    New Yorkers celebrate Rama Mandir consecration with Car Rally

    Hundreds of devotees gathered to celebrate and show solidarity to Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya.

    LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): The windy, freezing Sunday with sub-zero temperatures afternoon saw enthusiastic Indian Americans show their support for the Ram Lalla consecration in Ayodhya, thousands of miles away. A car rally was organized in Hicksville in Long Island, New York. Hicksville is a hamlet within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, with large Indian population.

    The rally started from Patel Brothers in Hicksville. 150 cars participated in this rally, which halted midway at a Gurudwara in Hicksville. Dr Raj Bhayani said, “The Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddha communities have all united to celebrate this historic moment.”

    The float had DJ which played Bhajan songs devoted to Rama.
    LED truck with three screens played videos on Ramayana. And images of Rama Mandir.
    Everyone was wearing the saffron scarf with Hanuman and Rama pictures in it.
    And cold conditions could not dampen the enthusiasm and the celebratory mood.
    In addition to cars, floats and LED truck there were children dressed as Ramayana characters Rama, Sita , Laxman, and Hanuman which really brought the experience and excitement to the rally.
    The organizers for the rally were Dr Raj Bhayani. Mukesh Modi and Dr Dipak Nandi, Mohan Wanchoo, Naveen Shah, Chintu Patel, Gary Sikka and Dr Neeta Jain. The committee comprised of Sunil Hali, Gobind Bathija, Pradeep Tandon, Dr Urmilesh Arya, Vimal Goyal, Eric Kumar, Kanak Golia, Kishore Malik, Harshad Bhai Patel, Vibhuti Jha, Mohinder Taneja, Dr Satish Anand, Dr Inderpal Chhabra, and Ajay Patel

    Each car was adorned with saffron-colored flags. The huge lineup of cars finally reached the beautiful Asa Mai temple in Hicksville. LED Truck displayed Ramayana and float carried the banners celebrating Ram Mandir.
    The devotees enjoyed an enchanting evening of bhajans and a Ramleela. The entire event was telecast live on AASTHA TV and Radio Zindagi

    The float had DJ which played Bhajan songs devoted to Rama
    Organizers. L to R : Indu Jaiswal, Gary Sikka, Dipak Nandi, Raj Bhayani, Pradeep Tandon, and a guest
  • Lotus webmag holds event on Kashmir Shaivism with Virendra Qazi

    Lotus webmag holds event on Kashmir Shaivism with Virendra Qazi

    By Team@Lotus

    While introducing Virendra Qazi, Dr Nirmal Mattoo also spoke eruditely about Kashmir Shaivism. (Photo : Courtesy The Indian Panorama)

    HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): ALotusInTheMud.com organized its first public event on September 10 where Shri Virendra Qazi expounded on Kashmir Shaivism. About 70 prominent people from Long Island were edified at the session held at the Arya Samaj of Long Island arranged by Parveen Chopra, founder editor of the Lotus webmag.

    Qazi ji is a top expert and practitioner of Kashmir Shaivism, which has been garnering attention even from global spiritual gurus. He said its central teaching is, ‘I am Shiva’. “So, know that God resides in all of you and you can realize the Divine in this very life.”

    He defined Kashmir Shaivism as a universal spiritual philosophy that accepts all elements of life in totality and teaches a path of realization through divine grace. The grace or shaktipat is in us all to a lesser or greater degree. He advised people to make humility, love, and compassion their second nature. “That will give you tremendous blessings.” He concluded with a brief meditation to give a taste of the follow-up experience sessions he conducts over two days. In his introduction, Dr Nirmal Mattoo said Qazi ji has been explaining Kashmir Shaivism to laypeople for three decades and had served in leadership roles in the Steel Authority of India. Dr Mattoo, the force behind the Center for India Studies at Stony Brook University, chairman of Indo-American Arts Council, and co-founder of Atlantic Dialysis Management Services, also gave an erudite introduction to Kashmir Shaivism.

    Mrs Hema Qazi’s devotional songs acted as a prelude to Virendra Qazi’s discourse. (Photo : Courtesy The Indian Panorama)

    Mohan Wanchoo, Chairman & CEO at EC Infosystems and philanthropist, thanked Qazi ji for “enlightening us about Kashmir Shaivism and I am sure all in the audience here benefitted as we were almost like drinking from a firehose of his pearls of wisdom.”

    Qazi’s discourse was preceded by Mrs Hema Qazi rendering devotional songs in Kashmiri and Hindi. She was greeted by Kavita Wanchoo.

    Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, editor-publisher of The Indian Panorama, introduced Parveen Chopra as an editor whose passion for spiritual journalism inspired him to start Lotus magazine.

    Parveen Chopra reported that ALotusInTheMud.com, launched in January, has been growing its audience at a fast clip. He added that Lotus was at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in August to cover it.

    Prominent attendees at the event included Dr Buddhadev Manvar, Sunil Hali, Arvind Vora, Arish Sahani, Nilima Madan, and Atul Kumria. Refreshments were arranged by Renu Chopra. The event was supported by Dr Mattoo and Mohan Wanchoo and promoted by The South Asian Times as well as other media outlets. Based in New Delhi, Qazi ji has been holding similar events in many cities in the USA and Canada during his current tour.

    Ashok Vyas, program director for ITV Gold, produced the video recording of the event for his Heramba Studio. Here is the link to watch the video on the YouTube channel of Lotus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCqXZtrBtrM

    Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja introduced Parveen Chopra ( seated on the left) and extended a word of welcome. (Photo : Courtesy The Indian Panorama)
    (Clockwise from bottom left) Parveen Chopra, Renu Chopra, Hema Qazi, Virendra Qazi, Mohan Wanchoo, a guest, and Ashok Vyas.(Photo : Courtesy The Indian Panorama)
    The event drew a full hall at Arya Samaj temple in Hicksville.(Photo : Courtesy The Indian Panorama)
  • “Ekal Foundation” Raises over $4 Million in Star-studded ‘Future of India’ Gala

    “Ekal Foundation” Raises over $4 Million in Star-studded ‘Future of India’ Gala

    Prakash Waghmare

    NEW YORK (TIP): On Saturday, November 13, “Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation (EVF)” raised over $4 million in star-studded virtual Gala, called “Future of India”that highlighted pre-eminent speakers,Ekal’s eclectic accomplishments and youth’s contributions to its mission. As per Indian demography, two third of its population resides in villages. Ekal, as it is popularly known, currently has presence in over 102,000 rural-tribal areas all across India with a reach to over 300,000 such clusters of habitants. Although rooted in education, Ekal has blossomed into providing healthcare, integrated village development, empowering functionality and new-age technology to these rural folks.

    Thistwo-hourevent, co-chaired by Mohan Wanchoo and Kamlesh Shah, both successful entrepreneurs and philanthropist, saw consistent overwhelming response from the donors, from the moment it opened up till it was capped by youthful entertainment by “Penn-Masala’, a youthful group of famous singers from “University of Pennsylvania”. The funds raised at the Gala were for specific projects, such as tailoring training centers, E-shiksha, Ekal-on-Wheels, Telemedicine, Gramotthan Research Centers, and Integrated Village Development. Mohan Wanchoo, who pioneered Gala events at Ekal, regaled viewers with a personal story of how hospitable tribal villagers were in the midst of a horrific tragedy that they had endured earlier. As a professional singer he mesmerized the viewers with an inspiring song in his melodious voice. Kamlesh Shah elaborated on Ekal’s aggressive fight with Covid-19 pandemic and the steps,that were taken to fight misinformation about the virus and the treatment.From the interspersed interviews of rural children, it was quite evident that Ekal has fired up their imagination to aspire for becoming Doctors, Soldiers, Teachers etc. Ekal’s women-centric empowerment activities and education as a tool for progress touched a nerve with all three chief guest speakers who whole heartedly supported Ekal’s selfless mission for the future of India.Kiran Mozumdar-Shaw, founder of Biocon and recipient of ‘Padma Bhushan’ honor,emphasized the need for digital tracking of patients by the tech-savvy nursing caretakers, as the core pointfor managing the pandemic.Coming from a humble family,Renu Khator, President of University of Houston system chancellor, stressed on the important role the education has played throughout her Steller career. She lauded EVF’s efforts for women empowerment. Naren Chaudhary, CEO of highly successful ‘Panera Bread’ brand, explained how his daughter –‘Aisha’ – was the central motivating factor in whatever he did in his life. He expressed unequivocal passion for his country – India–where he had witnessed ‘spirit of humanity’ in his own time of acute needto save Aisha. Ranjani Saigal, the Executive Director of Ekal-USA assured him that his daughter’s legacy lives through what Ekal does best. For every $1 a donor invests in Ekal activities, Ekal volunteers provides $8 worth of selfless volunteer efforts. Ekal’s youth-wing had raised substantial amount of funding to arrest the spread of Covid pandemic. During the Gala, they freely talked about what attracted them most to this largest social endeavor, supported by the Indians and NRIs, in dozen countries. Ekal supports all its activities without any regards to a particular region, religion or gender.

    A galaxy of Bollywood stars – from Hema Malini, Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai to Varun Dhavan, Udit Narayan, Alia Bhatt – provided glitz with their enthusiastic support for Ekal. A ZEE-TV ‘2019 Cine Awards’ clip, showedthree Ekal alumni students honored, for exceptional achievements. This public honor was bestowed on ‘Pinky Karmakar’ of Assam who was the torchbearer at 2012 London Olympics, ‘Divya Malgave’ of Maharashtra who won a Gold Medal at ‘International Intermediate Karat Championship’ and ‘Ramchandra Verma’ of U.P. who has made his birthplace– ‘Aligunj’ – an ideal ‘Gaav’ (village). While unveiling the roadmap for thefuture,Suresh Iyer, the President of Ekal-USA, confirmed that the essential objectives ofall the projects are two-fold – first, to prevent migration of rural folks to urban areas for lack of opportunities and second, to increase the economic and social impact on their lives. He appealed viewers to join hands with Ekal for the better ‘Future of India’.