The Indian Panorama

Tag: Mukund Mehta

  • Life Lessons from Tirlok Malik: Love yourself

    Happy Life Yoga workshop enthuses hundreds

    Over 125 senior citizens from various organizations attended the lively, entertaining, and interactive workshop. While making his audience laugh heartily, Tirlok Malik, founder of Happy Life Yoga, drove home a serious message at his workshop in Queens, sponsored by four community organizations.
    • By Parveen Chopra

    JAMAICA ESTATES, NY (TIP): Tirlok Malik’s Happy Life Yoga workshop at India Home here on July 28 was a roaring success. He made over 125 senior citizens from various seniors’ organizations laugh and dance to his tunes. Founder of Happy Life Yoga, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tirlok Malik aimed to empower seniors in the audience to live a healthy, happy, and more fulfilling life. His live, entertaining, interactive workshop brims with the wisdom of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian Philosophy, which he distills and presents with practical tips and short exercises.

    To me and some attendees I spoke to, the most striking takeaway from the workshop was when Malik made us hug ourselves and say loud and clear, “I love myself.” This line he made us repeat like a mantra or talisman. And from these three words, a big life lesson flows naturally. Explained Malik, “If I love myself, then it is my responsibility to take care of my health and happiness. So, commit that you will try your best to be healthy and happy.”

    Each of Malik’s close friends will tell you that the moment he calls, both burst into guffaws. At the workshop too, he made everybody laugh, “like babies”, as one participant commented. “Laugh as much and as often,” Malik said. “It is good for you, it opens the lungs, and it produces happy hormones.” He does not resort to cracking jokes as he advises, “You don’t need a reason to laugh. Laugh at the absurdity of life, laugh at ordinary events – ‘oh, chapati on the stove got burnt’ is a good enough opportunity to laugh it away.”

    Having his audience to eat out of his hands, Malik then moved to the core of his workshop.

    Indian philosophy, he explained, tells us that you can have it all but only if you balance Artha, Kama, Dharma, and Moksha. Artha is our means, and Kama is our desires, and normally the two are out of whack, which causes problems. “I may want a Mercedes, but if currently, I can only afford $20,000, then it is better to shelve that goal,” he suggested. Dharma is making the right choices. Moksha is contentment or fulfillment that flows from harmoniously living the first three. From Ayurveda, Malik said, we learn to eat the right food for the body. Eat healthy as many times as possible and skip junk food.

    The Yoga of Happy Life Yoga does not require mats. “Move the body as much as possible,” Malik advised, as yoga asanas also involve various body movements. Then, he made people sway and dance even as they were sitting in chairs. One simple breathing exercise he taught: “Take a deep breath, hold for a while, and exhale from the mouth with a sound.”

    Malik wrapped up his motivational workshop with this nugget: We cannot change our past, so we must accept it. We may have made mistakes, but we cannot go back to correct them. We do not know what the future has in store for us. So, live in the present, doing your best to have a happy and healthy life.

    The program was sponsored by Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York, GOPIO Manhattan, GOPIO New York, and India Home. Media support was provided by Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama. Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, Executive Director of India Home, talked about the various free programs offered by the not-for-profit center for senior care.

    Mukund Mehta, President, India Home, and Past President and Paramarshak of Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York, introduced Tirlok Malik.

    Happy Life Yoga founder Tirlok Malik is an Emmy award-nominated filmmaker and restaurateur.

    Tirlok Malik is an acclaimed actor and filmmaker who is known for making feature films on the Indian American experience under his banner Apple Productions, such as ‘Lonely in America’, and ‘On Golden Years’. When asked, he will tell you that Happy Life Yoga is not a departure from that work but is the continuation of his love for India and his community. He had started the first Indian food restaurant (1985), the first Ayurveda medicine center (1992), and the first Ayurveda restaurant (1998), all in Manhattan.

    During the program, Malik called upon Claudine and Jack Halpern to introduce their online app, named Zage, for elder care. The couple distributed discount coupons to the attendees.

    Toward the end of the program, Malik introduced and thanked his team: Neha Lohia, a filmmaker and Happiness Director of Happy Life Yoga, and John Pina and Bohan, also filmmakers.

     Fulsome praise for the workshop

    Tirlok Malik (third from left) with Organizers. L to R: Pankaj Parikh, Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi – Executive Director of India Home, Mukund Mehta, and Jagdish Patel, posing for a picture after the workshop.“Tirlok Ji’s presentation on Happy Life Yoga was extraordinary and seniors overwhelmingly enjoyed it. The entire session was robust and participative. He introduced the principles for a happier and healthier life based on the wisdom of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Indian Philosophy.”
    -Mukund Mehta, President, India Home, and Past President and Paramarshak, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York.

    “Happy Life Yoga is beneficial for everyone to have good health, physically and emotionally, and Tirlok Malik’s platform can show how to achieve it.”

    -Jagdish Patel, President, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York

    “Tirlok Malik’s workshop was unique in many ways. There were frequent bursts of laughter along with useful tips for breathing and developing a positive attitude towards your own self.”

    -Pankaj Parikh, Vice President, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York

    “Tirlok Malik taught us the techniques to connect mind, heart, and body through positive thinking, using fundamental values and breathing exercises. It was a unique experience to expand the inner joy in our life.”

    -Ashok Sheth, Vice President – Finance, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York

  • Dr Hari Shukla shares with community leaders his vison of the South Asians of New York, Inc

    Dr Hari Shukla shares with community leaders his vison of the South Asians of New York, Inc

    The gathering

    JAMAICA, NY (TIP): Dr. Hari Shukla and Kirti Shukla hosted at their home in Jamaica Estate,   on April 19,  the Consul General of India Mr Randhir Jaiswal and his wife Dr. Abha Jaiswal to a dinner with a few community leaders.

    The community leaders included  Harshad Patel , Pakaji,President ,Gujarati Samaj,Anil Shah , Chairman Vaishnav temple Long Island, Mukund Mehta, President of Indi-American Seniors and Chairman of India Home, Dr Vipul Patel BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Flushing, Malini Shah, Indo-American organization of Queens, Hemant Shah, President Floral Park, Bellerose, Indian MerchantsAssociation, HK Shah and Malti Shah, Founder of World Vegan Vision, Dr Nita Jain, Democratic District Leader, Queens,  Mohinder Verma, Jackson HeightsIndian Merchants’ Association, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, President The Indian Panorama, Manish Dave, Jai Sachidanand Sangh, New York, Bina Sabapathy,  President, IALI, Nilima Madan,  Indian Association of North America, Haridas Kotahwala, Chairman, Navika Group of Companies, and  Vimal Goyal, India Association of North America. Dr Mrugank Shukla, New York Presbyterian Hospital-Queens and  Dr Mehool Shukla, NYU -Langone Hospital also joined.

    Dr Hari Shukla, President and Founder of South Asians of New York, Inc explained through slides  the projects he has been doing through his organization. The charitable projects included distribution of food and clothing.  He said he had plans to expand the area or work.

    Consul General Mr. Jaiswal had a word of appreciation for the humanitarian wok Dr. Shukla was doing. He said he was very happy to find the Indian American community taking up humanitarian projects in quite a large number here and also taking all care to pay back to their motherland. He added that the NRIs were real strength of India.

    Speaking about the importance and utility of such group meetings, Mr. Jaiswal said they provided opportunities to know one another , and more importantly, share thoughts and ideas. He thanked Dr. Hari and Kirti Shukla for organizing the meet and greet. Dr. Abha Jaiswal  who holds a BDS also spoke on the occasion. She said it pleased her  a lot to see how the Indian American community is contributing to India and also appreciated their role in being a bridge between the two countries. The Shuklas treated the guests to a delicious Gujarati dinner.

  • GOPIO led community delegation meets Mayor Eric Adams and his top officials

    NEW YORK (TIP): GOPIO officials along with other Indian community organizations were invited to New York city Hall on March 1st to discuss issues of the Indian community and perspectives on how the community can be involved in the city. It all started with GOPIO’s condemnation of the defacing of Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Union Square Park in February and GOPIO requesting Mayor Eric Adams to increase police presence in the park area as well as to apprehend and punish culprit.

    Indian American community leaders with New York City officials after an interactive meeting at the City Hall.
    From L to R: Mukund Mehta, Kavita Motwani, Lal Motwani, Braj Aggarwal, Ketan Shah, Karthikeya Parashar, Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty, Gobind Munjal, Sudhir Vaishnav, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Dr. Vimal Goyle, Girish Patel and Beena Kothari

    City Hall was represented by Mayor Adam’s Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin and Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi. The Indian community delegation was headed by GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham along with GOPIO-Manhattan Executive VP Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty, VP Dr. Vimal Goyle and Treasurer Braj Aggarwal as well as GOPIO-New York Chapter Hon. Chair Lal Motwani and President Beena Kothari. Other community representatives were Association of Indians in America (AIA) President Gobind Munjal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Executive Director Sudhir Vaishnav, Bhakti Center Program Coordinator Kartikeya Parashar, Society of Indian American Engineers and Architects (SIAEA) President Ketan Shah, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir National Coordinator for Public Affairs Girish Patel and Mukund Mehta, President of India Home and Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York.

    At the beginning of the meeting, GOPIO Chairman Dr. Abraham thanked Mayor Adams for appointing many Indian Americans in high position of the city administration. In addition to the issue of defacing of Mahatma Gandhi statue, many other issues were discussed at this power meeting of the City officials with the community. The community representatives urged the mayor to keep status que on gifted and talented classes for elementary classes. The delegation told the city officials that the gifted should always be given the opportunity to advance further in pursuit of knowledge and to achieve their full academic potential. Other issues brought out include discrimination, civil rights violations and violence against religious institutions in New York city. Chief Advisor Lewis Martin suggested to set up a committee from the community to work closely with NYPD on some of these issues. The following have been nominated to work on these issues with Girish Patel coordinating this effort along with Braj Aggarwal, Lal Motwani, and Beena Kothari. This committee will reach out to the larger Indian community on these issues.

    Indian American community leaders with New York Mayor Eric Adams in front of the CityHall,
    Front Row, from L to R: Girish Patel, Gobind Munjal, Beena Kothari, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Mayor Adams, Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty, Braj Aggarwal and Mukund Mehta,. Rear row, from l. to r.: Karthikeya Parashar, Lal Motwani, Dr. Vimal Goyle, Kavita Motwani, Ketan Shah and Sudhir Vaishnav.

    Once major part of the discussion was on how to bring businesses to New York City, vis-à-vis New York businesses setting up business in India. The delegation told city officials that many Indian companies are setting business outfit in the US and that Indian Americans in New York city could serve as conduit to reach out to businesses in India. It was suggested that whenever trade and business delegations come to New York, City’s International Affairs Department must reach them out and hold meetings with them. Another Business Promotion Committee headed by Dr. Abraham was nominated along with Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty, Sudhir Vaishnav, Mukund Mehta, Ketan Shah and Karthikeya Parashar.

    The delegation also suggested the city officials to continue with Diwali celebration and to hold a special celebration from the City for the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence to honor the largest democracy of the world.

    After the meeting with city officials, the delegation met Mayor Eric Adams and interacted with him. Mayor Adams gave high marks for the community’s contribution to make New York an exciting city to live.

    (Based on a Press Release)