Memorial day weekend - Synonymous with FUN!

By Gauri Chandna

Memorial Day in New England marks the beginning of summer family activities. Surrounded with the best National parks, New England states are a treat during the spring, and summer months. While those choosing to stay at home bring out patio furniture, grills for their first barbecues, and house plants, and entertain guest in their back yard; many travel to their favorite summer destinations releasing themselves from being snagged indoors through the winter months. This three day long weekend with longer days comes with so much to do. A lot of families are the most enthusiastic around this time to kick off their summer activities, make wonderful memories and spend a lot of outdoor time. Towns hold spring parades to celebrate the weather. Swimming pools start to get cleaned and ready for exciting times ahead. Summer in New England is synonymous with FUN!

Sharda Jha a resident of Massachusetts made the most of this weekend with her extended family.  “This Memorial Day weekend, we decided to spend time with family and cherish sweet memories of those who are no longer with us. We picked a hidden gem in Boston area with historical significance that we had never visited. First of all, we hiked a small nature trail in Fellsway Crystal Spring area. Climbing rocks was real fun. We then visited Castle Island in South Boston which is dog friendly too. This visit gave us a glimpse of Boston under British occupation. We highly recommend friends to visit Castle Island, take a tour of fort and enjoy taking pictures of low flying planes landing in nearby Logan airport. Being in New England, nothing beats a visit to Maine to have lobster dinner. After all, it is the home of world renowned lobster. We had a fabulous fun-filled lobster dinner in famous Pirates Patio in Wells, Maine. The rest of evening was dedicated to playing cards and dumb chareds. In spite of a gloomy weather forecast the next day, we managed to visit Salisbury beach and took advantage of low tide to enjoy beach soccer. This brought us in a summer mood as well as prepared us for the upcoming Soccer World Cup in Brazil. Of course, the day could not be completed without hard fought battle in tennis courts. We enjoyed it so much in newly laid tennis courts in our hometown, Wakefield. It was indeed one of the best Memorial Day weekends with family. Not only we went back to bygone era in our memory lanes, we also build memories to cherish forever.”

This is also a time of parent visits for many South Asian families. The weather is simply perfect to welcome parents/grandparents who come and spend time with their children and make summer extra special. It is a time for building of family bonds through spreading joys in each other’s lives through pre-summer and summer activities together. Sandhyashree Padmanabhan , another resident of Massachusetts shared with us ,”This summer is extra special for me as my parents are visiting. Since Memorial Day serve as an official kick-off to summer activities, we went on a pre-memorial day weekend shopping to get ready for the season. On the weekend, upon my dad’s suggestion we visited Walden Pond State Reservation to learn more about Massachusetts’s very own thinker Henry David Thoreau. Weather co-operated well for our trip."

Nikita Rao , a resident of New Hampshire shared her family tradition. “We have been spending our Memorial Day weekend with our friends since last 2 years In Waterville Valley Resorts in New Hampshire, one of the best places to hangout with unlimited bike , hike , swim, boat , absolute adventure retreat with friends in a great gateway !!! We love it and look forward to it every year !!”

Whether it is trips to the beaches or mountains, or travel to International destinations, New Englanders get about 14 weekends between Memorial Day and the day schools re-open for the next academic year, to fulfill their ‘outdoor wishes’ that they savor all year round. We wish you all a great summer of 2014.

2014- Celetial Minds New England Junior Open Chess Championship

PRESS RELEASE

Celestial Minds is proud to bring 2014-New England Junior Open Chess Championship to Chelmsford MA.   Event is USCF rated and all players will play a total of 4 rounds regardless of win/loss/draw.  Since Celestial Minds is  affiliated to USCF,  playes  get a provisional official rating from United States Chess Federation. They move from provisional to regular rating after 24 games. 

Event also offers programs for Chess enthusiasts who are not taking part in the tourney. It is Free and Open to all ages. All are welcome to be a part of Simul Chess Display and puzzles sessions. It is also a good opportunity to come and play with players and Chess experts.

Celestial Minds hopes that NE community encourages the effort in creating more Chess players and supports the Chess fraternity.

Date and Time :June 8th 2014,  1pm 

Registration Required : Only for Tournament Players

Eligibility: New England players ( K-12) 

Fees: $30 before Jun2 2nd 2014, $40 after June 2nd

Prizes :

Top 8 prizes ( K-12), Best K-7 Player Prize  

Top 6 prizes ( K-3)

Chess related prizes for Top-3  in both sections

Best Female Player Prize ( K-12, K-3)

Medals for all participants

Parallel Programs : Free/Open to all Ages:  Chess Simul, Games  and Puzzles sessions 

email: info@celestialminds.net

Like to sponsor a Prize ?

email: volunteer@celestialminds.net

Ramjeet Singh (Romy) talks to The Foundations TV about Gongs as sound healing

By Gauri Chandna

Q: Tell us something about your background
A: I was born in Manila, Philippine Islands to a family that had a strong religious orientation.  Both my grandfathers were protestant ministers and both my parents went to religious schools from elementary through high school and college.  I was raised in my parents' faith but as a sophomore at the University of Vermont, I began my own exploration of Eastern thought and religions as a comparative Religion major.  It was there that I became enamored with Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. 

I was fortunate that the Department of Religion at UVM was rooted in phenomenology of experience and cultural anthropology because was able to experience spiritual practices from great masters at the time.  It was my exposure to Carl Jung in the Religion Department that I became interested in psychology. I spent a brief time in the PhD program in Religious Studies at McGill U.  Then moved on to Master's program in Clinical Psychology at Central Michigan U. after which I went on to a PhD program in Counseling Psychology at Michigan State University.  After I received my Ph.D., I was fortunate to have been accepted to clinical training program at Dartmouth Medical School,
Department of Psychiatry and then to a postdoctoral clinical training program at Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry.  I was trained by the leading theorist and researchers in the world.

Q: When did you get introduced to Kundalini Yoga? 
A: Throughout my training, I continued reading a practicing being in contact with people interested in meditation and alternative forms of change other than psychotherapy.  During the Men's movement, I was introduced to the Native American Vision Quest rites of passage and worked with a group called Soulstice Journeys for many years leading Vision Quests wilderness retreats.

About 10 years ago, I was  introduced to Kundalini Yoga as taught Yogi Bhajan.  I experienced such profound emotional/spiritual/psychological transformation from this type of yoga that I believed it was important to do some research in using it as an adjunct treatment to PTSD.  I was able to work with a group of very bright and talented yogis and reasearchers from Harvard Medical School, the Guru Ram Das Center and U. of Toronto.  We developed a Kundalini Yoga protocol that is being tested now in U. of Toronto.

Q: Tell us something about your involvement with sound healing.
A: My interest in sound healing began as a child since I came from a musical family. I learned early on the power of the voice through singing.  More recently I was introduced to Kirtan and helped form the Kirtan Wallah called MANASAA. In addition, through another teacher, I was introduced to the Sufi Dances of Universal Peace, which is another form of sound healing.  

However, it was through Kundalini Yoga that I was introduced to the gongs.  And it was throught the grace of God and Guru that I was given my first 2 gongs.  About 2 years ago, I decided to ask the UNIVERSE for a gong since I did not have enough money to buy one.  I posted a request on FaceBook for a gong and within 30 minutes, a musician acquaintance of mine said that I could have a gong that he had.  Fifteen minutes later, another post appeared from another musician acquaintance who told me that she had a dream the night before that she was suppose to give her gong away, and, she believed I was the one she was to give it to.  This is a very special gong handmade many, many years ago by an indigenous gong maker in Indonesia.  She gave me a photo of the gong being made.  Not only did this happen, but I was blessed to be teaching at Open Space Yoga, Nashua, NH where the coordinator of the studio also has a love for the gong and talent for playing them.  We now have a total of 9 gongs at Open Space Yoga.  As part of our SEVA, we have a GONG MEDITATION every Sunday night from 7p - 8p and all that money goes to a non-profit organization in need.

Q: Tell us something about sound healing. 
A: Most recently, I have been blessed to study formally about the gong and sound healing through Mitch Nur, Ph.D. who is one of the world's most renowned authority on indigenous sound healing instruments including the gong. I have also began studyinig with Don Conreaux who is known as The Gong Master. He was one of Yogi Bhajan's first students. He was given the directive from Yogi Bhajan to develop gong healing. He has written about the vibrational healing through the gong.

To me using sound makes the most sense in healing. Fundamentally, we are made up of atoms that are vibrating at certain frequencies and when our vibrational energy is awry, then sound can be useful in the healing process. It puts us in harmony with the Universal sound current called the Naad. When we use sound as teacher (Shabd Guru), we are truly on the path of harmonious healing.
I am doing individual sessions using a technique that I have developed called Healing Into Wholiness through vibrational harmony with the Infinite. I am also in the process of starting weekly Healing Into Wholiness group sessions. 

As you can see, I live in two worlds which I am bridging.  The world of traditional psychiatry/medicine and the other world of alternative ways of healing through sound and movement.  Both are important and need each other to help us make changes in our lives that are positive and long-lasting.  It is important to remember that our world (including us) are all made up of vibrating atoms and thus, does it not make sense that we would use the vibration of sound to heal whatever ails us?

Young Voices Day 2014 Celebrated by JagoWorld Inc

By Gauri Chandna

JagoWorld Inc celebrated the uniqueness of every single child through diversity in presentation of various topics on May 17th, 2014 at Walpole Public Library.  During the Young Voices Day 2014, many families gathered for an educational and entertaining event that included hilarious skits, impromptu, debate, fun games, and speeches covering variety of topics such as art of public speaking, leadership, inspiration, science, music, arts, history, management, communication, and education, all packed with learning, sincerity, entertainment and laughter.

President Arun Chaudhary welcomed everyone and then children walked up confidently to share their ideas and thoughts on various topics, and also presented skits to highlight certain values that make a good human being such as patience, good listening and effective communication.

The Chief Guest and inspiration speaker, Dr Balram Singh [PhD Executive Mentor, School of Indic Studies Professor and Director, Botulinum Research Center Institute of Advanced Sciences] presented the importance of Indian values in upbringing of children in the US. He specifically highlighted the importance of a mother and child bond and how that is so significant in building  the self-esteem and development of a confident individual.

Jonathan Monterecy, another Chief Guest, COO at Ripple Funding, spoke on the relevance of positive attitude in life. He made interesting analogies with cartoon characters Tigger and Eore to highlight the effect of attitude in our lives.

Gauri Chandna, Chief Guest and motivational speaker [ President and Founder ATFS Learning Center, Co-Founder and Host, The Foundations TV and Author of Book SPARKS] in her speech elaborated on effective learning, and related it to serving the community and emerging as a leader.

Sridhar Singh, Leader of Young Voices USA, another Chief Guest and speaker, now headed to Carnegie Mellon for his College, spoke on the value and usefulness of optimism in a student’s life.

Jagoworld Inc, through this event not only created an opportunity for every student to listen to excellent speeches, as well as deliver speeches, but in effect this was a great learning experience as the kids did research on various topics and thought through the topic to effectively present and showcase their public speaking talent. The skits were hilarious and entertaining and yet, educational.

Jagoworld also presented its own mission and projects that they have participated in throughout the year including their popular fundraising and gift drive during the Holiday season.

In all this was an educational, entertaining and celebratory event. The Foundations TV was present there and has captured these special moments in pictures. Please visit their facebook  www.facebook.com/TheFoundationsTV page for pictures

Natya Tarang Festival of Arts, Rahul Acharya and Anindita Nanda

By Gauri Chandna

On May 18^th, 2014, Soortaal and Milan Organization, as part of Natya Tarang Festival of Arts 2014,  presented Odissi Classical Dance Recital by World Renowned artists Rahul Acharya (India) www.rahulacharya.com) and Anindita Nanda (USA) (http://www.soortaal.org/natyatarang/) at the beautiful Edmond Town Hall, in Newtown Connecticut.

Rahul Acharya is one of the most loved and popular Odissi soloists in the International arena. Since the age of 4, Rahul has been training under Guru Durga Charan Ranbir in Orissa. He tours the world extensively and is trained in Hatha and Raja Yoga. He is a recipient of Junior and Senior Scholarship from Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. He is an Empanelled Artist of the Indian Council of Cultural Relationships, an honorary member of Sacred Dance Guild , USA, Member of International Dance Council, CID UNESCO; has collaborated with Sutra Dance Theatre , Malaysia, is a member of the World Movement of Fine Arts Italy, Graded Artist of Doordarshan India, First male Odissi Dancer to be awarded the Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natya Academy, New Delhi , has been honored by the Orissa Society of America and the Jagannath Society of America

Such accomplishment is achieved by hard work, dedication and precision. The audiences at Newtown CT witnessed perfection through dance as Rahul performed individual items as well as joint presetations along with Anindita Nanda, a rare combination of dancer, teacher, classical vocalist, choreographer and a scholar. Anindita is an accomplished artist of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Gharana of dancing. She has a Masters in India classical dance and Vocal from ABGMM, India. She is the disciple of Guru Kishore and Guru Pranab Biswas in vocal music. She has also trained at the Odissi Dance Academy, India. She is the recipient of several awards like “Nrtiya Shree”, “Nrtiya Visharad” and “Nrtiya Praveen” in India. She is a recipient of Junior and Senior Scholarship from Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India and “Human Greatness Award” from the city of Danbury, CT. She was recently invited by the Indian Embassy to open for the Festival of India , Buenos Aires, Argentina and has also completed her Suth American tour. She is the Founder of the NTFA, which was started in 2011 and is in its 4^th year of presentation. 

As part of this presentation, Anindita opened the show with Nabadurga through which she projected emotions and expressions of the divine warrior Goddess Durga as she demonstrated sensationally , the destruction of the tyrant forces of the earth. This was followed by a pure dance piece Sthayee, a joint performance by Anindita and Rahul, which was perfectly orchestrated to embody the nuances and grammar Odissi dance. This performance truly highlighted the extensive postures and poses of the dance that took its cues from the sculptures that decorate Orissan temples. Next, Rahul depicted a story that is believed to have been penned by Lord Krishna himself. This “Priyacharushila” was an exquisite representation of fondly amorous interactions of Radha and Krishna. Other presentations included Hanswadwani Pallavi, a pure dance piece ; Chandana Charchita, an excerpt from the 12^th Century Sanskrit literacy classic ‘Geeta Govinda’; Shakarabharanam Pallavi, Patdeep Pallavi, and Ahenila Shail, one of the most famous Oriya poem in praise of Lord Jagannath.

The grand presentation of the evening was the famous Ashtasambhu presented by the talented and accomplished Rahul Acharya. This special dance marks the period of destruction when creation meets dissolution. Shiva is the creator of dance. He is the cosmic dancer. In these eight seminal verses, Venkatmakhi alias Venkataramana Dikhshithat, describes him as the supreme benevolent lord who holds the daughter of Himalaya, Parvati on his left. He is the one who destroys the demons. He drinks the ocean of poison for the sake of the world. He performs Tandava. This extremely vigorous and heavily accentuated dance left the audiences mesmerized and awed. This was appropriately selected as the final piece of the festival.

The Foundations TV was present at the location and was privileged to interview both artists back stage. These will soon be available on our channel. 

Hindu Heritage Day being celebrated on May 24th

PRESS RELEASE

Please come with your family especially children.

Governor of Massachusetts and Mayor of Marlboro both Proclaim May 24 as Hindu Heritage Day.

18^th Hindu Heritage   Day

Saturday, May  24, 2014; 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Marlboro Middle School, 25 Union Street, Marlboro, MA 01752
http://boston.vhp-america.org/ 
Dance - Drama - Music - Songs - Skits – Exhibition; Chaat - Dosa - Bhelpuri - Dinner - Samosa - Tikki – Lassi; Kites - Mehndi - Games - Movies

The town of Marlboro is gearing up for a an entertaining day on May 24th with lots of dance, drama, music, songs, skits presented by local talents from various cultural schools in the area. A number of local restaurants will be putting up their stalls for food including dosas, chaat, bhelpuri, dinner, samosas, tikkis, and lassi. There will lots of fun activities for families such as kite flying, face painting,raffle, Rangoli mehendi, games, and movies. It is a whole day of fun and celebration of our culture and heritage.
Exhibition will include clothing, jewelry, Children's books, Charity organizations, Businesses, Summer camps, and Spiritual Healing

Entry Fee: Adults $5.00, Students: $3.00
Saturday May 24th from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Marlborough Middle School , 25 Union Street, Marlborough, MA 

'Harmony in Relationships' talk on May 27th

PRESS RELEASE

Would you like to maintain harmony in your relationships?  Is a life rich with connection, wholeness, and value appealing to you?  Come explore “Harmony in Relationships” on Tuesday, May 27, in a special program with dance, music, words of wisdom, candle lighting ceremony, meditation experience, and refreshments.  During this inspiring evening, we will explore how we maintain loving and compassionate feelings for all.  It will take place at the ATFS Center, 433 South Street, Shrewsbury, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm and is being hosted by the local Brahma Kumaris.

Keynote speaker and facilitator BK Sudha has a wealth of experience from more than 45 years studying and teaching human values and spirituality in India and around the world.  She has presented in many international conferences on a range of spiritual themes and appeared multiple times on radio, TV and media.  She is the author of the Russian publication Unending Treasures and co-author of Moral Values.  Currently, BK Sudha acts as the General Director of Brahma Kumaris (Moscow), and Chairperson of the Council of Trustees of Brahma Kumaris Centres in the territory of Russia, CIS, and Baltic countries.

An experiential meditation and an opportunity for conversation will close the evening, followed by dinner.

What:  Harmony in Relationships: a journey to explore ways to maintain harmony in relationships
Where: ATFS Learning Center, 433 South Street, Shrewsbury, MA  01545
When: Tuesday, May 27, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
RSVP / To pre-register:  Please kindly RSVP to
by telephone: 978-436-1285
by email: bkshrewsbury@gmail.com
On-line: harmonyrelationships.eventbrite.com

Event Highlights include Dance, Music, Words of wisdom, Candle Lighting ceremony, Meditation, Refreshments

About the hosts:

The Brahma Kumaris Shrewsbury is the local branch of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization (BKWSO).  Managed by volunteers in the community, the Brahma Kumaris work internationally to promote peace and positive change in society.  They conduct a range of educational programs in 8,500 centers in 126 countries. As a non-profit organization and worldwide community, the Brahma Kumaris teach people to re-connect with their most positive energy, discover their spiritual strengths, and live by their deepest personal values.  Courses lead to self development and inner transformation so that one feels enthusiasm and attains happiness in life in all situations.  Courses encourage positive values, offer a fresh vision of the future, and bring out the best in people.  Self knowledge and inner power can be acquired by learning to manage one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors.

Raja Yoga meditation and philosophy of life allows us to emerge our inner resources, giving us the power to face challenges intrinsic to our society. Classes in Shrewsbury meet on Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 am.  Programs are offered free of charge for the benefit of society in the spirit of social service. 

A new Shri Sai Temple Opening May 24th in Canton MA

PRESS RELEASE

A new Shri Sai Chavadi is having an opening ceremony during the Memorial Day weekend of May 24^th – May 26^th 2014 in Canton, MA. The name of the temple is significant to Shirdi Sai devotees. The name ‘Chavadi’ means village office, a place where taxes were collected, village records were kept and official meetings were held in Shirdi. Shirdi Sai Baba used to sleep in the Chavadi on alternate nights during the last decade of his life. And thus offering regular arati to Baba became the tradition at the Chavadi. Following Baba’s mahasamadhi, Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust acquired the Chavadi and kept it as a shrine open to all Sai Baba devotees.   

Temple invites  everyone to join with family and friends to participate in the Sai Murti Pranprathistha ceremony on May 24 to officially open the temple.

To register in Maha kumbh Abhishkam / For more information, please visit www.shrisaichavadi.com or call (774) 27-MYSAI.

Raga & Rasa event featuring Ramayana – Poetry in motion on Sunday May 18th 2014

PRESS RELEASE

Music is evocative; it affects our mind, body and feelings and transforms lives.  Transforming lives is indeed the daily activity of the non-profit social service organization Udavum Karangal.  So to lend a helping hand to Udavum Karangal‘s activities of providing a new lease on life to nearly 2500 people, from newborn babies, abandoned, sick, orphaned, to the old and dying, a benefit event titled “Raga and Rasa” is being  planned for Sunday May 18^th 2014 at Diamond Middle School, in Lexington, MA . 

The “Raga and Rasa” event will start promptly at 3:30p.m and has two segments to it.  There will be a music medley by students of Sandhya Sridhar, a 6-person violin ensemble by Tara Anand’s students, followed by songs on the keyboard.  The stage will then transition to the feature presentation of a Bharatanatyam rendition of the Ramayana that will begin at 4:45p.m.  Join us, as we journey back in time watch Ramayana come ALIVE!

The Ramayana production is a creative yet traditional, tastefully unique production that seamlessly integrates verses from the various literary poetic compositions of Valmiki, Kamban, Tulsidas, Tyagraja, Arunachala Kavi, Swathi Thirunal and Narsing Mehta with engaging English narration to journey through the various khandas (chapters) and weave a concise storyboard of the entire epic.  The original production is the brainchild of Ranjani Saigal with input from several scholars including Dr. Balram Singh, Dr. Bijoy Misra,  Dr. Uma Nellaiappan, Chandu Shah and Dr. R.S Ayyar with music set by Smt. Geeta Murali.  The production was made possible with a grant in 2008 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council Traditional Arts Apprentice Award given to the talented Amudha Pazhanisamy, grand-niece of the legendary dancer Balasaraswati, to continue studying with her guru Ranjani Saigal.  This time around, the drama is being re-enacted as before with Amudha Pazhanisamy the dancer, Ranjani Saigal doing the narration & nattuvangam but with a new orchestra of talented young adults. Sisters Swathi and Bavna Sivasubramanian will be doing the vocals, Ajay Ravichandran on the Mridangam, Ajay Karthik on the violin, and Kavitha Pazhanisamy on the veena.  This is a must see, engaging performance and a true feast for the eyes. 

We are counting on your presence and support to make this event a success. 

Tickets $25, 50 and 100; Snacks and dinner are included in the ticket price.  Children under 6 are free. 

Venue – Diamond Middle School, 60 Sedge Rd, Lexington, MA

Time: 3:30p.m. - Music Medley;   4:45p.m. - Ramayana –Poetry in Motion

Mother's Day Celebration at Apna Punjab

By Gauri Chandna

Mother’s Day is a joyous day all across the world when mothers are celebrated. Originated in Greece and Rome as a religious festival in honor of Goddesses Rhea and Cybele, over a period of time, this has taken a shape of a more secular holiday when families across the world celebrate motherhood. A day when everyone takes a few moments to remember times they have spent with their mothers. Of course social media is filled with pictures of childhood times with loving moms. And current children spend extra time at school to prepare touchingly worded cards for their moms. Moms are showered with gifts, flowers, cards and tons of love. According to a research done, the phone traffic including texting these days increases by upto 37% on this one day while children far away from their moms make sure they chat with their moms on this special day. For those close by, a usual tradition is making meals for mom, breakfast in bed being the popular one. All moms proudly share that their kids prepared meals for them to treat them extra special on Mother’s Day. Restaurants are flooded with families celebrating the day as a special family day out. With the newest trend of sharing pictures online, everywhere you look, you notice mom’s being photographed by their husbands and proudly sharing on their ‘walls’ that the women of the house were treated well and rewarded for being that extra special person in their homes. Moms get to decide what they want to do, where they want to go and how they want to be treated. It is a day when moms across the world are pampered. And this pampering was elaborated this year at Apna Punjab restaurant in Rehoboth.

The restaurant bubbled with energy and excitement when happy families walked in to celebrate their special day at the restaurant. An atmosphere of traditional food, Bollywood music and happy families was on throughout the evening and well into Sunday night. Somen Saha a local vocalist entertained audiences with a variety of Bollywood songs ranging from Kishore Kumar oldies to newer Ashiqui 2 numbers. Families clapped and hummed along and joined in twists and dances while the authentic Punjabi food was being served and was filling up the entire room with flavors of Punjab. A touching number ‘Maa’ was soul stirring and definitely wetted a few eyes in the room. Soumen Saha himself enjoyed the experience of singing for a great audience. As it puts it himself,” It was an intimate evening with a very receptive audience. I was able to sing romantic as well as up-beat numbers and the audience participation was uplifting. The American crowd was quite enthusiastic of the performance and had a great time swinging to both American and Hindi songs. All in all it was a very pleasant evening and I enjoyed it thoroughly.”

As for the food, to those who chose to go there, agreed there couldn’t have been a better choice. Manisha Chowdhary who run a day care visits the restaurant regularly and shared her thoughts with us, “Apna Punjab always has amazing food. We go there often and the owner is very welcoming. The staff is great, very friendly and attentive. We were there for Mother's Day. They had Somen Saha sing that evening. Somen is amazing and it was really nice to see him there with his family. What a lovely collection of songs he has. I definitely recommend this place to everyone who is looking for some lovely traditional Indian food. I look forward to more celebration nights at Apna Punjab”.

According to the owner of the restaurant, Mr Jatinder Vij, “All of our dishes are made fresh to order. Many of our recipes are handed down from generations of families, some are created from our Executive Chef, Mr. Subash Singh's personal repertoire- but each of our menu items is made with personal attention and never rushed or shorted! Our talented kitchen staff will adjust the spice level of every dish to suit your tolerance- so dare to go bold or order it mild, the choice is yours!” And true to the words, each and every dish prepared that night as well, was customized for the level of spice and personal taste of the guest. It was served with so much warmth and love. Those who enjoyed their Mother’s day dinner at Apna Punjab went happy and satisfied with their choice of the venue, food and music. According to Mr Jatinder, there were about 130 people who enjoyed the Mother’s Day dinner at Apna Punjab. When asked if there was a popular dish that night, he confidently smiled and said, “ Crispy Shrimp and Badami Chicken.” Our favorites: Double meat naan, sarson ka saag and crispy shrimp.

Sameer Bhambhani, the lead guitarist at Din Check, is a regular customer at Apna Punjab and he spoke to The Foundations Tv about the overall experience of eating at the restaurant. "If you are really looking for authentic Indian cuisine, Apna Punjab is surely the place. Their food is fresh and their menu is extensive. Their mutton curry is surely one of my favorites. Service is prompt and courteous ....definitely recommend the place to anyone looking for a great Indian restaurant in the area"

Apna Punjab is a unique restaurant that has awesome food and very warm and welcoming environment and hospitality of the owner. That truly differentiates it from others. Located in Rehoboth, it makes the drive so worth it. The Foundations TV recommends it!

Romancing the 70s - Event Review

- By Nayanika Yellepeddi

On May 10th, the Elks Lodge in Natick was treated to a blast from the past, romancing the 70s. Picture a great hall, with a stage and a dance floor, complete with a bar in swinging 70s decor. Make Love Not War, Peace and other symbols of the decade adorned the walls, with giant flower cutouts. Shimmying from the ceiling were glittering mobiles, and the table centerpieces sported embellished 78 rpm vinyl records. The guests made their entrance in fitting 70s attire - sheer chiffon saris in gorgeous pastels and flower prints, bell-bottom trousers and jump suits, vibrant flowing tunics and disco pants, colorful blazers and bouffant hairdos. While the skies outside became overcast with lowering clouds that threatened to unleash summer's first downpour, the hall came alive as the doors closed and the music began.

Hosting the show were "the bold and the beautiful" Siraj Khan, the man behind the OP Nayyar Memorial Trust and the creative director of many musical events and Swathi Subramanian, President of SwaRaag Performing Arts, Inc. The artist palette included a cast of singers and performers that ranged as much in their unique style as in their age and profession.

Meena Sundaram, a cardiologist and music aficionado
Meenakshi Rana, an accountant by day and a crooner by night
Tehniyat Hakim, a 9th-grader and aspiring singer armed with a guitar
Pankaj Shah, a respectable engineer with the inexhaustible energy of a performer
Rajiv Gangurde, a keen scientist with a penchant for ghazals
Shantanu Sen, a software engineer and an ardent yodeler a la Kishore Kumar
Nayanika, a gainfully unemployed artist, free thinker, and adventurer
Diya, whose frequent visits from the tooth fairy only enhance her diction. She presented her first duet on stage - Tera Mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Nata Koi from Aa Gale Lag Ja - with Shantanu Sen.

True to its promise, the songs list spanned and relived the magic of the decade with lilting and romantic melodies such as Piya Bina and Bahut Door Mujhe Chale Jaana Hai, foot-tapping rhythms such as Jaaneman Jaaneman Tere Do Nayan and Kitna Pyaara Waada Hai, high-octane numbers such as Gulabi Aankhein and Aao Na Gale Lagaao Na, and soulful tunes such as Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna Yehi Hai and Aanewala Pal. The dance floor beckoned and soon, the guests were transported to the 70s, sashaying to these unforgettable songs, recalling the glory days of Rajesh Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Kishore Kumar, Gulzar, RD Burman and other icons of the decade.

It was then the turn of the Dancing Divas of New England, who dazzled on the floor with dance moves choreographed to signature Western disco dance numbers such as Dancing Queen, Stayin' Alive, Daddy Cool and Funky Town. The evening also saw the unveiling of Selina Banerjee, Pankaj Mullick's great-granddaughter's debut album, Aaye Bahaar, recorded at EMI Kolkata. May 10th was significant in that it was Pankaj Mullick's 99th birthday.

Romancing the 70s was a benefit concert arranged to raise awareness about and funds for RIA House, a developing service organization in Massachusetts to support adult women who have experienced sexual slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking. The mission is to provide much-needed survivor-led and coordinated services leading to the design of a safe and sustaining home community that offers survivor mentorship and social entrepreneurial business opportunities, ultimately, helping sexually exploited women reintegrate into the community as leaders. Nayanika, an advisory team member for RIA House has been working with Heather Wightman and other leaders of the non profit community since its inception in
October 2012.

Sponsors: AIM Dental P.C. and Noureen Design
Dinner caterer: Singh's Cafe, Wellesley
Media partner: Foundations TV
Creative Concept, Design & Decor: Jugaad Design

Picture credit: Malathi Shastri

Anuradha Palakurthi and Sunayana Kachroo talk to The Foundations TV

Transcribed by - Divya Mendiratta

Gauri : Welcome to Foundations TV everybody. Our guests today are two lovely women of New England.  We are actually doing two beautiful women at the same time. Anuradha Palkurthi who is a beautiful singer, and Sunayana Kachroo who is a beautiful poetess. And they both are here to share something very special with us today. So before we go to that special thing, let’s talk about you, Anuradha, as a singer. Tell us something about your journey, when did you start? We would love to hear about it.

Anuradha : Sure. Music was all around me, so my journey really started young. I started learning music when I was six. My mother would play Pakeeza songs at home, and my father would play Carnatic music at home, and my brother would come up with new tapes of Floyd, and Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. So I grew up with music. And I was always on stage. In school I was always pushed forward as Bharat Mata, because of my big hair and big eyes and lal bindi. So I was dancing and singing, very happily.

Gauri : Always comfortable on stage (smiling).

Anuradha : Yes. I learnt music from a very young age. I hated it then. But I’m very grateful for my mother for pushing me into that. And in high school and then in college. In college within 10 days somebody ragged me to sing. And that person turned out to be my husband.

Gauri : Really, so Prashant ragged you. J (chuckles)

Anuradha : Ya and I married him. He was the senior most guy and I was a freshmen.

Sunayana : Which college was that?

Anuradha : BITS Pilani. And even today he says if you hadn’t sung for me, I don’t think I would’ve looked at you again. So that’s on record now.

Gauri : Till date it shows how much he loves you and you are singing.

Anuradha : Yes, I think it was meant to be. And in college too for all the Music Festivals of BITS Pilani, I was always there. I sang for dances, I use to sing Floyd’s ‘Great Gig in the Sky’. And Prashant also performed. He and his friends performed at one point, and we were thrown off the stage. They wanted to be part of Music Club. (Chuckles) So that was a fun thing. And then we got married.

Gauri : So when did you got married?

Anuradha : We got married in ’87 , and we were in Bangalore after marriage. And that’s when I met Shiv RajKumar, who is a leading actor. And he wanted me to sing with him. He actually was not supposed to sing, SPB was supposed to sing. But he was like “I want to sing with JuJu”.  And that was my first playback exposure. I sang for a Kannada movie called ‘Ranaranga’. And then we left India, and that was the end of my music (sort of) career. And then I was singing socially everywhere. And at one point I sang for the Ambassador in Jamaica. And we travelled the world, I had three children. Prashant is an entrepreneur, so it’s very demanding. He is always travelling. And motherhood is challenging and if you have an extra challenge, it’s more challenging than ever.

Gauri : Yes. I’m sure.

Anuradha : But I had a ball, to travel everywhere. And then when I came to United States, I wanted to reconnect. That was when it was kind of biting me.

Sunayana : After the pause.

Anuradha : Yes, ‘After the pause’, the pause button was jumping up. And then I reconnected. I met Gita Murali, who’s a local teacher and fabulous singer. She was very encouraging, and she was like “Anu you have to do this, at least come to the lessons.” And then I continued my tutelage with her.

Gauri : Excellent.

Anuradha : And then it carried on.

Gauri : So when was the breakthrough? When did you go back on stage here?

Anuradha : Back-on-stage happened for my friend Manisha’s daughter Supriya’s dance. She came to me and said, “Anu Aunty you are so good, I want you to sing for my dance.” And then she went up to her teacher Neena Gulati. And Neena Ji was very sweet. She is a wonderful person. And I sang for Supriya, for her dance performance, in Philips Andover. And then my brother-in-law, Prasad made sing for IANH. And that’s why IANH is very close to my heart. This was 2010, and that was it, after that there was no stopping. I met fabulous people in the community. I met you both. And I’m here now.

Gauri : Lovely.

Anuradha : And I recorded another song for a Telugu movie, called ‘Golconda High School’. And that was in 2011.

Gauri : Wow, so I’m hearing Kannada, Telugu, Hindi of course and English. That’s four languages. How many languages do you speak?

Anuradha : I speak seven.

Gauri : Seven Languages, wow!

Aunradha : But I’m sure you speak at least three and so does Sunayana.

Sunayana : Five.

Gauri : Five, Wow. That is brilliant. So now coming to ‘Barasjaa’. Which is where Sunayana comes in. Sunayana has written this beautiful song ‘Barasjaa’, and Anuradha has sung it in her lovely voice. And I’ve heard it. J And I absolutely love that song. So I want to hear more about that journey, what does ‘Barasjaa’ mean to you Sunayana?

Sunayana : ‘Barasjaa’ has a very interesting journey, and a very long one too. Usually what happens as a writer you get inspired to write. And sometimes it happens immediately, you see something, you get inspired and you write. But what happened with ‘Barasjaa’ is something else. I went on a trek with my friends in 1997. And during the trek we got caught in a cloud burst. At that time I was also going through many changes in my life, and somehow that cloud burst, that we got caught in, the rain, meant a lot more to me. It probably meant, bring it on, I’m ready to turn the leaf in my life. I had that feeling, but not the words. So after a long time, may be in 2012.

Anuradha : So you didn’t not write then.

Sunayana : I did not write then. And I started to write in 2010, you know how I was talking to her (Anuradha). I started writing again around that time. Then  a lot of people said that I should have a book now. And I was trying to select different poems from what I’ve written. And ‘Barasjaa’ is probably one of the last ones that I decided to put in the book. The thing is that words were not there, and finally when I found the write words, I always say that, words found me….

Gauri : How lovely is that.

Sunayana : …Words found me. And I had the right words. I was able to wrap the emotions, in words. And that’s how I wrote ‘Barasjaa’, and it found its way in the book too.

Gauri : I love the way you said, “words found you”. So you were holding onto the emotions.

Anuradha : And you know when she says cloud burst, she has put that in the poem, ‘ Badal Todkar’. And that is my favorite line.

Gauri : Really? So, is that what struck a chord with you right away?

Anuradha : Oh yes. It was like if, somebody was trying to come out. Actually I felt mostly for that ‘Badal Todke’. And every time it comes out, I want to sing it differently, because I feel differently.

Sunayana : For me the favorite line is ‘Sab peeche chode kar, main khadi hun mord par, Barasjaa’.

Gauri : Wow.

Anuradha : Love the way she says it.

Gauri : Yes, because it comes from the heart. We can absolutely feel it. I’m sure it meant a lot to you when you heard it, so what did it mean to you?

Anuradha : Pretty much the same thing. For me it was more about fulfillment. You leave aspirations behind, and life pulls you in so many directions. All of us has been through that, and keep going through that every day. So for me it was more about attaining something, when it say ‘mord par main kahdi hun’, for me at that point I felt like I can go forth and make rain. We can, when I say ‘I’, I always mean ‘we’. And nothing is done individually, for me it was more about shower of happiness, of creation, fulfillment, attainment, you can say anything you want. I’m sure it means differently to you.

Gauri : It does. As a listener, it meant a lot to me, and I was able to connect which is a whole different off camera discussion, which we will have later. But definitely I’m sure everybody who listens to this song can connect to certain pieces of it, or resonate with the feeling and emotions that are flowing through that song. It is absolutely beautiful. And like you kind of touched upon it, it is ‘we’, it’s a team that brings this together. So I’d love to hear more about the team Sunayana. Who all are involved with the production of this song?

Sunayana : As its said earlier, Anuradha Ji said that it’s a team always. I believe if you ever want to do something great in life you cannot do it alone. You need a team. And sometimes you see a face of a team, but there are lot of other people who are involved in that. So we have Girija Marathe, she is based in Mumbai, and she’s a wonderful composer. And she comes from a great lineage, she’s the great granddaughter of Dada Saheb Phalke Ji. She’s the one who composed the tune. In fact a day before I was going to meet them (Anuradha) she sent me the Q track. I had been talking to her for a long time. We were exchanging a lot of songs, and we were looking at the potential of different songs. Somehow this is the one that resonated with her. So she came up with the Q track, and just a day before that, before I was going to meet them, she sent it to me. When I went and met them we were talking about a lot of other projects, and just before I was about to leave, I said ‘by the way I have a Q track of a different song, do you want to hear it’. I just played that, and it was amazing the way how Anuradha Ji responded. It was almost like love- at-first sight. She was not willing to part with that song. She wanted it.

Anuradha : I wanted it, I wanted to own it. And I made it my own I think in many ways.

Gauri : And it shows.

Anuradha : And I have to say when you talk of a team, I cannot say team without mentioning my mother-in-law. My darling mother-in-law, who is the biggest team player, she in fact gave me the confidence to go forth, go forward and pursue my dreams. And she’s a very talented woman, she could’ve been a singer, an athlete and sportsperson, anything. So she is one of the people of ‘Barasjaa’. She never got an opportunity to ‘Barasjaa’.

Gauri : She is doing it through you.

Anuradha : Exactly, you are right. That’s how she sees it. And she is says, It’s your time to make rain. And she gave me a fabulous person, his son. I’m forever grateful for that. My kids, my family, my sister-in-laws, I cannot do without them, they are me.

Sunayana : And it was recorded internationally, because she’s here, I’m here. But the composer is in India, the mixing and the mastering team is in Mumbai.

Anuradha : I got caught up in that team, my family. My husband recorded this song in Boston, in my studio, professional studio he built for me.

Sunayana : Susmit Limaye, Varad Kathapurkar, Aditya V. Oke, they did a work.

Anuradha : They make me sound phenomenal.

Gauri : You are phenomenal. It’s the song, the emotions, the voice, and the music everything coming together so beautifully. Creating absolutely a loveable product.

Anuradha : Thank you Gauri.

Sunayana: I hope people like it too.

Gauri : Yes of course. I have heard, and I was humming it for few days after I heard it for the first time. Hopefully we’ll be able to share it with our audiences, I know they can download it from few places. What are the sites they can downloaded from?

Anuradha : I can say 3 words, cd baby, itunes and google, and that’s it.

Gauri : So people can download it from these three sites. So that’s excellent. And we have something exciting, something else that we would like to talk about is the Anuradha Palkurthi Foundation, which is being recently formed. So Anuradha would you like to tell us something about the foundation, what the mission is?

Aunradha : Sure. The foundation simply supports local culture and arts, that’s my mission. I feel very strongly about culture, I feel having come so far away from our roots, it’s very important that we preserve and cherish it, and nurture it. That’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to support all activities, all organizations that need my support. And through culture, I met you, I met you (Sunayana), I met these fabulous people in the community. Artists, musicians, professionals who are doing this as a hobby. And I salute parents who push their kids to learn, our culture, the teachers who are still imparting that knowledge to everybody. And I see Ansh performing. Sahana, Nalini, Aarya, my daughter and so many kids, culturally involved. It’s just so heartwarming to see that. And I’m doing my little bit.

Gauri : I’m sure, that’s a huge lot. Doing every little thing makes a difference and contributes towards the growth and development of the community. So Kudos to you for that. And we hear there’s a nice show coming up.

Anuradha : Right. This is the first ever that the foundation is putting up. It’s a charity event, it’s a ticketless event. This was not how it was planned. It was planned as very small private event to be done in my house or in a big hall. My husband wanted to do this, because lot of our friends and family have not seen me perform, so we thought why not, let’s do this. But then the Madan Mohan music is so phenomenal, that we decided that it needs to go out to more people. More people love it, more people want to see it, and I think it’s only fair that it deserves that kind of attention. So we decided to turn it into a charity event. And now hopefully people will come and contribute to the armed forces, where the retired and returning soldiers are going to be present. I think the non-profit is for using their services for local disaster etc. I’ll be putting up more information about that surely. That’s what we are doing.

Gauri : We are looking forward to it.

Sunayana : It’s amazing how Madan Mohan Ji is how we connected too. I was thinking about it while she was speaking. Because Madan Mohan Ji’s son Sanjeev Kohli Ji has been a great inspiration and guide for me through my journey, of my book and my poetry as well. So last year I was talking to him, and he said, ‘you should connect with Anuradha and Parshant. Even though we were in Boston I didn’t know about them. So he’s the one who actually connected me with them.  So indirectly we are connected to Madan Mohan Ji.

Anuradha : His family is travelling. And I have to mention, I’m being coached by this phenomenal artist called Arti Ankalikar-Tikekar. She’s from Pune, she’s a Hindustani vocalist. And she’s a beautiful Guru, she’s my second Guru. She has lead me through this, and every time I see her on Skype.

Gauri : Oh, so it’s all the way from India.

Anuradha : All the way from India, ‘dant pitati hai’ ( I’m scolded). It’s a big switch for me, from Carnatic to Hindustani. And I have so much respect for her. It is challenging, but I’m trying my best. So she will be here, Madan Mohan Ji’s family and the director of the Telugu movie he is going to be here too, so some very good people to meet.

Gauri : Wonderful. So we look forward to this fantastic event coming up, sounds really good.

Anuradha : Thank you Gauri.

Gauri : Such an honor to have both of you here, sharing your journey of ‘Barasjaa’ and your foundation.

Anuradha : Thank you for having us.

Sunayana : Thank you for having us.

Anuradha : And congratulations to you for creating this beautiful thing, giving knowledge to kids. I don’t know how many things you do Gauri, you are a fantastic person.

Gauri : Thank you very much, pleasure to have you.