ISW President's Message
Dear ISW Supporters
We look forward to the future when we can gather together in person and be able to fully utilize the capabilities of the new facilities. To whet your appetite, we would like to share a walkthrough of the new rooms and the many configurations possible. As more people get vaccinated and feel comfortable, we hope to soon announce activities at the center in keeping with state guidelines.
We were fortunate to partner with IAGB to schedule a vaccine camp at ISW on May 2nd at the ISW Center location. The overwhelming response quickly filled up the schedule but we have opened 200 more slots. Please signup soon. While we are fortunate to have access to healthcare and vaccinations, we are also aware of the dire situation in India and the many family and friends who have been personally affected with the second wave. Our thoughts are with those affected and we pray for a speedy resolution. We will share information shortly on our website on how you can support efforts to assist the situation in India.
We introduced the volunteer recognition program in the last eSandesh issue, and would encourage you to utilize the links below to document the time you or your children might spend volunteering at ISW.
As always feel free to contact me at president@iswonline.org if you would like to get even more involved!
Puneet Kohli, President India Society of Worcester
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UPCOMING ISW EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES |
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Intellectual Multitasking: Balancing Passion with Profession
May 6, 2021, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Introducing ISW Women Empowering Women (WEW) - An interactive platform empowering women by transforming the I can’t to I can! India Society of Worcester (ISW) has launched a new initiative for women from all walks of life to come together and empower each other by sharing their life experiences. The first panel consists of New England women leaders sharing their experiences on multitasking with finesse. Click for info.
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QI (key) Communication skills for middle schoolers
Saturday, May 8th, 2021, 10:00 to 10:45 am
ISW University presents online webinar on QI (key) communication skills for middle schoolers. Strengthen your student's confidence in speaking up and communicating with Qi Skills. Qi Skills include ME skills, or self-management skills, and WE skills, or skills to play well with others. The course will consist of 2 classes of 45 mins each targeting 5th to 7th graders. Click here to register and for more info.
Facilitators: Dhruv Jagan and Aashi Gupta, 8th graders, Oak Middle School, Shrewsbury, MA
Co-advisors: Snehalata Kadam, Shipra Gupta, Poonam Hingorany, & Shiamin Melville
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ISW offers Free Online Yoga sessions for adults & youth
- Daily 6.30 am Yoga by Hemant Gera
- Mondays, 10 am Chair Yoga by Latha Radhakrishnan
- Tuesdays & Saturdays, 11 am Chairobics by Stuti Khanna
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Upcoming Events
Here is a brief summary of our upcoming events. You can find more details on the ISW Website.
ISW Antakshari 2021 – Sure'ely fun for Everyone!
Finals – Sun, May 22
This year, we aim to hold a hybrid Antakshari (dependent on state COVID regulations).
Prelims – Sat, May 8 and Sun, May 9 Finals - Sun, May 22
ISW College Connect: Financial Planning and college coaches
May 22, 2021, 11:00 am
Panel discussion with Kanan Sachdeva, MBA, CFP®️, ChFC®️ and Patrick Herndon, Principal, Certified College Advisor. Please Register.
ISW University Summer Camp
June 28 to August 20, 2021
We are excited to announce that we are working on a series of offerings for the summer for 6-8 weeks. The classes will be online or in person. Please fill out the surveys on our website if you would like to be a volunteer tutor or would like to sign your child up for a class.
Neena Mohanka, Usha Yadav, and Kalpana Choudhary. Advisor: Shiamin Melville
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ISW EVENT RECAP
ISW College Application Process Webinar
By Vandana Premkumar, ISW Youth Reporter
College application processes can be difficult and stressful but when you know the right way to go about it, it can get easier. Here are some tips you can take to write a good college application. Read the rest of the event summary on the ISW website.
ISW Art Competition
by Sarita Deshpande
ISW 2025 Symphony initiative launched the ISW Art Contest for all ages to help local artists express their inner creativity and emotions through drawing, painting and artwork. Over 60 artists registered for the online proctored event. IYG (ISW Indian Youth Group) member Shivangi Dasgupta conceived the event and its unique online format designing the registration form, themes and logistical aspects with the aim of raising funds for ISW. The amazing Judges’ Panel included Avni Chheda, Aradhita Sarkar, Sharmistha Bhattacharya Dutta, Rashmi Pitre, and Dr. Java Joshi. Find out more about the event and the winners on our website.
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Interview with Dr. Siddhartha Shah - Part II
Curator South Asian Art and Director of Education and Civic Engagement,
Peabody Essex Museum
By Devishi Jain, ISW Youth Reporter
Siddhartha V. Shah joined the Peabody Essex Museum in 2018 after a long career as an entrepreneurial art professional with wide-ranging interests in South Asian art. We continue with the conversation he had with ISW Youth Reporter, Devishi Jain about curating art and his career choice. You can also view an overview video of the current South Asian exhibit on our website.
What kind of support did you receive from friends and family when you decided to pursue a career in art?
My parents always supported me, though they always questioned my choices. I think they supported me because they knew how incredibly stubborn I was. I was lucky that I was 15 when I felt in my body what I wanted to do. I work with high schoolers and college students and you meet people who know exactly what they’re going to do and I just think, “You don’t even know yet.” Until you get to college, you don’t know what’s out there. How many high schools have Sociology as a department? You don’t really know what these things are until you’re doing them. You can read the the rest of the interview on our website.
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అ , ఆ , ఇ , ఈ
by Bhavya Kamakolanu
అ , ఆ , ఇ , ఈ
గుండు మీద టోపీ
ఉ ,ఊ , ఋ ౠ
నీకు ఒక ఒట్టు
ఎ , ఏ , ఐ
చిన్న మామిడి కాయ్
ఒ, ఓ ఔ
పాలు తాగింది ఆవు
అం , అః
మళ్ళీ పాడుదామా ?
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Growing up
By Bhavya Kamakolanu
The day I was created,
I was the size of a pea,
I drank from tiny bottles,
And slept with my mommy.
Then, I started to babble,
A type of funny talk,
My brother would make me laugh,
It sounded like a chick’s squawk.
Soon, I started walking,
I would go to pre-school,
I loved to learn the alphabet,
Which I thought was pretty cool.
. . .
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Bhavya Kamakolanu is a 4th grader at Millpond Middle School, Westboro. Her ISW Telugu teacher is Madhavi Chaliki |
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We Are The Pride of India
By Tharegha Manoharan, ISW Youth Reporter
India is a diverse country with many different people, cultures, religions, traditions, languages, and beliefs. Made up of 28 states and 8 union territories, it is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, the Great Himalayas and the majestic Indian Ocean. Despite the differences between the territories, borders, and individuals, India is a united country, accepting of its differences. Read the rest of the article on our website.
If you or your child is interested in showcasing a piece or writing for eSandesh, please have them email newsletter@iswonline.org with a sample writing piece, their areas of interest and their grade and school.
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ISW CULTURAL & LANGUAGE SCHOOL NEWS |
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Donation for Teacher Appreciation 2021
As the academic year draws to an end, many parents want to show their appreciation for the great volunteer work done by the ISW Language Teachers, Assembly Teachers and Staff. The school has been going strong for 28 years thanks to the dedication of the volunteer teachers. Last year $900 was raised and donated on the teacher's behalf to the Greater Worcester Community Foundation's Frist Responders Fund. This year the teachers have agreed to donate funds collected to the ISW Building Expansion Fund. Should you wish to donate, please do so at this link by end of June.
ISW School's Annual Day May 22, 2021
ISW School's Annual Day program will be held on May 22nd in the early afternoon. The program will be in person at the ISW India Center and staggered in shifts. Details will be forthcoming on the website.
Ruchi Chauhan & Shiamin Melville
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ISW 2025 PEN Initiative Update
By Ragoo Raghunathan
In the past week, the ISW 2025 Professional and Entrepreneurs Network (PEN) initiative met with a group of entrepreneurs, community leaders and professionals to discuss and pull together ideas in an online brainstorming session. The 2-hour zoom call included a Jamboard session and discussed ways to support and develop this initiative. The participants included ISW President, Puneet Kohli, ISW ex-President, Ashish Cowlagi, Raj Melville, Manohar Ganapathy, Navinkumar Loganathan, Mandy Pant, Kelly Mittal, Nagendra Rao and Suzanne Gray and me, as leader of this initiative.
The session included very passionate ideas and feedback from the group. At the end we had collected over 100 ideas that were categorized into around 10 topics. We are currently collating and prioritizing these ideas. These range from collaborating with other entrepreneurship organizations, to having programs targeting youth and professionals interested in start-ups, having regular meetings at the newly expanded India Center, job fairs and career workshops – to name a few.
We soon expect to come up with a more detailed plan and strategize on how we can work with the community in supporting this goal. As a primary event of this initiative, we plan to have a Meetup at the India Center in Mid-May (15th) to launch the PEN Group initiative.
Please watch this space for further notifications and updates on this topic. Feel free to reach out to us to get directly involved and contribute at ProfessionalSelf@iswonline.org.
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Contact Information
India Society of Worcester
Mailing Address: PO Box 136, Shrewsbury, MA 01545
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Answering Machine: 508-842-9795
Website: www.iswonline.org
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