ISW President's Message
Our center opening is just around the corner. As we reopen we are following state guidelines and taking extra efforts to have professional cleaners clean our center and make it fully COVID compliant. We have a full calendar of events both online and in-person in the upcoming months. Beginning early May, you will also be able to rent our center once again. Please check out our updated rates and policies. We hope to update you about our strategic initiatives and the progress we have been making with ISW2025 in future issues of eSandesh.
If you haven't yet pledged, please join the select group of ISW India Center's inaugural donors at: iswonline.org/donate
Puneet Kohli, President, India Society of Worcester
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ISW Condemns the heinous attack on Asians in Atlanta
The attack on March 16th in Atlanta resulted in the deaths of 8 people including six Asian women and was another grim marker in the increased targeted harassment and violence being perpetrated against Asians. As fellow Asians, ISW stands in solidarity with the rest of the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and condemns all acts of violence, hate, racism and bigotry aimed at any group. ISW has been and is committed to serving every part of our community, regardless of language, religion or ethnicity. Anyone who feels they have been the victim of a hate crime should contact their local Police Department. The Town of Shrewsbury has designated a hate crimes investigative officer to fully investigate any such reports, as have many other police departments.
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ISW President Kohli to be on UCTV on April 8, 2021
Upton Community TV invited ISW President Puneet Kohli on their program "Be My Guest." The program will air on cable TV in Upton at 3:30 pm on April 8th.
You can also view it online on YouTube.
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UPCOMING ISW EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES |
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IYG SAYAA online Trivia Game
April 10, 2021, 11:30 am
Join IYG and South Asian Youth Activists and Allies (SAYAA) as we play a trivia game to learn more about the history of and solidarity between South Asian and Black communities, the history of South Asians in America, and much more! Families are encouraged to participate together. Click here for info and to register. If your child is not a member of IYG, please contact: iyg@iswonline.org to learn more
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ISW Student Awards Program
Deadline April 15, 2021
India Society of Worcester is inviting and accepting applications for the annual ISW Student Awards for 2021. If you know any high school students that might be eligible, please let them, or their parents, know about these awards and encourage them to apply. Applications open March 1st and are due by April 15, 2021. Details are on the ISW Student Awards page.
Awards Chair: Rashi Khanna
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College Application Process: Crafting a great college application
April 17, 2021, 3:30 PM
Ms. Susan Goodkin, a graduate of Harvard University, Harvard Law School, and Oxford University, will speak about crafting/creating a great college application. In addition, two recent college students will share their personal experiences. Session will be moderated by Mayank and Poonam. Click here to register for the event. Please send any questions to collegeconnect@iswonline.org
Dr. Mayank Jaiswal and Poonam Hingorany
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ISW Art Competition
Saturday April 24, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Application Deadline April 13, 2021
A unique virtual art competition - compete live, in person online! Open to artists of all ages. You will be placed in an age appropriate category. Applications close April 13th! Entry fee: $10. Click here to register. Hurry before registration closes.
Competition Planning Team: Shivangi Dasgupta, Anupama Debroy, Shiamin Melville, Sarita Deshpande
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Ram Navami Celebration
April 20, 2021, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Ram Navami, celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Rama, is a spring Hindu festival which marks the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu on the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri. Prayers will be followed by performance and bhajans. Join us on Facebook Live. Any questions contact: nishabawa60@gmail.com
Nisha Bawa, Chair, ISW Religious Committee.
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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! This is the first of a series of webinars. Please register here and share more information about your interests. We would love to hear from you.
Prof. Snehalata Kadam, Lead Contact
Bhawna Sadhu, ISW Executive Board Member
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ISW Antakshari 2021 – Sure'ely fun for Everyone!
Finals – Sun, May 22
Times have not been normal, but coming together, singing a few songs, and showing off your Bollywood musical knowledge in a fun, competitive environment will surely help. As most of you know, we have done Antakshari in-person AND we have done Antakshari virtually. This year, we aim to do a hybrid (dependent on state COVID regulations). Prelims will be held virtually, via Zoom. And 2 weeks later, we aim to do Finals in-person at India Center in Shrewsbury. For more info and to Register click here.
Key Dates are: Registration deadline – Wed, May 5. Prelims – Sat, May 8 and Sun, May 9 Finals - Sun, May 22
Amita Rao, Cultural Chair
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Thoughts on the webinar “Let's talk! Keeping the lines of communications open”
by Yash Chauhan
Whether it be debating between taking the SAT or ACT or attempting to figure out the so called “formula” that admission’s departments use, the American college admissions process is already an overly complicated task. However, it is made far more difficult and strenuous when there is a lack of open communication between parent and student.
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ISW CULTURAL & LANGUAGE SCHOOL NEWS |
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We are very proud to announce that Mansi Gera, ISW Hindi School Student Teacher for two years and a graduate of ISW Cultural and Language school, achieved the Seal of Biliteracy for Hindi at Westboro High School this month. Congrats to Mansi for going one step beyond, we are very proud of you
The state of Massachusetts and the Department of Education describes the award as “A recognition of students who have achieved proficiency in English as well as one or more additional languages. It is a statement of accomplishment that helps to signal evidence of a student’s readiness for career and college, and to engage as a global citizen.” The State Seal of Biliteracy is an award that recognizes high school students who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.
Ruchi Chauhan and Shiamin Melville
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ISW Tutoring Match Program
Looking for Homework Help? The ISW Tutoring Match Program can help. If you are looking for help with your child’s online homework or course work in any school grade, please fill out the info at this link.
If you are a student in grade 9 to 12, who is interested in being a volunteer teacher,
Mansi Gera, Krishnaa Amin, Shubh Agrawal, Ruchi Chauhan & Shiamin Melville
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What Holi means to us
By Smrithi Krishnaswamy, ISW Youth Reporter
Holi has been celebrated in India for centuries, with poems and scriptures describing the festivities dating all the way back to 4th century CE. These age-old traditions are still celebrated around the world today. This year, Holi begins on March 28. The symbolism of the story and holiday is the triumph of good over evil, but the holiday means different things to different people. I spoke to a few family and friends to find out what Holi meant to them.
You can find out what they thought in the rest of the article on our website.
If 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 COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS |
Holi
by Asha Singh
स्नेह और विश्वास के रंग से
रंग दो ये दुनियॉ सारी,
अभिनंदन हम करें सभी का
महकायें केसर क्यारी ।
मन से क्रोध, विकार मिटायें
निर्मल हो यह सृष्टी सारी,
उत्साह प्रेम का रंग बरसे
और भीग जाये हर नर नारी।
अपनेपन का गुलाल मलें
मोहक लगे मुख की छवि प्यारी,
पावन पर्व ये रंगोत्सव का
सबको हो मंगलकारी ।
प्रेम व भाईचारे के पर्व होली की रंगारंग बधाई और शुभकामनायें
आशा
Asha Singh, Teacher, ISW Cultural and Language School
Click here to read the translation on the website.
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Join the Sound the Alarm Campaign of the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross in Worcester is running its annual campaign which is part of a nationwide effort to educate the public in disaster preparedness and to install and test smoke detectors. Due to Covid, the Fire Department and the Red Cross team will be running the event a little differently this year, focusing on virtual fire prevention education, deferring in-person elements of the initiative to later date. The event kicks off April 8th and will run through May 8th. You can find out more and sign up at: https://www.redcross.org/sound-the-alarm.html
Christopher Rae | Disaster Program Manager
American Red Cross - Massachusetts
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Career Exploration Series: Interview with Dr. Sudhir Agrawal
By Tanvi Gahlot, ISW Youth Reporter
When entering high school, it’s as though a question of “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is engraved into your mind. Following this question, I decided to interview people in different professional fields. The first of these interviews was with Dr. Sudhir Agrawal, a renowned research scientist, and the founder and president of ARNAY Science LLC. He is also the co-founder of Idera Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA. He has also mentored many people in the field of research. He has always had a passion for research, and drug discovery. Dr. Agrawal was awarded the Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, UK in 2015. He has over 400 patents world-wide, and out of those, 148 are issued in the US.
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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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