IAGC          NEWS

VOL 18; No. 1. NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS OF THE INDIA ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHARLESTON, January, 2008

India Association of Greater Charleston A Non-profit organization for increasing the awareness of Indian culture and heritage. The Membership is open to all individuals interested in Indian culture. P.O. Box 71152 North Charleston, SC 29415-1152 (Web Site: http:\\www.indiaassociationofgreatercharleston.com} Email iagc.vj@gmail.com Executive Committee President – Vijay Shroff (843-853-9753) Secretary – Joyce Menon (843-881-4900) Treasurer – Prodyut Mukhopadhyay (843-873-9049) Secretary, Cultural Affairs -- Monica Emmanuel (843-849-7841) Executive Council - Atri Amin (843-881-7998), Harshad Vyas (843-875-7150) and Sunita Hiranandani (843-856-6505) Gala Committee  – Omi Hasija (766-4661), Shashidhar Pai (849-9240), P.R. Rajagopalan (843-571-3082), Sati Bakshi (843-884-1384), Rajesh and Subbi Mathur (854-556-5966) Newsletter - Subbi P. Mathur Webmaster - Subbi P. Mathur Email and Website Following the endorsement of email for correspondence at the IAGC general body meeting in 2004, approximately 80% of the membership is receiving this newsletter as an email attachment. If you are not and would like to do so, please call Vijay Shroff or email your request to iagcfolks@yahoo.com. This will help with promptness and also with the cost of mailings. If you would like to continue receiving the newsletter by surface mail, you have to do nothing: The system will continue as it has! We have a brand new website: http://www.indiaassociationofgreatercharleston.com PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Welcome to our new IAGC Website. We had a busy year. I thank all of you for making this a very happy and wonderful year for me and Shaila. Let us put our best foot forward and present the best Gala event ever on February 23. Best wishes. Sincerely, Vijay Shroff SECRETARY’S MESSAGE: Due to unwavering support from our members and a very enthusiastic executive committee, we have planned interesting events for the coming year. Become a member to participate and enjoy these events and meet new friends. Please feel free to call any of the Executive Committee members with  any question you  or suggestion you may have to offer. Joyce Menon Would You Like to Start a New IAGC Activity? Ideas such as cricket, book club and bowling have been discussed. If you are interested in spearheading such an activity, please call Vijay Shroff with your plans. We can then contact the membership and proceed. IAGC needs more input and interaction from members. Contributions to the newsletter Please forward any interesting articles or items for publication or email these to Subbi Mathur (mathurs@musc.edu). The next newsletter is due out in the summer. Membership renewal For those of you who have not renewed memberships, now is the time to do it! Remember that the membership period is from January to December. Contact Prodyut Mukhopadhyay or Vijay Shroff to check on your membership status. Email and website Approximately 80% of the membership is receiving this newsletter as an email attachment. If you are not and would like to do so, please call Joyce Menon. This will help with promptness and also with the cost of mailings. If you would like to continue receiving the newsletter by surface mail, you have to do nothing: the system will continue as it has! A Silent Minority A recent article in the US Indian media critiques Indians settled in the USA as passive observers of the political process. According to statistics from the 2000 US Census, less than 30% of eligible voters of Indian origin actually exercise their votes in the USA. Bobby Jindal in Louisiana is the first Indian American to be the nominee of a major political party in a recent Gubernatorial campaign. Bobby lost a closely fought election. A handful of other Indian Americans have been elected to high office around the country, but the number is quite small. A very different statistic compared to physicians….did you know that there are 10 times as many physicians of Indian origin in the USA as would be proportionate to our population? Advertising in the Directory The IAGC Directory is an excellent medium for targeted advertisement of services and businesses to our community. If you would like to advertise in the 2004 Directory, please contact Joyce Menon by April 20. Rates: Inside cover full page (front or back) $ 100, full page $50, inside half page $30.

Curry Flavors and Enjoy Dances with India Association of Greater Charleston during the IAGC Gala 2008 Please make a date with the India Association of Greater Charleston, during our magnificent Gala event to be held at 6:30 PM, Saturday, February 23, 2008, at the Embassy Suites Conference Center, International Boulevard, North Charleston, The India Association of Greater Charleston (IAGC), is a non-profit organization consisting of about 150 members. The IAGC undertakes this mammoth effort once every two or three years to highlight Indian Culture and cuisine. The members open their hearts to entertain about 500 Greater Charleston citizens in great pomp and splendor at this Gala event. The IAGC Gala will be distinguished by a multi-course scrumptious Indian dinner in an elegant setting, prepared under the expert direction of Chef Anil Kumar, a famous Chef from Washington DC. There will be an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian entrees and hors d’oeuvres. Pleasing to the palate, Indian cuisine is world famous for its variety in tastes and flavors rendered possible by an unique array of intriguing spices, that have health benefits. The dinner will be followed by a spectacular dance program offered by the dancers from Nritya Natya Kala Bharti Dance & Music Academy of Atlanta, GA, directed by Kumud and Sandeep Savla. Originally from Kutch-Gujrat, Kumud Savla, the founder of this group, came to U.S. in 1988. She is renowned for her expertise in one of the classical Indian dances, Kathak. The Government of India honored her for her performances in “Festivals of India” in Russia and Mauritius. Along with dance performances throughout India, America, West Indies and Southeast Asia, Kumud has also performed in leading roles in dramas on stage as well as on TV. Kumud has conducted dance workshops in many countries and has been a dance teacher for more than 16 years. She and her students will entertain the audience in various dance styles. Besides Kathak, the troupe will offer a variety of colorful folk dances, and scintillating Bollywood movie dances. Starting with simple Kathak steps, she trains her students to master complex footwork, fast rhythmic circles, facial expressions, and total body language. The guests can look forward to an astounding array of dances performed by beguiling and beautiful young ladies from different parts of the country. The India Association of Greater Charleston has hosted the Gala events since 1986. Each time, the event has been extremely successful and the guests look forward to the Gala event in consecutive years. A lot of hard work and dedication lies behind these efforts and we always have an appreciative audience. Come, curry flavors and enjoy the dances with the India Association of Greater Charleston during their Gala event to be held 6:30 PM, Saturday, February 23, 2008 at the Embassy Suites Conference Center, International Boulevard, North Charleston, SC 29408. For ticket information, please contact Omi Hasija (766-4661); Joyce Menon (881-4900), P.R. Rajagopalan (571-3082), Vijay Shroff (875-9753); Or, Shashi Pai (849-9240). Other Planned Events General Body Meeting The General Body Meeting of IAGC will be held on Sunday, January 27, 2008, from 2 to 4 PM at the Basic Sciences Building Auditorium at the MUSC. Holi We shall celebrate Holi on Sunday, March 22, 2008 at the Stono Shelter at James Island County Park, starting at 11 AM. It will be covered dish. MUSC International Festival IAGC will participate in the MUSC International Festival as a food vendor at the Bazaar in March, 2008 (TBA) March of Dimes Walk The March of Dimes walk through downtown Charleston will be held in April, 2008. Join us for a good cause and camaraderie. It’s easy to register online! Simply go to www.walkamerica.org, click ‘search our database’, type in India Association of Greater Charleston and proceed with registration. North Charleston Arts Festival IAGC will be performing on in May, 2008 (date to be announced), at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Call Monica Emmanuel if you would like to participate; we really need active participation! Please come along to cheer our performers! Spring Picnic The Annual Spring Picnic will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at a venue to be announced later. This is a ticketed event. The prices will be announced later. Scholarship Fund IAGC awards an annual scholarship to one (or more) graduating high school senior (child/dependent) from the membership. Please contribute to the Scholarship Fund to show your support for our children. Contact Dr. Rajagopalan (571-3082) for details. Our Brand New Website Please visit our web site. It can be found at http://www.indiaassociationofgreatercharleston.com Please email Subbi P. Mathur at mathurs@musc.edu with your suggestions.

Happy New Year!