Agrawal Samachar Patrika

Volume 5 - Issue 1- Spring 2002

Agrawal Sammelan of Texas: A Great Success

HOUSTON-  On the evening of December 1, 2001, over 300 Agrawals met at the Mahatma Gandhi Center in Houston. Though the day was cold, it could not dampen the enthusiasm and exuberance of the Agrawals. This Sammelan, as Agrawals call it, was different from other in that great number of youth participation made it a happy gathering. Mr. Wangdi, Consul General of India, Houston was the chief guest. Soon after.snacks, Dr. Kuldip Kaul gave a lecture on "Diabetes in Indians" followed by youth program by Amit Garg. Also, there was a spiritual discourse by Pandit Rajmani ji.

This highly enlightening talk was followed by the awards ceremony. Recognition plaques were awarded to the outgoing board members Dr. Pushpa Gupta and Mrs. Anita Gupta for their outstanding contribution to AAA. A message was read by Mr. Wangdi, Consul General of India, Houston in recognition of AAA and extending his deep appreciation for Agrawal Association of America. AAA also presented a recognition plaque to Mr. Wangdi for his outstanding support to all the Indo American organizations in America, particularly Agrawal Association. 

Four Agrawal students Vinay Agrawal, Niraj Agrawal, Manoj Aggarwal and Rishi Arya were awarded for their essays submitted in Youth Essay Contest.

Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal, a Professor at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center talked about medicinal goodness in the usage of various herbs and spices such as neem and turmeric. While the lectures were in progress, children were getting their faces painted and the ladies were adorned with mehndi.

This highly informative talk was followed by a progress report of the association by Bharat Aggarwal, while a foundation update was presented by Ashok Garg.This year Agrawal Association of America-Foundation awarded the scholarships to a total of eleven students. These scholarships were presented to these students at the sammalan.

This was followed by a photography session and a sumptuous vegetarian dinner sponsored by Mrs. Aruna and Mr.Santosh Kedia. As if all this was not enough, the evening culminated with songs by a professional group and dance session for the adults while the teenagers were entertained by a DJ.  The Sammelan came to close by midnight leaving everybody enlightened, educated, enriched and entertained.

Agrawal Association Picnic

Lost Creek Park-April 13th, 2002-12.30 PM to 5.30 P.M.

AAA has been arranging two get together every year for the members. One get together is held indoors while the second is arranged outdoors. After a very successful indoor Sammelan at Gandhi Center, this is the time for an outdoor Picnic. The place for the picnic is Lost Creek Park located at 3703 Lost Creek Blvd, Sugar Land. The map showing the Lost Creek Park is given on the back page of this newsletter.

The activities will include Lemon on a spoon race, kabadi, tug of war, bursting the balloon, antakshari etc. This time there will be a Cholle Cook-off Competition in this picnic. The participants for Cholle Cook-off Competition will be judged in the picnic for Presentation, Taste and Novelty. The first and second winners will be honored in the next AAA Sammelan. Every member of the Agrawal Association is encouraged to participate in the competition.

Please call 281-848-7474 or email info@agrawal.org for details, if you need any information. Bring your Agrawal friends.

How Did I Get Here?

Perhaps the most provocative question man can ask himself is why he is where he is. What is man supposed to do? What is his purpose and meaning? What is his goal?
Looking at my own life, these question constantly badger my subconscious until they occasionally surface to my conscious. The only way I can assuage my agitation is through religion or answering the question my self.
Why am I here? I am on the earth because my mother and father brought me here, because nature created sexual desire in order for living beings to reproduce. I am the product of some random combination of genes in my parents. I have been born, and so I am here.

But in larger sense, why am I really here? What is my purpose? I am here to do something, to bring something. I have been given the perfect equipment for whatever task I am suppose to accomplish. I have 5 sense organs, a brain to process information, arms, legs, hands, and feet. I can give the world whatever my equipment is best suited for. If I am smart, I can give intellectual contributions to the world. If I am strong, I can provide manual labor. If I am skilled hand worker, I can perform delicate operations. I should learn how to give more than I take, to help more than I receive. If everyone strives to be that way, the world will not have as many problems. Economics will run better and fewer people will starve. In this way, I have found some worldly purpose in life, to produce.

To be able to better the world, I have to first better myself. I can't depend on my surroundings to change for the better. I have to tune my three main instruments my mind, intellect and body.
The body, which includes the five sense organs, can perceive objects in world and perform work on them. I can see, touch, hear, smell and taste a piece of food. The sense organ act as input for the brain. It is rather easy to improve the body. I can eat right and exercise to develop a body that can perform a variety of tasks.
The messages I get from the body are transferred to my mind, which is basically a continuous stream of thoughts. Depending on my past impressions, I will react to different things differently. If I had a dog that was my best friend, I would enjoy the company of dogs. However, if a dog attacked me in the past, I would be scared of dogs. The mind feels these various emotions while thinking of an infinite number of thoughts. Each thought triggers a different emotion. The trick to improving the mind involves filtering out negative thoughts and balancing emotions. It is best to try not thinking of thoughts that produce jealously, greed and anger.
The faculty that can control thoughts as well as reason, judge, and think is the intellect. With this vital instrument, I can introspect upon my life and determine how to improve my mind and body. I can make moral and beneficial decision. I can think about math problems and English papers. The intellect in processing unit. Through constant use and sharpening of its abilities, the intellect can be ameliorated.
With all these assets in proper condition, I can become a fuller, more productive citizen. I can give more than I take and help humanity improve. I will have a definite purpose in life.

In a more profound sense, some may say man is here to attain salvation, to reach God. In Hinduism, devotees believe that we are reincarnated over and over again until we attain perfection and realize God. Man must constantly become a better person, following more and more the code of righteousness. When he attains perfection, he merges with God in a perfect state of bliss, a kind of heaven. Hinduism also believes that soul is God and once we understand that our inner self is essentially Him, we can merge with Him.  I am here because I have been put here, and I will make the most of it.

This is an essay contributed by Rishi Aggarwal who is a Senior at Lamar High School.

Letter of Recognition for AAA from Mr. Wangdi, Consul General of India, Houston

I would like to extend my deep appreciation to the Agrawal Association of America (AAA) Texas Chapter. As a group the AAA has always gone the second mile and beyond the Mission Statement in establishing a network and support group for its members and their children. The AAA has come together as an Indo-American community by organizing youth get-togethers and retreats, holding educational dinners and fund-raising for the earthquake relief fund in India.By setting high goals together as a group, AAA has brought the Indian population of Houston together to help and give assistance when needed. Organizations such as the AAA help develop and build strong ties within the Indo-American community and encourage mainstream America understand India's rich tapestry of culture and heritage.

I have enjoyed working with the AAA and the people associated with the organization. Please continue your work and helpful attitude that you have always and so graciously demonstrated.

Pemaji joins me in conveying our best wishes to the Members of the Agrawal Association of America, Texas Chapter.

****** Post birthdays, scholarship/ award recipients, weddings, anniversaries, new births. Contact Devi Rungta at rungtadsm@aol.com or 713-436-3234 OR Naresh Mittal at nareshmittal@yahoo.com or 713-565-9484.