Agrawal Samachar Patrika

Volume 7 - Issue 1- Spring 2004

Agrawal Association Sammelan: A Great Success

On the evening of November 15, 2003, over 300 Agrawals met at the Preet Hall in Houston. Though the day was cold, it did not dampen the enthusiasm and exuberance of the Agrawals. This Sammelan, as Agrawals call it, was different from others in that a great number of youths participated making it a happy gathering. Acharya Shri Gaurangbhai Nanavati of Chinmaya Mission, Houston was the chief guest. Soon after snacks, the Sammelan formally began with Deepawali Aarti, in which kids and youths participated. Guest speaker Acharya Shri Gaurangbahi gave an enlightening talk on Diwali. He told that Diwali brings us together and unites us. "In Diwali you light the Diyas of different shapes and colors, but the light is one and the same. Similarly, it teaches us that the people of different cultures and colors should forget all the jealousy and clean our hearts to get united."

Our another guest speaker Shri Brahma Agrawal, the founder of Hindu University in Orlando spoke about the new institution for which we should be proud of. He told us that there are about 50 students in the Hindu university doing masters and Ph. D. in Indian culture and Hinduism. Although at present, Indian culture and Hinduism is taught as a

course in many universities of America, Hindu University is an independent and stand alone University for Indian culture and Hinduism. This was followed by an excellent and a highly informative slide presentation regarding "Fiber: Start Roughing It" by Dr.Manish Rungta. He said fiber is one of those things that many of us know is important but that remains a bit of mystery for us. To learn more about exactly what it is, what the best sources of fiber are, and what are its health benefits, go to the AAA website www.agrawal.org. Soon after that Mr.Rakesh Agrawal presented scholarships to those high school students who were selected on the basis of merit and eligibility by the AAA Foundation.

The highlight of the Sammelan was the Cultural Program presented by the Agrawal youths of all ages organized by Mrs. Anjali Agrawal. Everyone enjoyed the excellent program until the closing moments of the Sammelan.

This was followed by a sumptuous vegetarian dinner sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Durga and Sushila Agrawal. The Sammelan came to close by midnight leaving everybody enlightened, educated, enriched and entertained.

Youth Column: Mahatma Gandhi By: Rishi Arya Ahinsa: A Fundamental Part of Hindu Philosophy.

The news fascinated me: "A life-size Bronze Statue of Mahatma Gandhi will adorn the International Sculpture Garden at Hermann Park" (India Abroad, September 12,2003). To my knowledge, our city will be one of the first in the US to complete such an endeavor. Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869. He has been universally acknowledged as an apostle of Ahinsa, the belief in non­violence. His brave and relentless pursuit of peace, equality, and respect for all human beings makes him a world hero.

This statue will constantly remind us of the unequivocal methods and great contributions crucial for gaining India's independence. His tapa, the philosophy of karma weighing heavily on Ahinsa, is also important, especially to Agrawal youths. Most individuals belong to some religion or sect. All Hindu sects preach Ahinsa, which can be conceived in three phases. The first one is to "Live without hurting others," where non-violence is restricted to human beings. This is significant in at least two ways: this is a central theme in most religions, and it necessitates reverence for God's creation, man. This first phase of Ahinsa should be viewed and applied by not hurting human individuals both mentally and physically. To further describe this concept we should constantly strive to be truthful, trustworthy, and not create any anguish upon human beings in our everyday lives.

The second phase is to "Live and let live." With this concept Ahinsa is extended to other living creatures. This is especially important to us in the US where it is not easy to find food products without eggs or meat unless one reads all the words on the packaging with close scrutiny. We as youths have cravings for "good" food and thus enjoy local fast food restaurants. However, we should be careful not to let our passions exceed our morals.

The third and final phase is to "Protect other lives even at the cost of yours." We can interpret this to mean that we should live in a "utilitarian" mode, one in which we attempt to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Although this last phase sounds idealistic, we should attempt to achieve this goal. Despite the selfish tendencies we possess, we must make a decent effort to act altruistically.

The act of Ahinsa exemplifies the doctrine, "What you sow, so you reap," meaning that one bears the consequences of his deeds. One can question the implementation and the procedures. Here we invoke the role of autonomy, and the process of doing deeds, or karma, is continuous. A time gap exists between the time of award and the time of execution, and those who continuously commit deplorable acts fail to realize their consequences are unavoidable. We may sometimes wonder and debate why one individual is enjoying or suffering more than another while their Karma do not correspond to their state of minds. Rather than simply contemplating, we should instead focus on our pure intelligence and ignore the positive and negative effects of karma. By living indifferently instead of suffering through "roller coaster emotions," we will learn to gradually detach from the material world and focus more on spirituality. This finally brings us to the Gita, which stresses that we perform righteous karma for the satisfaction of God and leave the results up to Him. This has been an attempt to relate and summarize a small yet fundamental part of Hindu philosophy.

Agrawal Association Picnic George Bush Park—March 20^th, 2004—12 PM to 5 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 Preet Hall, this is the time for an outdoor Picnic. The place for the picnic is George Bush Park, Houston. Every member of the Agrawal Association is encouraged to participate in the upcoming Picnic.

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

There is one notable change this time; this picnic is organized solely by Agrawal youths. If any Agrawal youth want to volunteer, please call 281-848-7474 or email info@agrawal.org

Health Column: Fitness by the decade

As we grow older, we find we have to exercise differently than we did when we were younger. Here arc some guidelines to follow for each age group.

In your 20s & 30s.

Strive for 30 minutes to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per day, along with strength-training sessions 2 to 3 days per week. Making your bones denser at this age lessens your  risk  of osteoporosis later. You can accomplish this through weight training and weight-bearing aerobic activities such as running and stair climbing.

In your 40s.

After age 40, most women lose a quarter pound of muscle (and gain the same amount of fat) each succeeding year. Fight back with weight training, and continue your aerobic workout. You can break up a 30-minute routine into 10-minute mini-workouts. Take a yoga or Pilates class to keep your body limber and toned.

In your 50s and beyond.

Keep up your 30 minutes to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise, but you can include more moderate activities such as walking. Stick with the strength training 2 to 3 times per week.

Don't think it's too late to start an exercise program. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, women age 65 or older who increased their physical activity levels cut their risk in half of premature death from any disease.

 -adapted from The Oprah Magazine

****** 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.