Agrawal Samachar Patrika

Volume 3 Issue 4 - Winter 2000

Agrawal Sammelan of Texas: A Great Success

On the evening of November 18, 2000, over 200 Agrawals met at the Mahatma Gandhi Center in Houston.  Though the day was cold and rainy it could not dampen the enthusiasm and exhuberance of the Agrawals.  As stated by a centuries old story, rivalry existed between Inder Devta, God of Rin, and Maharaja Agrasen, the fore-father of Agrawals.  Thus, inclement westher on special occasions such as this was not all that surprising.

This Sammelan, as Agrawals call it, was different from other in that several concurrent work-shop were organized by Vijay Gupta.  These included Growing up in America as an Agrawal, Why Indias are at Greater Risk for Heart Disease and Health related uses for herbs and spices and were all moderated by Dr. Wed Aggarwal, a well-known pediatrician of Houston.

While Dr. Srinivas G. Nikam, M.D., from Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Narain D. Mangla, M.D., from Corpus Christi, Told of Secrets behind the making of a strong heart, 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.

Rakesh Agrawal, Dr. Manish Rungta and Ankur Goel talked about Growing Up in America as an Agrawal.  Shri Arun Prakash deliberated as the moderator.

The message carried by the workshop on Growing up in America as an Agrawal, was that "it can be tough growing up in a bicultural society but if one should work hard enough, it can be highly rewarding," as Rishi Aggarwal said.  These feelings were reinforced by most parents.

While the workshops were in progress, children were getting their faces painted and the ladies were adorned with mehndi.

The workshops were followed by a lecture on the Significance of Laxmi Pooja for Agrawals in which Acharya Dr. Sridhar of the Arya Samaj of Greater Houston emphasized that one must call one's patni "Dharam Patni", "Ardhangni" or "Laxmi" but only for "Worry Invited For ever".

Dr. Sridhar, who has a Ph.D. in Vedic Studies and Sciences, said that Goddess Lazmi always sits on a lotus of eight petals that represent dhan (money), dhanya (grain), dhairya (patience), santan (Sam+Tan, whose appearance and actions are like those of parents), vidhya (education), vijay (victory), vaibhav (luxury) and aishwarya (wealth).  He indicated that Lord Vishnu put everything except shanti (peace) under the control of Laxmi. For shanti, one must go to Vishnu.  He also indicated that GOD is made of generator, operator and destroyer, and that Agrawals are represented as operators of this world.

This highly enlightening talk was followed by a progress report of the association by Bharat Aggarwal.

A historical account, How AAA was Formed, was presented by Manoj Aggarwal while a foundation update was presented by Ashok Garg.

Amit K. Gupta was felicitated for being the first winner of the scholarship instituted by the Agrawal Foundation.  Rakesh Agrawal introduced everyoen to the Agrawal website.  Thereafter, Manish Rungta introduced the new members who joined AAA.  This was followed by a photography session and a sumptuous vegetarian dinner sponsored by Dr. ved and Santosh Aggarwal.

As if all this was not enough, the evening culminated with a dandia-ras 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.

How the AAA was Formed

It was in the month of May in the year 1997, when Bharat Aggarwal, my father, received a call from Uncle Murari Agrawal enquiring about the BHU Alumni Association. At the time, they realized that they were both Agrawals and that both were from BHU, but had never met each other. Both thought, "wouldn't it be wonderful to form some sort of Agrawal association".

Thereafter, my dad invited Uncle Murari to our home to discuss the same that very day. We also invited Anil Aggarwal, a neighbor and resident of West University. Uncle Anil also thought it was a great idea and proposed Uncles Devi Rungta, Hari Agrawal, Durga Agrawal, Govind Agrawal and Aunty Anita Gupta as potential organizers of the association.
My dad requested my brother Rishi Aggarwal to do a people search on the internet and pick up all Agrawals, using the Iznowngothras. Within hours, a list of 500 Texan Agrawals was found. They included Uncle Ashok Garg and Aunty Pushpa Gupta.

Uncle Durga also volunteered to host the first Agrawal Sammelan at his house, which some of you may have attended. This is the story of the birth of the Agrawal Association of America.  Here we are three years later.

Caring for your school-age child: What if Your Child is Being Bullied?

Whether on the school playground or in the neighborhood park, children in the middle years sometimes find themselves the target of bullies. When that happens, these bullies cannot only frighten a youngster, shaking his confidence and spoiling his play, but they can also cause bodily injury.

Avoiding a bully is one reason your child may be reluctant to go to school. Perhaps he is being forced to relinquish his lunch money to this bully. Or, he might be fearful of physical harm. If you suspect a problem like this, you need to take action to ensure your child's safety and well-being. Here are some strategies he can adopt with your help, and which will help make him safer.

•  Tell your child not to react to the bully, particularly by giving in to demands.
  A bully relishes intimidating others and likes nothing better than to see his victim cry or become visibly upset in other ways. Getting that response reinforces the bullying behavior. Your child should try to keep his composure and simply walk away.

• If your child's attempts at disregarding a bully's taunts aren't effective, he should become assertive with his harasser. While standing tall and looking his tormentor in the eyes, he should clearly and loudly make a statement like, "Stop doing that now. If you keep on, I'm going to report you to the principal." Or, I'll talk to you, but I'm not going to fight. So, put your fists down now." Sometimes, a strong statement will defuse the situation, and the bully will try to find another, weaker target. Drawing the attention of peers to the bullying situation can embarrass the bully. If your child isn't used to reacting assertively, help him rehearse what he will say if he is confronted.

• Encourage your child to form strong friendships. A youngster who has loyal friends is less likely to be singled out by a bully, or at least hell have some allies if he does become a target of harassment.

• Talk to your son's teacher or to the principal of his school if the situation with the bully persists. You might be reluctant to intervene, perhaps because your child is embarrassed to have you do so, or because you believe he needs to learn to deal with these situations on his own. On the other hand, you don't want your child's self-confidence to weaken, or for his physical well-being to be jeopardized. Your youngster deserves to attend school in a safe environment, even if it means both you and the school staff need to become involved.

• Let the principal or teacher talk to the bully when he or she sees the inappropriate behavior taking place on the school grounds. This is generally a more effective approach than having you speak with the child or his parents.

Credit: The American Academy of Pediatricians

Health Column: by Dr. Brij Bhushan Goel

Sinusitis
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the Pare-Nasal Sinuses. Infection of the nose, mouth, teeth, throat, tonsils can cause Sinusitis. Other factors are swimming in infected water, low general health, exposure to cold, fatigue and tooth extraction. Inhalation of irritants, vapors or dust may also play a role.

There is irritation of the mucous membrane, increasing its secretion and causing swelling. This tends to block the aperture of the sinuses, thus reducing drainage. Thus, there is pain over the areas of the sinuses, cheeks, forehead and temples. There may be fever, and yellowish-green discharge from the nose. If not treated properly, it may become a chronic condition.
The complication of Sinusitis are infection of the eye, middle ear, Meningitis, brain or lung abscess, Broncitis, Pharyngitis, Laryngitis etc.

Treatment:
Fasting, particularly during fever or inflammation or in digestive disturbances is so beneficial. Two of the worst enemies of the sinus sufferers are refined white sugar and salt. Avoid these at all costs. Take one variety of fruit, preferably papaya, four or five times during the day for 7 days, drink lots of water and nothing else. Jalaneti is also very useful. Mouth open and breathe normally through the mouth. 

Talaneti (The Nasal Douche)
This requires a special type of vessel (Neti lota) which has a spout. Boil a pot of water and allow it to cool till it becomes lukewarm. Add a teaspoon full of salt to it and stir well. Stand erect, stoop forward and insert the spout gently into one of the nostrils. Slowly tilt the head to the other side so that the water runs into one nostril and comes out through the other. Keep the through other nostril continuously like a stream. Repeat the process with the other nostril.

Uses:
Gives relief from cold, cough, sinusitis, Migraine and inflammation of the nasal membranes.