Indian desis in San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore & Danville

Natya Mela 2012, a two day Bengali Theater Festival will be organized by Sanskriti in Pleasanton on Feb 4 and 5. Sanskriti is a Bay Area’s prominent Cultural and Charitable Association.
Venue: Amador Theater, 1155 Santa Rita Road,Pleasanton,CA,94566

Feb 4, 2012 – Saturday
3:15 PM “Bhul Swargo” Actopia, Bay Area
4:20 PM “Ekti GaNye Thaki” ECTA, New Jersey
5:55 PM – 6:40 PM Break
6:45 PM “Thikana” Brishchik, Seattle

Feb 5, 2012,Sunday
2:15 PM “Burkah Nama” Auditiya, Bay Area
3:00 PM “Norok Gulzar” Ankur, Sacramento
4:05 PM – 4:35 PM Break
4:40 PM “Tiktiki” Re-Act(Houston-Durgabari) Texas

Tickets are 20 – 30 USD, with a combo for two days for 40.
Check here for synopsis of the plays, and to book.

Last year, in October, Sanskriti was involved in organizing a festival to celebrate Durga Puja Other Cultural Programs and activities, including games like Carom and Table Tennis. As well they organized an event to pay tribute to Rabindra Nath Tagore on the occasion of his 150th Birth Anniversary at the same location Amador Theater, Pleasanton.

Understand Your Child – Workshop will be conducted on February 3rd, 2012 – 7:00pm in Dublin, CA.
Parenting can prove to  be a very rewarding experience in one’s life. Because of the changes in our  lifestyles, values and human relations, parenting is also becoming a challenge with parents having to deal with many issues related to children’s behaviour.  Often parents are found saying my kid

· Does not listen to me
· Jumps around and breaks  many things
· Does not eat properly
· Is just glued to the TV  all the time
· Is just not interested in studies, etc.

Understand Your Child workshop is a 2.5 hour interactive seminar from the Art of Living which helps parents deal with several such issues by finding the root cause behind them. It gives them an insight into how children think and thus a better understanding of their behavior. It points out small things that adults tend to overlook that may have a deep impact on children. Several hundred such workshops have been conducted benefiting many thousands of parents making their relationships with their children much more harmonious.

Please click on the following link to register for the workshop: http://secure.artofliving.org/event_details.aspx?event_id=102175

WORKSHOP DETAILS
Date & Timings: Feb 3rd 2012 Friday at 7.00 p.m.
Course Location: 6690 Amador Plaza Road, #215, Dublin, CA 94568
Contact Information: Sridhar Nomula (510) 334-7908 and Rashmi Patel (925) 3361203

 Invite your friends, family& peers!

SEF Dandiya will be organized on Oct 15, 2011 Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton featuring Dhol Baaje Entertainment, like last year. Tickets are $15 – and recommended to be purchased in advance as they WILL be sold out on the day (at actually any dandiya event). This is your only other chance to attend garbha this year in the Tri Valley, other than one Organized by Windemere Friends

• Free garba/dandia lessons available from 6:00-7:00pm on the event day for those who have purchased the tickets.
• Contact sefdandia@gmail.com
•  Free Parking
• Complimentary checkin of dandia sticks while you enjoy Garba
• Free entrance for Kids age 5 and below
• Special Dancing Area for Kids for Extra Safety

SEF Dandiya Pleasanton 2010

Other SEF Events at Sept 24, Oct 1 and 4 in Santa Clara.

————————————–

OTHER BAY AREA DANDIYA EVENTS:
————————————–
Induz Dandiya 2011 featuring Dr. Sharvari Dixit
Saturday, Sep 24 7:30p to 11:30p
at Centerville Junior High School Fremont, Fremont, CA
Induz Dandiya 2011 featuring bay area’s most popular Garba/Dandiya DJ Dr. Sharvari Dixit and troupe. Make it an extra special Navratri celebrations for you and your family at the spacious and convenient venue in East Bay.
Tickets www.sulekha.com/induz
Child care facility, ample parking, food, dandiya sticks etc will be available.
————————————–
lap once, clap twice, clap three times…and you’re almost there!
Garba is THAT easy! This TWO HOUR workshop will teach you the basic hand and feet coordination to get YOU on the dance floor this Navratri season!
Get a head start and join us in the Garba & Raas workshop on:
- Sunday, September 18th from 1PM to 3PM in San Jose, OR
- Sunday, September 25th from 1PM to 3PM in Milpitas
Register: sapnaydance@gmail.com
————————————-
Gujarati Cultural Association Upcoming Events – Navratri Garba/Dandia
Date: September 25 & 30
October 1,7 & 8th
————————————-
Small Steps Foundation Diwali Dandia Nite 2011 – Oct 8th
Saturday, Oct 8 7:30p
at Centerville Junior High School Fremont, Fremont, CA
SSF Dandia Nite 2011 in Fremont!
Most kids friendly dandia – Local Center will manage the kids corner with beautiful, craft, fun and brain bending activities, when they are tired from dancing. Biggest in Fremont with electrifying Bollywood music by Dimple Patel.Buy your tickets at sulekha.com or from the other store ticket outlets.

After last year’s overwhelming success, once again“Windemere Friends”- a neighborhood group of Indo American families is organizing “Dandiya for Education 2011″. 100% profits go to neighborhood schools!

• When: Oct 1, 2011 – 7:30 PM – 11:30 PM
• Where: Windemere Ranch Middle School (Gym)
• 11611 East Branch Pkwy, San Ramon, CA

Tickets: $12 each, $15 at the door (if there’s any left)(Kids 5 yrs & under free)

Contact: NewWindemereFriends@gmail.com

The Band: “Aseem and Madhvi”. The Bay Area’s most famous group for singing Dandiya. They have been performing in the Bay Area for more than 15 years!

• Free dandiya training 7 – 7:30 PM
• Popular Indian food served by Indian Restaurant
• Dandiya will be available for purchase

So get your Indian outfits ready for the fun filled evening with family, friends and neighbors!
Come and relish a variety of Indian- food  and the bay-area’s best live Dandiya-music to go with it !!

Dandia or Raas and Garba, is a traditional dance popular in Western India. In India, this celebration occurs during the fall festival of Navratri (Nav-raa-tree). Dandiya is a dance with short sticks that promotes slow calorie burning. Many folks have tried Dandiya and enjoyed it. We will have a special training session from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM for all newcomers.
Windemere Friends - We are a group of concerned citizens that want to make a difference in our community. We have started this in August 2010 with the aim of organizing activities that we like right here in San Ramon while raising funds for the schools.
The group is 100% volunteer based with no administrative costs.

The IAM Meditation training will be held at M.A. Center in San Ramon, California on Aug 20-21, 2011. This 160-acre site of Amma’s first U.S. ashram provides a beautiful and quiet venue for the meditation training.

The Saturday schedule is 8:30am (registration) to 3:00pm, and Sunday is 9am to 1:00pm. Participants must attend the entire training. Youth ages 16 & 17 are welcome to take the course with parental permission. (Those who have previously completed the full course are welcome to join the current class on Sunday at 9:00 am for a free refresher, which will review for you the steps of the practice and answer your questions)
Cost: $15.00 (to cover facilities expenses)
Meals: Lunch on Saturday can be purchased on site for $7 cash per person. Please make a reservation with registration, but pay cash when served.
Course Location: Amrita Hall, M. A. Center, San Ramon, California
(10200 Crow Canyon Road Castro Valley, CA – 94552)
Please feel free to contact us at iam@ammachi.org for any questions.

The Punjab Heritage Society, a local cultural organization for the past several years, is looking for some energetic and passionate people to take on a leadership role for the coming years.   The Punjab Heritage Society has successfully put on an annual Baisakhi show in Pleasanton to showcase the talents of our local children.   The current leadership team would like to bring in new people into the group, especially those with young children.

If you are interested in becoming one of the new leaders or would just like to get more information, please contact Harinder at harinder66@hotmail.com.

 

Here is an attempt you can make to understand your child better – and it does come with Indian ethos.
Art of Living center is organizing a free workshop on May 7 that “will enable you to understand you child, and enhance the relationship between parent and child.” By the sound of it, could be surely a useful and potentially fateful workshop!
According to the description of the workshop:

Learn the root causes of your child’s behavior and learn tools to help your child break these behaviorial patterns.
Understand your child and help them reach their fullest potential.

This is for you if you feel:
1. Your child is shy
2. Sibling rivalry turns into fights all the time
3. Your childs doesn’t listen to you
4. Child watched Tv and plays video games all the time and doesn’t listen to you.

This workshop will help you parent your child to

- Enhance their creativity
- Improve focus and concentration in studies
- Be independent and responsible
- Communicate better
- Feel more free and natural
- Respond to stress in an emotionally healthy way

We will also talk about emotional and mental development, nutrition and food choices, the role of music and art, and social interaction.

May 07, 2011 10:00 AM
Art of Living Center for Yoga and Meditation, Tri Valley
6690 Amador Plaza Road, #215
Dublin, CA 94582
Contact: 925-964-9228

The Team Asha Marathon program is kicking off in San Ramon on April 16th, 2011 (besides in San Francisco and Sunnywale).
The program provides training and guidance to run a marathon, as well as helps the cause of child education in India.

You can train with Team Asha for a Half or Full Marathon by joining the Team Asha Marathon Training program (A marathon is 26.2 miles; a half marathon is 13.1 miles). There is an initial, nonrefundable registration fee of $75 or $100 (depending on when you register.) There are other costs for races, gears, etc, as well as a goal to raise money (about $2000) for the noble cause. There isn’t a minimum fitness level to join the training program. Train for about 6 months for full and about 3 months for half. Join the entire group for a weekly long run (Saturdays) and track session (most Tuesdays.), and there are socials that you get to participate in.

Program Highlights
A comprehensive beginner friendly program.
3 month training for a half marathon and 6 months for a full marathon.
Train with experienced coaches and assistant coaches.
Speed and strength workouts every week.
Guidance on running form, apparel and nutrition.
Guidance from mentors during weekday runs.
Gain bragging rights after you finish a marathon.
Get fit! Learn to live a healthy and active life style.
Make new friends, attend team parties & dinners!

Some quick stats about Team Asha
Years in Operation : 11
Number of Runners : 1191 to date (412 women)
Funds Raised : $2.8 million
Age of Asha Runners : 18 to 60+
Supported Projects : 385
Children Benefited: 500,000+
Free Info sessions

East Bay Program Kickoff

Apr 16th, 2011 – 2:00 – 5:00 PM

Multi Purpose Room (MPR)
Windemere Ranch Middle School
11611 East Branch Pkwy
San Ramon, CA 94582

Register at:

https://www.ashanet.org/siliconvalley/marathon/

Contact: coords@sv.team-asha.org

Team Asha is a sports program organized by Asha for Education (Asha) that gives the chance to individuals of all ages to discover the magical benefits of physical activities like running and biking including but not limited to an active and healthy lifestyle. All that while helping raise funds for projects supported by Asha in India. Team Asha aims to provide every runner, every biker with the means to change their own lives and make a positive difference in the life of thousands of underprivileged children in India.
The program has been in existence since 2000 and helped hundreds of runners, 70% of them first timers, to reach new endurance levels and take on bigger challenges. Our expert coaches and involved mentors add a personal touch to the training and help you with not just running a marathon but leading a healthy lifestyle as well. Learn more about the program here.
Last year alone, more than 200 participants have helped raise over $370,000 towards 38 projects supported by Asha for Education, Silicon Valley Chapter.

With the number of Indian immigrants settling in Tri Valley increasing at the rate it is, if anything, one would imagine increasing community organization and participation.
So its almost not heartening to know that Holi celebration in Tri Valley this year (2011) is not on a smooth ride. The TVIA (Tri Valley Indian Association) did an excellent job organizing Holi at the Emerald Glen park in Dublin last year (2010). The event was well organized, and was a hit. There was music, dance, games, color and a lot of bonhomie, and participation. However, from there on, first the TVIA Diwali plan last year went awry (lack of participation/interest – read tickets not sold), and then this year no Holi because of lack of volunteers to organize it.
Sure, the community needs helping hands!

In any case, there is some ray of hope. ‘Art of Living Tri-Valley Center – Pleasanton/ Dublin/ San Ramon’ was apparently up to something, and they have announced holding a potluck – ‘Festival of Colors (Holi)‘ on March 19th, 2011 at 11:30 AM, and they invite friends and family to join. The location is

Limerick Park
2833 Bethany Road
San Ramon, CA 94582

If you may want to go, please contact the center (925-336-1203, 510-593-5858, sanramon[a]us.artofliving.org) for participating in the food potluck.

Other than this, surely some groups of friends may be getting ready for celebrating Holi. The official Holi date actually is March 20 (Sunday) – so don’t be surprised to see brethren from India in colors of holi in parks during the weekend of March 19-20. If any groups are forming, please spread the word around. The more the people, the merrier and colorrier!

If you are willing to drive 25+ miles, there could be other good options:.

• Asha Stanford Holi 2011 Saturday, April 2 · 10:00am – 1:00pm Sandhill Fields Oak Rd Stanford, CA
• Holi Garba-Raas Party – March 12, 2011 8PM – Jain Temple Milpitas
• SEF UPMA Holi Mela 2011 Mar 19 2011 Time: 11:00 AM
• Holi Celebration & Mela at Sunnyvale Hindu Temple Mar 20 2011, Holi Dahan on Friday March 18th @ 07.00 PM
• Janyaa presents Holi Cupertino, CA 2011 Mar 13 2011 10:00AM
• BAYVP Holi Garba Celebration Mar 26 2011
• GCA Dhuleti Celebration Mar 19 2011 11:00AM
• Rajasthani Holi 2011 Mar 19 2011 9:00AM

For details, google the events.

And onto a sports field – running, exercising and playing sports !!

Well, next in the calendar is Navratri, and Dandiya or Garba nights that come with it.
Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. It is more similar to Western folk dance than to the presentational style of Indian classical dances such as bharatanatyam and odissi. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garba (“womb”) and Deep (“a small earthenware lamp”).
Modern garba is also heavily influenced by raas. Raas or Dandiya Raas is the traditional folk dance form of Vrindavan, India, where it is performed depicting scenes of Holi, and lila of Krishna and Radha. Along with Garba, it is the featured dance of Navratri evenings in Western India.

There is a huge interest in Garba amongst the youth of the Indian and in particular Gujarati diaspora in Garba. Garba and Dandiya Raas are popular in US where more than 20 Universities have Raas Garba Competitions of a huge scale every year with professional choreography.

What to wear:
Both men and women usually wear colorful costumes while performing garba and dandiya. The girls and the women wear ghaghra choli, a three-piece dress with choli on the top and ghaghra as bottom, made of cotton with beads, shells, mirrors, sitars, and embroidery work, mati, jhumkas, necklaces, bindi, bajubandh, chudas and kangans, kamarbandh, payal, and mojiris and dupatta tucked in the Gujarati manner. Boys and men wear kafni pyjamas with a kediyu – a short round kurta – above the knees and pagadi on the head with bandhini dupatta, kada, and mojiris.

In Dandiya Raas men and women dance in two circles, with sticks in their hands. In the old times Raas did not involve much singing, just the beat of Dhol was enough. “Dandiya” or sticks, are about 18″ long. Each dancer holds two, although some times when they are short on Dandiya they will use just one in right hand. Generally, in a four beat rhythm, opposite sides hit the sticks at the same time, creating a nice sound. One circle goes clockwise and another counter clockwise. In US, people don’t form full circles, but instead often form rows.

Participate, and enjoy Dandiya in the Bay Area. For Tri Valley folks, there is one on Oct 16 in Pleasanton!

Vibha Dandia 2010
When: Saturdays, Oct 2nd, 9th and 16th
Where: Centerville Junior High School , 37720 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, California 94538
Cost: Early bird tickets: $10, • Regular price: $13 • Kids aged 10 and under: FREE • Door price: $15 (if available)
Others: • Free Dandia/Raas/Garba lessons will be provided by experienced dancers to all ticket holders • Dandia sticks, Food and beverages can be purchased at the venue

SEF Dandia 2010 Sankara Eye Foundation
When: Oct 9th and 23rd 2010 (Santa Clara) ; Oct 16th 2010 (Pleasanton) – 7:00 PM
Where: Santa Clara Convention Center, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton
Cost: $15
Others: FREE: Dandia Lessons for ALL, Entrance For Kids Under Age 5, Parking. Also, complimentary Check-In Service for Your Dandia Sticks, Special Dancing Area For Kids providing them Extra Safety, Free teak dandia sticks for first 500 tickets per event

Small Steps Diwali Dandia 2010
When: Oct 30 2010, at 7:30pm
Where: Address :Centerville Junior High School in Fremont – 37720 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CA
Cost: Early Bird (Until Oct 10th) :Adult – $10, Child (5-12) – FREE, Regular (After Oct 10th) :Adult – $13, Child (5-12) – $5, At the Gate :Adult – $15, Child (5-12) – $5
Others: Free Dandia Lesson during 1st hour

Sewa Dandia 2010
When: Oct 8 2010 8:00PM
Where: Sunnyvale Temple Hall, 420 Persian Drive, Sunnyvale, CA
Cost: General Admission $10 (FREE For Kids Under 10 Years)
Others: Subsidized food; All proceeds will go towards Sewa International service projects. Free lessons for Dandia.

IFDA Navratri Hungama 2010
When: Oct 24 2010 6:00PM
Where: East Valley YMCA Gym, 1975 South White Road, San Jose, CA
Cost: :$10 Current IFDA Students and immediate families, non-IFDA attendes under the age of 12. $15 – non-IFDA attendees above the age of 12.
Others: Lessons; Celebrity Guest Ganesh Venkataraman; bone-marrow drive

Chitresh Das Dance Company & Chhandam School of Kathak invite you to the historic unprecedented festival – Traditions Engaged: An International Festival of Classical Indian Dance & Music.

Experience a weekend of dynamic dance & percussion, and dramatic storytelling by the world’s foremost masters, Gurus, and artists of the many diverse classical Indian dance forms: Kathak, Bharath Natyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Gauriya Nritya.

See http://kathak.org/traditionsengaged/ for details.

TVIA is organizing this year’s annual summer picnic on Aug 21, 2010 at the Shannon Park, Dublin. The time is 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Its of course, a volunteer, bring-stuff-for-yourself-and-everyone-else event. If interested, you could RSVP by sending an email to pritinagda[a]gmail. com with number of people attending and what food item you’d like to bring. Activities on the card are Cricket, art/coloring, water balloons, playing cards, etc.
You could check pictures of the last year’s TVIA summer picnic.

This year’s Holi event at the Emerald Glen park was a hit – some pictures.
The mission of the Tri-Valley Indian Association is to promote Indian culture within the residents of the Tri-Valley area, (especially among children) and the community at large.